Title
César Chávez Plaza Renaming to Union Plaza
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FileID
File ID: 2026-01740
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Location
Location: Citywide
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Recommendation
Recommendation: Pass a motion to support City Council adoption of a resolution renaming César Chávez Plaza to Union Plaza.
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Contact
Contact: Jason Wiesemann, Park Planning and Development Services Manager, (916) 808-7634, jwiesemann@cityofsacramento.org, Department of Youth, Parks, & Community Enrichment
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Attachments
Attachments:
1-Description/Analysis
2-Park Location Map
3-Survey Summary
4-Presentation
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Description/Analysis
IssueDetail
The City of Sacramento launched a community-informed process to evaluate renaming César Chávez Plaza, demonstrating the City’s ongoing commitment to transparency, inclusion, and culturally representative public spaces. The Youth, Parks & Community Enrichment (YPCE) Department developed and implemented a process consistent with the City’s Facility Naming Policy and grounded in an engagement framework that centers community voice. This framework ensures that public input meaningfully informs the recommendation brought forward to the Parks and Community Enrichment Commission (PCEC) and ultimately to the City Council for final action.
César Chávez Plaza is an existing 2.5-acre special use community park located at 910 I Street in Council District 4. The plaza serves as a central civic gathering space and regularly hosts community events, cultural celebrations, public demonstrations, and civic activities that highlight its long-standing significance to Sacramento residents and visitors.
To guide the renaming consideration, the City conducted a communitywide survey from June 12 through July 24, 2026, inviting residents to provide input on preferred new names and to identify themes they believe should be reflected in the park’s future identity. The survey generated substantial community participation, with more than 2,600 respondents and over 350 unique name submissions. Staff convened with the Mayor-appointed subcommittee on August 20, 2026, to review survey results and assess alignment with naming policy criteria.
“Union Plaza” received the highest number of votes, totaling 450. Respondents expressed that the proposed name reflects the site’s historic role as a prominent civic gathering place and aligns with Sacramento’s collective identity, cultural history, and longstanding tradition of community assembly. Based on the survey results and review, staff support the subcommittee recommendation to advance “Union Plaza” as the proposed park name for PCEC and City Council consideration.
Top names identified in the survey were:
• Union Plaza - 450 votes
• Dolores Huerta Park - 243 votes
• Farm Worker’s Plaza - 198 votes
• People Plaza - 98 votes
• Plaza Park - 89 votes
• Nisenan Plaza - 47 votes
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PolicyConsiderations
Policy Considerations: On February 26, 2008, City Council adopted Resolution 2008-112, establishing a Facility Naming Policy. The policy contains guidance when naming facilities or portions of facilities. The proposed name is consistent with the City Facility Naming Policy.
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EconomicImpacts
Economic Impacts: Not applicable.
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EnvironmentalConsiderations
Environmental Considerations: This report concerns administrative activities that will not have a significant effect on the environment and does not constitute a “project” as defined by the CEQA Guidelines (Title 14 Cal. Code Reg. §15000 et seq.) Sections 15061(b)(3); 15378(b)(2).
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Sustainability
Sustainability: Not applicable.
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Commission/Committee Action
Commission/Committee Action: Staff introduced the César Chávez Plaza renaming process at the June 4, 2026, Parks and Community Enrichment Commission (PCEC) meeting. At that time, staff recommended that the Commission support the proposed community outreach and engagement process for evaluating a new name for César Chávez Plaza.
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RationaleforRecommendation
Rationale for Recommendation: Renaming César Chávez Plaza to Union Plaza aligns with the City’s Facility Naming Policy and reflects the outcome of the robust community engagement process conducted by YPCE. Union Plaza received the highest level of community support in the survey and was endorsed by the Mayor-appointed subcommittee following review of community input. Staff therefore recommends that the Commission support City Council adoption of a resolution renaming César Chávez Plaza to Union Plaza.
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FinancialConsiderations
Financial Considerations: Not applicable.
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LocalBusinessEnterprise
Local Business Enterprise (LBE): Not applicable.
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Background
Background:
César Chávez Plaza holds significant historical importance within the Sacramento Valley, situated near locations where Native American settlement has been documented as early as 8,000 years ago.
Historically known as City Plaza or Plaza Park, the site was dedicated in 1848-1849 by John Sutter Jr. as part of Sacramento’s original urban design, which included twelve public squares. As one of the oldest parks in the city, the plaza occupies a full city block between I and J Streets and 9th and 10th Streets. From its inception, the space served as a central civic area intended to support the rapidly developing Gold Rush-era city.
During the 1850s, the site was briefly considered for construction of the California State Capitol; however, deed restrictions prevented its use for this purpose. The plaza remained largely undeveloped in its early years and functioned as an informal community gathering place. It became a visual focal point for downtown Sacramento and was used for emigrant arrivals, circus encampments, and other informal civic activities.
A formal landscape plan was introduced in 1872 to transform the space into a developed park. The site was elevated to match surrounding raised streets to mitigate flood risk, and the Street Commissioner, John Rider, retained developer and landscaper John Keating to design the park layout. The plan introduced structured walkways, landscaped features, and gathering areas that established the plaza as a civic and social hub. Notable historic features included circular and cross-axial walkways, the Coleman Fountain, the A.J. Stevens Statue, a Native Daughters of the Golden West marker (1932), a bandstand, restrooms, and a flagpole. By the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the plaza hosted livestock auctions, farmers markets, public events, and served as a key civic space-often described as Sacramento’s “front yard.”
In 1966, Landscape Architect Philip Schaff Jr. redesigned the plaza, adding modern amenities and infrastructure improvements while maintaining the park’s primary layout. A small building for public restrooms and a café was constructed in 1991-92. A marker commemorating the Pony Express Centennial was installed to recognize Sacramento’s role in the historic route.
Revitalization efforts in the 1980s further modernized the plaza, incorporating a redesign based on its historic configuration, additional seating and café space, event infrastructure, and public-private partnerships to expand programming and support improvements. These updates reestablished the plaza as an active urban space.
In the 1990s, the park was renamed César Chávez Plaza in honor of labor leader César E. Chávez. A statue commemorating Chávez was installed in the early 2000s, and subsequent improvements included construction of a concrete performance stage and the introduction of new trees arranged in a circular pattern near the plaza’s center.
Today, the plaza remains a central component of Sacramento’s downtown district. It lies within the adopted historic district known as the César Chávez Plaza Park/Central Business District, which contains key civic structures such as the Central Public Library, City Hall, and the U.S. Postal Service building. Many buildings within the district date to the early twentieth century or earlier and include foundations from the era when Sacramento’s streets were raised. The district name itself is currently undergoing review for potential revision.
Throughout its history, the plaza has consistently served as a symbolic civic space reflecting Sacramento’s cultural and political life, continuing to function as originally intended.
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