By admin 
Sacramento Mayor Kevin McCarty said Friday that the city will move forward with its suggested rename for Cesar E. Chavez Plaza despite the objection of a city commission, which felt the proposed name does not reflect the city’s Mexican and Indigenous heritage.
Read more Sacramento police arrest 2 suspects in 2024 shooting that killed 22-year-old man
Last week city staff announced their recommendation to rename the park on I Street in front of Old City Hall in downtown Sacramento, choosing the inclusive “Union Plaza” to recognize both the history of laborers who built the region and to inspire unity. The announcement came six months after allegations of rape and sexual assault were levied against the late labor organizer, sparking a national reckoning with his legacy as an iconic civil rights leader.
After community outreach and a survey garnering more than 2,600 responses, city staff and a subcommittee composed of four city council members selected Union Plaza as its top recommendation to rename the park.
The Parks and Community Enrichment Commission, an advisory board whose approval was sought before advancing the proposal to the City Council for final say, voted 6-3 Thursday night to recommend that the city reconsider its suggestion in favor of a name that is representative of local Mexican and Indigenous contributions to the city.
Because the commission is advisory, the subcommittee can opt to bypass their recommendation and put the name before the City Council for approval. There are existing tensions between the city and its advisory boards, with members frequently expressing frustration that city leaders fail to take their recommendations seriously.
McCarty is chair of the four-council member renaming subcommittee established earlier this year. He said that the commission’s vote won’t change the trajectory of the process.
“I support the renaming to Union Plaza,” McCarty said in a statement to The Bee. “We respect our advisory Parks Commission, but will disagree with their action and proceed accordingly with the community-supported name change to Union Plaza.”
The commission also recommended that city convene with local Mexican American groups and focus on preserving the “original heritage intent of the park.”
Read more 3 supplements recalled in California for deadly bacteria, undeclared ingredients
“That was one of the first if not the first Mexican-American, Mexican-descendant names that we saw on city infrastructure — it was very meaningful to the community,” Langer said. “And while a man may do terrible, horrible things, and while we may not want to recognize that man anymore, what this is, is essentially erasure of a community who fought. This is essentially taking apart the legacy that was built not just by one man, but by an entire movement of people.”
Union Plaza received the highest level of support in the city’s survey with 450 responses, less than 20% of the total. The second-most supported name in the survey was Dolores Huerta Park, named after the 96-year-old labor and feminist activist who co-founded the United Farm Workers union alongside Chavez in 1966.
“We are proud of the public process and value everyone’s input on what the park means to them, including its history and Mexican and Indigenous roots,” Councilmember Karina Talamantes said.
But commissioners were not convinced that 450 submissions from residents necessarily meant that the name should be set in stone.
“While I do appreciate that there was a large number of votes for ‘Union Park,’ I think in this instance that the largest number of votes doesn’t have to be the clear winner,” commissioner Victoria Vasquez said.
Council members Phil Pluckebaum and Talamantes each said that they aim to come to a consensus on the name.
“We will continue to work to find a suitable solution that works for as many as possible,” said Pluckebaum, who represents the area where the park is located.
Read more Food product recalled in CA linked to multi-state E. coli outbreak. What to know
This story was originally published October 2, 2026 at 10:21 AM.