The San Diego Unified Port District is preparing to decide whether to rename the waterfront César E. Chávez Park in Barrio Logan as Chicano Park on the Bay. The Board of Port Commissioners is scheduled to hold a public hearing and vote at the Don L. Nay Port Administration Boardroom, according to the proposal's schedule.
A Renaming Years in the Making
César E. Chávez Park sits along San Diego Bay in Barrio Logan, at the end of César E. Chávez Parkway, according to daylightsandiego.org. The site opened in 1990 as Crosby Street Park and was renamed for Chávez in 2002, the outlet reports. Because the property falls under Port of San Diego jurisdiction, the Port board — rather than the San Diego City Council — will decide the waterfront park's name.
The proposed park name is part of a broader effort to replace Chávez's name on two nearby public assets. The Chicano Park Steering Committee said it was coordinating with the city and the Port on proposals involving César Chávez Parkway and César Chávez Park, according to the same outlet. The San Diego City Council separately voted May 1 to rename the 0.8-mile parkway Chicano Park Boulevard, according to Times of San Diego.
Allegations That Triggered a National Reckoning
The renaming effort traces back to a New York Times investigation published March 18 that examined allegations against Chávez, who died in 1993. Per the seed facts, the investigation found that Chávez used women who worked and volunteered for United Farm Workers for his own sexual gratification. Two women, Ana Murguia and Debra Rojas, said Chávez sexually abused them from around 1972 to 1977 when they were children — Murguia was 13 and Rojas was 12 at the time, according to those facts. Murguia is quoted saying, “I wanted to die.” Labor leader Dolores Huerta also accused Chávez of rape, per the seed facts, and United Farm Workers began distancing itself from its own founder afterward.
The fallout extended beyond the park. Municipalities and institutions across the country removed Chávez's name or likeness from public spaces, and San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria signed an executive order March 20 directing city departments to remove references to Chávez from city facilities and programs, according to daylightsandiego.org. In Barrio Logan, the park was temporarily called Port Park for six months after the allegations surfaced, according to the proposal's background facts.
A Broader Reckoning Across the Country
The San Diego decision is part of a nationwide reconsideration of places named for Chávez. More than 130 streets, schools, parks and monuments in at least 19 states bear his name, according to the proposal's background facts. Associated Press reporting published by ny1.com found that most are in California and that more than half are schools; some institutions and local governments have begun considering or pursuing name changes.
The reconsideration has reached cities including Phoenix, Los Angeles, Portland and Albuquerque, where officials said they would examine landmarks honoring Chávez, according to 10news.com. In Denver, the city covered the sign at its César Chávez park, and the mayor said it would be renamed, according to nbcbayarea.com. The César E. Chávez National Monument, a 187-acre federal site in Central California established in 2012 by then-President Barack Obama, is a separate federal designation from the local parks facing renaming pressure.
How this park differs from Chicano Park
The waterfront park and the existing Chicano Park are separate sites with different management arrangements. According to a National Park Service reconnaissance survey, Chicano Park is managed through the involvement of Caltrans, the City of San Diego and the Chicano Park Steering Committee, distinguishing it from the waterfront park operated by the Port of San Diego. Other documented renaming actions have followed separate local processes. Berkeley city records show that a March 24, 2026, recommendation would refer a proposal to rename Cesar Chavez Park for Dolores Huerta to the Parks, Recreation and Waterfront Commission. In Phoenix, city records say the Mayor and City Council decided March 25, 2026, to rename the César Chávez Library, followed by a community-input process for selecting a new name. Both actions involved different municipal institutions and properties from San Diego's Port-controlled waterfront park.
How the Community Landed on a New Name
The Port District's outreach produced 177 unique suggestions for the waterfront park's new name. Variations on Chicano Park were among the recurring proposals, including Chicano Park on the Bay and Chicano Park by the Bay, according to the proposal's background facts.
Port staff also received two letters seeking the name Harry R. Bridges Park and a petition with more than 900 signatures supporting Chicano Park on the Bay. The Port held workshops with representatives from 14 community-based organizations on Aug. 4 and Aug. 12, and participants agreed on Chicano Park on the Bay. Port staff and the board determined that the proposed name met the district's naming-policy criteria, with supporters saying it reflects the region's ethnic and cultural diversity and the area's historical and cultural significance. Those staff and community findings will inform the board's hearing and vote; they are not an independent measure of public opinion.
