San Jose residents have until midnight Aug. 3 to weigh five names for downtown plaza

San José residents have until midnight Monday, August 3, to rank five proposed names for downtown Plaza de César Chávez. The ranked-choice survey is the latest public step in a possible renaming, but it will not decide the plaza’s name.

City staff will review the survey results and present recommendations to the Parks and Recreation Commission on September 2, 2026. The commission will then forward its recommendation to the San José City Council, which has the final decision. Until the council acts, the plaza’s current name remains in place.

Five names on the survey

The five proposed names are:

• Plaza de San Jose
• Plaza del Pueblo
• Farmworkers Plaza
• Plaza de Quetzalcoatl
• Plaza Park

The city says the finalists emerged after community listening sessions and a public name-submission period. More than 600 suggestions were submitted, according to San José Spotlight, which reported that roughly 178 were found ineligible under the city’s naming guidelines before officials narrowed the list.

Residents participating in the survey rank the names rather than select only one. The city says the results will inform staff recommendations and provide input about community priorities; the survey is not a binding public vote.

What happens after the deadline

Once the survey closes at midnight August 3, city staff will review the rankings and prepare recommendations for the Parks and Recreation Commission’s September 2 meeting.

The commission advises the City Council on the city’s parks and recreation system. Its recommendation on the plaza’s name will go to the council, which will make the final decision on whether to rename the site and which name, if any, to adopt.

The process means residents’ survey responses can shape the staff recommendation, but no finalist has been selected and no name change is complete.

Renaming process follows March city review

The effort follows a March 2026 Rules and Open Government Committee action directing city staff to inventory city-owned assets named for or bearing the likeness of César Chávez, assess the legal and policy steps for possible renaming, and recommend a community-engagement process.

A May city information memorandum later outlined the inventory and engagement process specifically for Plaza de César Chávez. The city’s project materials describe the downtown site as a civic gathering place dating to the establishment of the Pueblo de San José in 1777.

For residents who are eligible to participate, the immediate deadline is midnight Monday, August 3. The next scheduled step is the Parks and Recreation Commission review on September 2, followed by the City Council’s final action.

Sources

• San José ranked-choice survey announcement
• Five finalists for renaming downtown San Jose plaza
• March 25, 2026 Rules and Open Government Committee minutes