West Valley City asked to name street in honor of Cesar Chavez

West Valley City • In 1979, labor organizer Cesar Chavez made a stop here as part of his "Grapes of Wrath" campaign against the use of pesticides that were harming farm workers.

On Tuesday, the West Valley City Council will consider a request to name a street after Chavez, founder of the United Farm Workers. If council members approve the proposal, the city would add "Cesar Chavez Drive" as a commemorative name to 2320 South from 1000 West to Redwood Road.

The street would officially remain 2320 South but signs would reflect the additional name of Cesar Chavez Drive.

West Valley would not be the first city in the Salt Lake Valley to honor Chavez with a street name. A stretch of 500 South in Salt Lake City has the honorary name of Cesar E. Chavez Boulevard.

The request to name 2320 South after Chavez was made by the Utah AFL-CIO, which said the name would celebrate the cultural diversity and rich agricultural heritage of the community.

Utah AFL-CIO President Dale Cox also said Cesar Chavez Drive would be a "fitting addition" to the Union Labor Center campus at 2261 S. Redwood Road. The labor center, where the AFL-CIO is located, is north of 2320 South and was visited by Chavez on his tour.

"Chavez dedicated his life to improving the treatment, pay and working conditions for farm workers," Cox said in a letter to the City Council requesting the change.

Cox wrote, "Chavez's battle with the grape growers for improved compensation and labor conditions has had a lasting impact throughout our state and the nation."

Chavez was a migrant farm worker who, along with Dolores Huerta, founded the National Farm Workers Association, which later became the United Farm Workers. He died in 1993 at the age of 66.

pmanson@sltrib.com

Twitter: @PamelaMansonSLC —

Street name hearing

P The West Valley City Council will take public comment Tuesday on a proposal to name 2320 South from 1000 West to Redwood Road for Cesar Chavez. The hearing will be held at a 6:30 p.m. meeting at City Hall, 3600 S. Constitution Blvd. (2700 West).