Riverside Park and Recreation Commission Votes 5-2 to Recommend Renaming the Cesar Chavez Community Center as the Eastside Community Center: 75 Percent of 500-Plus Survey Responses Favored Exploring a Change
Riverside, California, in Riverside County — After months of collecting community feedback, the city of Riverside is one step closer to renaming a community center named after labor rights leader Cesar Chavez. The Cesar E. Chavez Community Center, which is currently closed for renovations, could be renamed the Eastside Community Center.
The Riverside Park and Recreation Commission voted 5-2 on October 19 to recommend that the City Council rename the city-owned building. Noemi Lopez, the park and recreation department's deputy director, told the commission that the city collected more than 500 survey responses, that 75 percent of respondents said they wanted to explore a name change, and that more than half wanted the name to prioritize local history, cultural representation or community identity.
The commission ultimately considered two names: University Heights Community Center, a reference to the building's previous life as University Heights Junior High School until 1976, when the city bought the facility; and Eastside Community Center. Commissioner Oz Puerta said at the October 19 meeting that Arlanza, Casa Blanca and Eastside are how Riverside knows its locations, and that the Eastside name would speak to the neighborhood and connect with the soon-to-be-completed SPC Jesus S. Duran Eastside Library nearby. The final decision rests with the City Council.
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: Riverside 县法院大楼实景，位于 Riverside 市中心。图片来源：Wikimedia Commons，开放授权。 / File photo: the Riverside County Courthouse in downtown Riverside, California. Image via Wikimedia Commons, open license.
