Salinas residents defend the late Cesar Chavez as City weighs renaming the library and park.

 “Long live Cesar Chavez” is the repeated chant in Spanish from the attendees of the Cesar Chavez renaming of the library and park meeting on the night of Wednesday, Oct. 21.

The meeting took place at the Cesar Chavez library in Salinas and all the community members agreed the Cesar Chavez names of the City park and library should remain, sharing personal connections to farmworker organizing and arguing that Chavez’s legacy deserves recognition.

The meeting was part of a City process prompted by concerns raised after sexual misconduct allegations involving late labor unionist and political activist Chavez, in March.

On April 7, the Salinas City Council referred the matter for community review.

“This isn’t necessarily guaranteed that a name’s going to change,” said Kristan Lundquist, Salinas’ director of Libraries and Community Services, adding the Salinas City Council directed the City to go through a process.

Many speakers credited Chavez and the farmworker movement with improving conditions for laborers, and described the continuing importance of that history to their families and community. Some questioned the allegations made by labor leader and feminist activist Dolores Huerta and called for more investigation before changing the names.

Salinas resident Benjamin Mancillas says Chavez remains “a very prominent figure in our community,” adding that people “have been accustomed to that being the name of the park and of the library.”

Mancillas adds hearing that the City was considering other names was startling, and expressed relief at seeing others who shared that view.

The City’s outreach includes a bilingual public survey, opened in early October, and pop-up events intended to gather input from residents where they live and gather.

Lundquist said seven names qualify for consideration for the park, these include: keeping it as Cesar Chavez Park; Dolores Huerta Park; Everett Alvarez Jr. Park; Farmworker Legacy Park; Hebbron Heights Community Park; Pastor Herb Valero Park and Simon Salinas Park.

The Park opened in 1977 as Hebbron Community Park.

The following year in 1978, the library opened as Santa Lucia Library. According to Lundquist, the library has eight qualifying nominated names including: its current name; returning back to its original name; Alisal Library, Andy Matsui Community Library; Dolores Huerta Library; Everett Alvarez Library; Farmworker Legacy Library and Jane Albano Library.

Some speakers also raised questions about the cost of renaming the sites.

Lundquist says an estimated cost is not yet available.

“I don’t have estimated costs at this point. It comes down to primarily signage at the building and at the park,” she says.

Survey responses and feedback from pop-up events are expected to be compiled after the survey closes on Saturday, October 31.

Lundquist added findings are anticipated to go to the Library and Community Services Commission in December, then to the City Council around January 2027.

Residents will have further opportunities to comment at those meetings.

“President Donald Trump has actually done worse things and he isn’t punished,” says 50-year-old Salinas resident Elizabeth Reyes. “Chavez is no longer here to defend himself and his legacy cannot be erased.”