Residents of Santa Maria and Guadalupe balked at proposals to rename their streets to remove the name of disgraced farm labor union leader, with several suggesting the Cesar E. Chavez recognition should remain. 

Santa Maria Public Works Department staff met with residents of Cesar E. Chavez Drive on Wednesday night, hearing strong opposition from about 10 residents worried about the costs and logistics of dealing with an address change due to a new name. 

Communities launched efforts to rename streets named for Chavez amid sexual-assault allegations that arose decades after his death, according to a New York Times investigation.

Despite the new allegations, some who spoke out this week in Santa Maria and Guadalupe pointed out Chavez’s efforts to benefit the working conditions for field workers.

In early April, the Santa Maria City Council directed staff to return with replacement names after consulting residents about suggestions for a new name.

Approximately 10 residents showed up for Wednesday night’s neighborhood meeting, speaking out about the proposal and saying they wanted the name to remain the same.

The city handed out surveys with suggestions including various veterans’ names or “Keep Cesar E. Chavez Drive.”

Some residents complained about efforts to smear Chavez’s legacy and questioned the late reporting of the allegations against the man.

“We’re trying to be transparent with you guys,” said Councilmember Ricardo Batalla, who was appointed to fill a vacancy weeks ago.

Streets get named all the time, but that process typically occurs during development and before anyone resides at the address.

“If we change the name, it’s not going to be cheap,” Batalla said of a name change.

In addition to notifying police officers, firefighters and medics, any city implementing the change would also have to notify the U.S. Postal Service, county surveyor, assessor, elections office, utilities and more. 

“There’s personal burdens too,” Public Works Director Brett Fulgoni said.

City staff prepared a checklist of items that would need to be updated if the name change gets approved. That list with roughly 24 items includes driver’s license, passports, banking, voter registration and more.

Recognizing the turnout Wednesday didn’t represent all the residents, city staff agreed to mail the survey, which includes the option of leaving the name the same.

A woman said the wider campaign against Chavez seemed political. One man suggested threatening a lawsuit could halt the rename process. Another audience member demanded transparency.

“If we weren’t transparent, we wouldn’t have this meeting,” Batalla said, adding city staff sought Cesar Chavez Drive residents’ input.

Fulgoni said the city would send another letter to Cesar E. Chavez Drive residents with the survey.

“We’re doing this methodically and thoughtfully,” Fulgoni said.

The matter will return to the City Council for consideration and possible action at the June 2 meeting. 

Meanwhile, in their first round of assessing whether to adopt a new name for the street along the city’s western edge, Guadalupe council members decided Tuesday night to delay a decision after hearing from a few residents opposed to the change. 

Calle Cesar Chavez has four single-family homes plus a multi-family complex, River View Townhomes, putting the number of affected addresses above 80.

Residents showed up at the City Council meeting Tuesday to share concerns about the burden a street name change would have on residents, especially those not fluent in English or capable of understanding the paperwork.

“I understand the predicament the name change is going to have on individuals on that street,” Mayor Ariston Julian said. “There’s two sides to this whole issue with Calle Cesar Chavez. One is what he’s done for the farmworkers in terms of the history that he’s done, the other one is the negative side.”

Options include changing the name to Bulldogs for the city’s award-winning youth football team, farmworker labor leader Dolores Huerta, a prior temporary name of Park Street or leaving it as Calle Cesar Chavez.

“So we’re here to say, ‘OK, let’s look and see what the community wants,’” Guadalupe’s mayor added. 

Councilmembers were divided on the whether the name should be changed, but agreed they needed to survey more Calle Cesar Chavez residents. 

“I think it’s important just to continue this conversation, not to rush into anything,” Councilmember Christina Hernandez added. 

Santa Barbara also has launched efforts to rename Calle Cesar Chavez in its city where suggested replacements included Calle Si Se Puede, Calle Dolores Huerta or another name recommended by the Coastal Band of the Chumash Nation.