San Francisco Picks Two Finalist Names to Replace Cesar Chavez Street: Sí Se Puede or Las Campesinas

San Francisco has narrowed the new name for Cesar Chavez Street to two finalists: “Sí Se Puede” and “Las Campesinas.” A 27-member city working group announced the choices on September 25, and District 9 Supervisor Jackie Fielder plans to introduce renaming legislation at the Board of Supervisors on October 6, according to Mission Local, which first reported the finalists.

Why the Street Is Being Renamed

In March 2026, a New York Times investigation reported that Chavez sexually abused women and girls over decades, including United Farm Workers co-founder Dolores Huerta. The working group that followed is co-led by Assessor-Recorder Joaquín Torres with support from Mayor Daniel Lurie’s office, Hoodline reported. Its members include representatives from Districts 8, 9 and 10, the three supervisor districts the street crosses, along with City Treasurer José Cisneros, Precita Eyes Muralists founder Susan Cervantes and Galería de la Raza executive director Ani Rivera.

The Two Finalists

Sí Se Puede (“yes, we can”) is the United Farm Workers slogan Dolores Huerta coined in 1972. Las Campesinas means “women farmworkers” and is meant to recognize the women who led the farmworker movement.

Both names keep the street tied to the farmworker movement it was named for in 1995. That year the city renamed Army Street for Chavez. Opponents put Proposition O on the November 1995 ballot to restore the Army Street name, and it failed by nearly 10 percentage points, per Mission Local.

What Happens Next

The city is taking public feedback on the two names through an online form; no closing date has been announced. Fielder’s ordinance, expected October 6, would also waive the transportation code rule that normally keeps a street’s former name in parentheses on new signs, so “Cesar Chavez” would not appear on them. The Board of Supervisors process will include another chance for public comment before a final vote.

Hoodline puts the cost of new street signs and sidewalk etchings at $107,000, and reports that the city plans to help residents and businesses update addresses and documents. SFist reports that new signs could go up by the end of the year.

Where the Street Runs

Cesar Chavez Street runs about 3.2 miles, from Douglass Street in Noe Valley east to Pier 80 in the Bayview. For much of its length it forms the line between the Mission to the north and Bernal Heights to the south, and it crosses Mission Street, Valencia Street and the US-101 interchange at the eastern end. Every address on the street would take the new name.

Mission Local reports that the school district has not said whether Cesar Chavez Elementary School will be renamed. Smaller San Francisco street renamings in recent years include Frida Kahlo Way (2018) and Dr. Tom Waddell Place (2014).

For more on Mission murals, see our story on the Balmy Alley mural restoration grant. For what’s on around the city next month, see Things to Do in San Francisco in October 2026.

Photo: Pi.1415926535, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.