SF State to ‘address the renaming’ of student union building named after Cesar Chavez
Mar 19, 2026
SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) -- As fallout in the wake of bombshell allegations against Cesar Chavez continues, the status of the many streets, schools, buildings and other landmarks named for the civil rights and labor icon is up in the air. On Wednesday afternoon, Jackie Fielder, the San Francisco supervi
sor whose district encompasses the neighborhood where Cesar Chavez Street is located, said she supports efforts to rename the roadway.
Santa Clara County will continue to recognize Cesar Chavez holiday
Now the San Francisco State University student association has offered an update on the status of the student union building that bares Chavez's name and an accompanying mural.
"Associated Students condemns any and all forms of abuse, sexual misconduct, or sexual violence," said Associated Students of SFSU in a post on Instagram. "We will develop a course of action with the respective communities and share updates as we address the renaming of our building and mural."
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 18: A mural of Cesar Chavez is displayed at San Francisco State University on March 18, 2026 in San Francisco, California. Labor activist Cesar Chavez has been accused in an investigation of sexual abuse of women and minors. Photo by (Benjamin Fanjoy/Getty Images)
Originally built in 1975, SF State's student union building was renamed after Chavez in 1994 -- one year after his death in 1993 at age 66.
In the Bay Area, and across the state, a reckoning is underway following Wednesday's report in The New York Times that Chavez allegedly groomed and sexually abused two women when they were young girls in the 1970s. Further allegations against were leveled at Chavez by Dolores Huerta, his fellow civil rights leader and activist, who said Chavez sexually assaulted her and fathered two of her children.
As the allegations against Chavez continue to reverberate, it remains to be seen what will become of the more than a dozen Bay Area schools and various local streets, parks and other locations named after him.
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