A group of San Jose City leaders took the first steps to create an inventory of all Cesar Chavez-related monuments, whether on city property or within city limits. After that, the city council is expected to schedule public hearings on what steps to take for each one. “We want to make sure t hat anything that bears an individual’s name are actually aligned with our values as a city,” San Jose City Councilmember Anthony Tordillos said. “What I am in full support of is renaming these sites to better reflect history, the history and legacies of the farmworkers movement that belongs to many people, that belongs to Dolores Huerta, to the women, to the workers,” Santa Clara County District 2 Supervisor Betty Duong said. Santa Clara County said it will still recognize March 31 as an official holiday this year, but instead will focus on honoring the farmworker movement. Duong says when it comes to renaming sites, community input is vital. Executive Director of Amigos de Guadalupe Maritza Maldonado, who a few years ago purchased the Chavez’s family home in east San Jose, said the house will now be “La Casa del Pueblo” or house of the people. “The focus of Cesar needs to be diminished, we have, at this point, we have women whose voices need to be lifted up,” Maldonado said. A mural depicting Cesar Chavez that had been on display for more than two decades at the Sonoma State library was covered in brown paper Thursday. His legacy is now being torn down or concealed. The future of this 40-foot mural at San Jose City College will soon be decided by the Board of Trustees. “His legacy is tainted forever as a result of these allegations and now with Dolores Huerta telling him what happened, his reputation can never be what it was once,” Stanford historian emeritus Albert Camarillo said. ...read more read less