Riverside is preparing to gather public input on whether the Cesar Chavez Community Center should keep its name — but city staff said that no renaming proposal has been advanced.
The Park and Recreation Commission on Wednesday received an informational update on the issue, which comes after the city in March removed a Cesar Chavez Day item from its agenda and instead observed Farmworkers Day. Mayor Patricia Lock Dawson also in March called for a broader review of public facilities and monuments named after Chavez.
The city's actions come after the New York Times published an article in March that brought to light decades-old allegations of sexual abuse by Chavez, a labor unionist and civil rights activist who died in 1993.
Staff said the Cesar Chavez Community Center, which is currently closed for renovations, is expected to reopen in spring 2027.
At Wednesday's meeting, staff emphasized that the city is not recommending a name change at this stage — only beginning a community engagement process that could include meetings, surveys and outreach to neighborhood groups and community organizations.
City staff said that the mayor's multicultural forum will meet on June 3 from 8-9:30 a.m. in the Main Library committee room as part of a broader outreach effort to gather community input on the center's renaming.
Staff also noted that the city's naming policy requires public input before any recommendation is sent to the City Council. City policy also states that a facility named for an individual should not be renamed after another individual.
Commissioner Kevin Dawson urged the city not to move too quickly.
"I think it would be a mistake to rush to rename it after a person or something," he said, adding that the matter deserved "an appropriate amount of time of pause and reflection."
Other commissioners said they support a community discussion, while others argued the commission should avoid spending too much time on internal procedural changes when parks-related issues are pending.
