SAN ANTONIO – A proposal to change the name of César E. Chávez Boulevard in downtown San Antonio has emerged, with potential costs exceeding $300,000, as estimated by the City of San Antonio’s Development Services Department.
This initiative follows serious allegations against Chávez, including claims of sexual assault and abuse towards women and girls. Such accusations have sparked a nationwide movement to reconsider the names of streets and public spaces associated with him.
The San Antonio Historic and Design Review Commission has voted in favor of reverting the street name from César E. Chávez Boulevard back to its original name, Durango Boulevard. Notably, Commissioner Gabriel Velasquez stood alone in opposition to this name change.
Velasquez, who played an instrumental role in the original name change decades ago, expressed his disappointment, stating, “We worked very hard for many years, the César Chávez March for Justice organizing committee. One of the original ambitions was to have a street named after César Chávez, as we were trying to elevate the Civil Rights Movement and the civil right causes in San Antonio.”
He advocates for a new name that honors a Mexican American figure with significant contributions, rather than simply reverting to Durango Boulevard. “What about Gus Garcia, what about Albert Beña?” he questioned, highlighting the need for recognition of diverse contributions within the community.
Councilmember Teri Castillo’s office has been at the forefront of the proposal to change the street name back to Durango Boulevard. Castillo noted, “With Durango, it does have a lengthy history in the City of San Antonio. When you look at the streets surrounding Durango, it’s other Mexican cities within Mexico that are there. It’s Veracruz, Chihuahua, Tampico and many other Mexican cities and states within that corridor.”
The Development Services Department has provided information indicating that the name change would impact 295 addresses. More than 400 notices have already been sent to property owners regarding the potential renaming.
The total projected cost of the name change, which includes updating street signs and highway signage, is approximately $305,200. However, there are still questions about how the city plans to fund this work.
“There was funding with last year’s adopted budget for the César Chávez events,” Castillo mentioned. “Since those events did not occur, that funding is available, and ideally we would tap into that allocation of funding.”
The proposal will be reviewed by the Planning Commission on June 24, with the City Council expected to make a final decision in August. Castillo emphasized, “It is a lengthy governance process, but the goal is that we are engaging the community every step of the way until council takes official action of renaming César Chávez Boulevard to Durango.”
