The city of Fresno is beginning an effort to scrub Cesar Chavez’s name from a major south Fresno street.

A day after a bombshell allegation about the iconic labor leader’s sexual abuse, the city council gave a thumbs-up to change the name of Cesar Chavez Boulevard. The roads will revert to the names King Canyon Road, and Ventura and California avenues.

On Thursday, city councilmembers praised Dolores Huerta, co-founder of the United Farm Workers with Chavez, for her courage in telling her story. Huerta said Chavez raped her twice and each assault resulted in the birth of a child.

“I stand in solidarity with Dolores Huerta,” City Councilmember Annalisa Perea said. “I do not believe this is an individual who deserves to be plastered along one of the main corridors of our city.”

Several councilmembers displayed street signs of the old and soon-to-be new names.

Councilmember Mike Karbassi motioned for the change, which as seconded by Miguel Arias, and passed unanimously.

However, City Attorney Andrez Janz informed the council that two public hearings must be held before the change is official.

Thursday’s vote, in fact, was to direct staff to begin the process of making the change.

City officials estimate they have retained 80% of the former signs.

The city went to great lengths to rename three Fresno roads in 2024 in honor of Chavez. Several community and business groups opposed it, bringing a challenge in court. A judge sided with the city. The city council set aside $1 million for new signs and to help businesses with the change process.

During the name change debate, the Fresno County Board of Supervisors declined to change the name of portions of the road in its jurisdiction. The board scheduled a special meeting Monday to rename the March 31 holiday honoring Chavez to “Fresno County Agriculture Appreciation Day.”

Facial Recognition Stalls

The city council took no action on a proposal by Councilmember Nick Richardson to use facial recognition technology to screen out sex offenders.

Several councilmembers expressed concern about the legality and use of the technology. Annalisa Perea said she was concerned about scaring away the immigrant community — even though Richardson said that would not be the target group.

Richardson emphasized this is just asking the City Attorney’s Office to check the feasibility and legality of screening for sex offenders. An actual policy would be discussed at a future meeting.

He proposed the motion after Rene Campos, a sex offender, considered running for city council. Campos did not qualify for the ballot, lacking the necessary signatures.

Campos spoke against the motion.

“When governments begin deciding who is allowed to enter, who is allowed to be present and how access is granted, that is not where the Constitution is tested. The Brown Act protects open access: no preconditions, no barriers, no gatekeeping. If access becomes conditioned in any way — identification, screening or technology — it is not policy. This is control,” Campos said.

Campos pleaded no contest to one count of possession of child pornography in 2021. He was sentenced to probation.

A Fresno County District Attorney’s Office spokesperson told GV Wire, “Campos is no longer on probation, so there are no current probation conditions restricting his presence around minors.”

Several children were present in the chamber at the same time as Campos. He must still register as a sex offender and “is generally prohibited from entering school grounds without a legitimate purpose,” a DA’s office spokesperson said.

Ultimately, the council decided — without a formal vote — to bring the item back in closed session at a future meeting. The council will ask the city attorney whether City Hall is a location frequented by minors that could lead to restrictions on sex offender access. Answering that legal question might require action in court.

In a related but separate vote, the city council voted, 7-0, to support Assembly Bill 2753, authored by Assemblymember Esmeralda Soria, D-Fresno. The bill would prevent sex offenders from holding public office. Soria, a former Fresno City Councilmember, has not provided specific language in the bill.

Campos spoke out against the bill, telling councilmembers he is not a violent offender.

Supporters of $15 Million Plaintiff Urge No Appeal

La-Kebbia “Kiki” Wilson sat in the City Council chambers as several speakers spoke on her behalf, asking the city not to appeal a $15 million verdict a federal jury awarded her last week.

Wilson sued the city in 2019, claiming racial discrimination, harassment and retaliation. Testimony at the 10-day trial included a city code enforcement supervisor using the “N-word” to describe Wilson to co-plaintiff Charles Smith, who was awarded $400,000 by the jury.

The agenda listed Wilson’s legal case on the closed session agenda. The city council is considering its next move — whether to appeal, settle, accept the verdict or take another action. Councilmember Miguel Arias publicly stated he prefers not to appeal.

Sam Frank, business manager for the Fresno City Employees Association, spoke on behalf of Wilson. The union subsidized the lawsuit.

“We feel that our cause was, from the very beginning, a very righteous cause, a very necessary cause,” Frank said. “History will judge because history is just starting.”

Esparza Elected New President

The first order of business for the city council on Thursday was electing Nelson Esparza as new city council president and Tyler Maxwell as vice president. The vote was 7-0 on one ballot.

“The council is different now. We have new faces and new personalities and new conflicts that arise between us. But I will do my absolute best to calibrate and adapt to all of that and keep things as orderly as we can and generally go in the direction that’s best for us,” said Esparza, who was the council vice president.

Mike Karbassi resigned Monday from the presidency, saying he needed more time to run for Fresno County supervisor. He remains a council member. Karbassi served as president last year and was re-elected in January.

The council approved new rules of procedure that took effect this year, allowing for a councilmember to serve consecutive terms. Previously, the position rotated among councilmembers.

Karbassi presented Esparza with a new gavel. Esparza presented Karbassi with a framed sign and a championship belt.

Esparza, who is terming out, previously was council president in 2022. He is running for the state Board of Equalization.

Dolly Parton Funding Problem Only at State, Not Local

Councilmember Tyler Maxwell proclaimed National Reading Month, with students from Thomas Elementary School on hand. Maxwell has been a reading advocate, including supporting the Dolly Parton Imagination Library locally.

There have been concerns about funds from the Parton program. State Sen. Shannon Grove, R-Bakersfield, recently questioned the state librarian about $650,000 in missing funds.

Maxwell said he was not aware of any local funding problems.

Fresno First 5 Executive Projects Manager Karen Rangel told Politics 101 that all funds “are accounted for and used as prescribed.”

“The recent news involving funding concerns from the California State Library and Strong Reader Partnership have no direct impact on our local Imagination Library partnership. Our local match funds are provided directly to the Dollywood Foundation in Tennessee, which is the entity currently administering the state’s matching funds. We remain committed to our purpose of providing young children in Fresno County with access to books that inspire a love of reading,” Rangel said.

Other City Council Notes

The city council delayed two volatile land use items, both out of an abundance of caution they said. A proposed rezone of residential and retail space to industrial in southwest Fresno was tabled by a 7-0 vote to an unspecified date.

“The council has received significant opposition from community members in the area at the request of the attorney general’s office and at the advice of our legal counsel,” Arias said when making the motion.

Arias has battled developers in the area to keep the land zoned as it is.

A proposed discussion on the Central Southeast Specific Plan was tabled until June 18, by a 4-3 vote. Esparza, Maxwell, Karbassi and Richardson voted in favor. Arias, Perea and Brandon Vang voted against.

“The people in southeast Fresno have waited long enough to hear this item,” Vang said. “I am vehemently against moving this item to another time.”

Karbassi said not waiting could put the city at legal risk.

“I’m not willing to do that, especially since we just took a bath with a ruling against us for $15 million,” Karbassi said, referring to the Wilson verdict.

The council approved on the consent calendar a contract with Lighthouse Public Affairs for lobbying in Sacramento. The city fired its previous Sacramento lobbyist, Greg Campbell, after he was caught in a scandal involving former Gov. Gavin Newsom’s chief of staff Dana Williamson.

The contract is for three years at $396,000 total.

The council approved contracts for the airport with the federal Transportation Security Administration for terminal space for up to ten years at $3.4 million; and car rental companies Avis Budget, Enterprise and Hertz for five years each. The total is for $24 million.

The council proclaimed the day in honor of Derek Franks, the former president of the Fresno Grizzlies professional baseball team. Franks left the position to work for Lee’s Air. Franks worked for the team for 22 years, overseeing renovations at Chukchansi Park and navigating the transition from Triple-A to Single-A.