County moves to rename Cesar Chavez Park in Las Vegas

Clark County wants to rename the Cesar E. Chavez Park in far east Las Vegas after its namesake was unveiled as an alleged sexual predator last month.

Commissioner Tick Segerblom, whose District E includes the park near Hollywood Boulevard and Washington Avenue, suggested a possible new name he said would continue honoring the local Latino community: “Mariachi Park.”

The change would occur after public input, he told the Las Vegas Review-Journal Friday.

Segerblom didn’t immediately know a timeline, but said he had instructed county staff to start the process that should be relatively quick.

Chavez’s legacy was roiled after a New York Times investigation unveiled accusations that the co-founder of The National Farm Workers union had abused children and Latino icon and movement co-founder Dolores Huerta.

Through the union founded in the 1960s, Chavez became a de facto leader for workers and Latinos across the U.S. His face and name decorated murals and buildings.

‘Horrific crime’

The union — now named United Farm Workers — disavowed him and preemptively canceled Chavez-themed festivities scheduled for March right as the Times was preparing to publish its story.

In the aftermath, California officials quickly moved to rename the state’s Cesar Chavez Day holiday to Farmworkers Day. Other jurisdictions across the U.S. took similar actions.

Nevada officials and advocates uniformly came out in support of the accusers.

As well, a 2009 state law mandates that Nevada governors have until March 31 each year to issue a ceremonial declaration honoring Chavez. The day of the deadline, Gov. Lombardo announced that he had declined to do so.

“As someone who spent a career in law enforcement dedicated to protecting victims, the Governor understands that a formal recognition from the state would be painful for many,” his office wrote in a statement. “The Nevada legislature has a duty to carefully review these allegations and decide whether Cesar Chavez Day still belongs in state code.”

Segerblom said he’d been inspired by Chavez’s movement through the decades.

“We don’t want to be honoring someone with that kind of horrific crime,” he added.

Chavez visited Southern Nevada multiple times before he died in 1993.

Months before his death, he picketed with Culinary Local 226 as Frontier employees embarked in one of the longest strikesin U.S. history.

Throwing its support behind the accusers, the Culinary union said that Chavez’s movement was bigger than any one person, echoing a statement by U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nevada.

Cesar Chavez Park at 1450 Radwick Drive opened in 2002 and renamed after Chavez months later.

Naming it “Mariachi Park” would also honor the rich tradition of the musical genre played in area school programs that have been recognized nationally, Segerblom said.

“I’m hoping a name like that will remind us about how great our Latino community is,” he said.