San Antonio Votes to Restore Durango Boulevard After César Chávez Abuse Allegations

Fifteen years after San Antonio replaced one of its oldest street names to honor labor leader César Chávez, the city is reversing course.

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On Thursday, August 20, 2026, the San Antonio City Council unanimously voted to rename César E. Chávez Boulevard back to Durango Boulevard, following months of public discussion prompted by sexual abuse allegations against Chávez, including accusations involving minors.

The decision affects the stretch of road between Southwest 36th Street and South Hackberry Street, and reverses a 7-4 City Council vote from 2011 that replaced the Durango name, which the street had carried for almost 120 years.

The Allegations Against César Chávez

The local debate began after a March 2026 New York Times investigation detailed allegations of sexual abuse and misconduct against Chávez, who co-founded the organization that became the United Farm Workers and one of the country’s most prominent labor and civil rights leaders. 

According to the New York Times investigation, two women accused Chávez of sexually abusing them when they were girls in the 1970s. Reporting by the Los Angeles Times said one woman alleged that the abuse began when she was 13, while another said she was 12. Both had family connections to the farmworker movement.

Civil rights leader and activist Dolores Huerta, Chávez’s longtime colleague and fellow farmworker organizer, also came forward publicly. In a public statement, Huerta said Chávez sexually assaulted her during two encounters in the 1960s.

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Chávez’s family wished peace and healing for the victims and asked for privacy and understanding as they process the information. The United Farm Workers (UFW) said it wouldn’t participate in César Chávez activities, while the UFW Foundation canceled its Chávez Day activities.

San Antonio’s Response

These allegations quickly changed how organizations and governments across the country were approaching Chávez’s legacy, and questioned whether Chávez himself should continue to be publicly honored. 

In San Antonio, District 5 Councilwoman Teri Castillo initially called for community conversations about the boulevard and the city holiday honoring Chávez. April 14, 2026, she formally requested the street be changed back to Durango Boulevard.

Before the final vote, the city gathered public feedback through two listening sessions and a survey that received 18,029 responses. 64% of respondents supported restoring the Durango name. Support was even higher among respondents living along the boulevard, with 79% favoring the change.

The proposal later moved through the city’s review process, including an 8-1 recommendation for approval from the Historic and Design Review Commission in June 2026.

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What Happens Now?

The change will affect 295 addresses and is expected to cost the city about $375,000 to replace street and highway signs. Residents and businesses may need to update the street name on mailing and billing addresses, business records, websites, licenses, or other documents that use their physical address.

City-controlled street signs can be replaced relatively quickly, but highway signs overseen by the Texas Department of Transportation could take up to a year to change.

For San Antonio, the vote also brings the street full circle. Rather than choosing another person to honor, the city is restoring a name with its own long local history. Durango Boulevard, named for the Mexican state of Durango, was part of San Antonio for more than a century before the 2011 change.

“We all know that public spaces should reflect the public’s values and the public’s community. The majority of residents who live on César Chávez, and now proposed Durango, made it crystal clear that they want a key historical thoroughfare to reflect the name and a piece of history that they could be proud of,” Councilwoman Castillo stated, as reported by Fox San Antonio.