Renaming process for Sacramento's Cesar Chavez Plaza to begin soon after sex abuse allegations

The Sacramento Park Commission is preparing to kick off the renaming process for Cesar Chavez Plaza after Chavez's sex abuse allegations came to light in March.

Cesar Chavez Day was cancelled immediately and changing the name to the plaza could take more time

The parks commission released new details for the name change of Cesar Chavez Plaza, showing that a public survey will go out from June to July. A staff review will last from August to September and a city council adoption could come between October and November.

The City of Sacramento first renamed its city plaza to Cesar Chavez Plaza in the 1990s to honor the labor leader's lifetime of work.

The downfall of the iconic name came in just days this March when Dolores Huerta announced Chavez had raped her and other came forward with their own allegations of sexual assault as young girls.

"I mean, I've painted Cesar Chavez's face several times. His face was 14 feet high," artist Carlos Lopez said. "When I heard that Chavez had done these atrocities to these ladies, it was like a sucker gut punch."

The parks commission says the new name must reflect Sacramento's values, history, and cultural diversity.