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San Francisco narrows César Chavez Street replacement to two names

San Francisco narrows César Chavez Street replacement to two names

Rule Changes San Francisco, CA local

Working group picked 'Las Campesinas'; Supervisor Jackie Fielder introduced the renaming ordinance Oct. 20

October 20th, 2026: Fielder introduces ordinance renaming the street Las Campesinas

Overview

Updated Oct 23

San Francisco's renaming committee chose Las Campesinas, Spanish for female farmworkers, and Supervisor Jackie Fielder introduced legislation on Oct. 20 to put that name on César Chavez Street. Supervisors Rafael Mandelman, Shamann Walton and Myrna Melgar co-sponsored the ordinance, which now needs a Board of Supervisors hearing and vote.

The change follows a March New York Times investigation into sexual abuse allegations against Chávez, and the new name honors the women who built the farmworker movement. Not everyone on the three-mile corridor agrees: a residents' petition with 157 signatures asked for more transparency and favored Esperanza or Dahlia, and some merchants say Las Campesinas will be hard to spell and a hassle to update on business records and delivery information.

Why it matters

The decision sets a national precedent for how cities strip and replace the name of a union icon, and it will force thousands of address and delivery system changes along the corridor.

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Key Indicators

1
Name chosen by the working group
Las Campesinas, Spanish for female farmworkers
600+
People who weighed in on the choice
Community meeting at Flynn Elementary and an online survey; most backed Las Campesinas
157
Signatures on petition for more transparency
97% of signers preferred Esperanza or Dahlia
$107K
Estimated cost to replace signs and sidewalk etchings
City-funded estimate; address and mapping changes are separate

Voices

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People Involved

César Chávez
César Chávez
Late labor leader and street's namesake
Deceased (1993); subject of 2026 sexual abuse allegations
 Dolores Huerta
Dolores Huerta
UFW co-founder and alleged victim
Came forward with allegations; opposes naming the street for herself
 Susan Leal
Susan Leal
Former SF supervisor, co-leads renaming working group
Co-chair of the working group
 Joaquín Torres
Joaquín Torres
San Francisco assessor-recorder, co-leads renaming working group
Co-chaired the working group, which recommended Las Campesinas in October
 Daniel Lurie
Daniel Lurie
Mayor of San Francisco
Convened the working group that recommended Las Campesinas; his office says a new name could be final by December
 Jackie Fielder
Jackie Fielder
Supervisor, District 9
Introduced the Las Campesinas renaming ordinance on Oct. 20 with three co-sponsors

Organizations Involved

San Francisco Board of Supervisors
San Francisco Board of Supervisors
City legislative body
Has Fielder's Las Campesinas ordinance; a public hearing and vote are ahead

The 11-member legislative body that renamed Army Street in 1995 and will vote on the replacement name.
United Farm Workers
United Farm Workers
Labor union
Grounded in the movement Chávez co-founded; reeling from allegations

The farmworker union co-founded by Chávez and Huerta that mobilized volunteers to defend the 1995 renaming.

Timeline

March 1995 October 2026

8 events Latest: October 20th, 2026 · 3 weeks ago
Tap a bar to jump to that date

  1. Fielder introduces ordinance renaming the street Las Campesinas

    Latest City Action

    Supervisor Jackie Fielder filed legislation with Supervisors Rafael Mandelman, Shamann Walton and Myrna Melgar to rename César Chavez Street Las Campesinas, Spanish for female farmworkers. The name was picked by the mayor's 27-member working group after more than 600 people gave feedback, most favoring it.

  2. Working group announces two finalist names for street

    Announcement

    Committee confirms 'Las Campesinas' and 'Sí, Se Puede' as candidates to replace César Chavez Street. Final recommendation next week.

  3. Community meeting draws support for 'Sí, Se Puede'

    Public Meeting

    Residents at Flynn Elementary discussed the two name options. SEIU Local 87 president Olga Miranda drew parallels to 1995 anti-immigrant sentiment.

  4. SF forms working group to study renaming

    City Action

    Mayor Lurie commissioned the group; former supervisor Susan Leal and assessor-recorder Joaquín Torres co-chair.

  5. California cities race to strip Chávez's name

    Response

    Sacramento moved to rename Cesar Chavez Plaza; San Jose covered a plaza engraving; San Diego and LA began renaming assets. State renamed César Chavez Day as Farmworkers Day.

  6. NYT investigation alleges Chávez sexually abused women and girls

    Investigation

    Accounts from two women, now in their 60s, described assaults beginning when they were 12 and 13. Huerta said Chávez raped her.

  7. Ballot measure to restore Army Street name fails

    Election

    Voters rejected the repeal by a wide margin after a divisive campaign backed by UFW volunteers.

  8. San Francisco renames Army Street to César Chavez Street

    City Action

    Supervisors voted unanimously; new signs unveiled on Chávez's birthday. A campaign to repeal the change began.

Scenarios

1

San Francisco approves 'Sí, Se Puede' as street's new name

Likely Resolves by Q2 2027

Discussed by: KQED; community members at the Sept 24 meeting

The working group finalizes its recommendation in early October. Supervisor Jackie Fielder introduces legislation, the Board of Supervisors holds a public hearing and votes before the end of the year. City crews then begin replacing 59 street signs and 85 sidewalk engravings at an estimated cost of $107,000. Alicia Bustos Sandoval, who worked for the union for seven years, described the phrase as giving people 'esperanza' — hope.

2

San Francisco approves 'Las Campesinas' as street's new name

Possible Resolves by Q2 2027

Discussed by: KQED; working group members

The committee picks the tribute to female farmworkers, honoring the women who built the movement and those harmed by Chávez. The same legislative path follows, with a vote by the Board of Supervisors before the end of 2026 or early 2027. The name would offer a more permanent statement about who the city chooses to commemorate.

3

César Chavez Street renaming stalls amid dispute

Unlikely Resolves by End of 2027

Discussed by: SF Standard; residents who prefer reverting to Army Street

The working group's final recommendation draws pushback from residents or business owners who object to another costly renaming. A ballot challenge like the 1995 repeal effort could emerge, or the legislative process drags past early 2027 without a vote. Some residents interviewed by SF Standard suggested reverting to 'Army Street' or naming the street after local figures.

4

Property-owner objections push the Las Campesinas change into 2027

Possible Resolves by Q2 2027

Discussed by: SFist, citing merchants and residents along the corridor

The ordinance clears the Board but stalls in the Department of Public Works review, where property owners along the three-mile street get a formal chance to object. Merchants who say they were not consulted and who worry about spelling, signage and delivery records slow the sign replacement past the December target officials named.

Historical Context

3 moments from history that rhyme with this story — and how they unfolded.

March-April 1995

Army Street becomes César Chavez Street (1995)

San Francisco supervisors voted unanimously to rename Army Street for the late labor leader, unveiling new signs on Chávez's birthday in March 1995. A coalition of Mission District residents and United Farm Workers volunteers backed the change.

Then

Opponents put a repeal measure on the November 1995 ballot; it failed by a wide margin.

Now

The street kept Chávez's name for three decades, and city leaders who fought for it, like Susan Leal, now co-lead the effort to remove it.

Why this matters now

The same community that won the 1995 fight now faces the question of whether and how to reverse it, and some residents draw direct parallels between the anti-immigrant climate of 1995 and today.

August 2017 - 2021

Confederate monument removals (2017-2021)

After the Charlottesville rally, cities from Baltimore to New Orleans removed statues of Confederate generals and renamed streets, schools, and parks. The movement peaked again after George Floyd's murder in 2020.

Then

Dozens of cities stripped Confederate names from public spaces, often after heated debate.

Now

It established a precedent that public honors can be removed when a figure's legacy is deemed unacceptable, and opened debate about how to replace them.

Why this matters now

San Francisco's renaming is part of this broader pattern, but adds a new twist: honoring a movement rather than an individual.

June-November 2020

Woodrow Wilson at Princeton (2020)

Princeton University removed Woodrow Wilson's name from its public policy school and a residential college after protests highlighted Wilson's segregationist policies and racism. Wilson, a progressive icon and former U.S. president, had been honored for decades.

Then

The university trustees voted to strip Wilson's name, citing his 'racist thinking and policies.'

Now

It showed that even beloved historical figures can lose their honorifics when their full record comes to light.

Why this matters now

Like Wilson, Chávez was a civil rights icon whose personal failings prompted institutions to reconsider his legacy. Princeton's move shows how a single revelation can overturn decades of veneration.

Sources

(6)
+2
KQED San Francisco Standard SFist ABC7 News San Francisco Standard KQED