OPB’s First Look: The complicated campaign to rename Cesar Chavez Boulevard

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Good morning, Northwest.

Calls to rename Cesar E Chavez Boulevard in Portland came quickly after a New York Times investigation revealed allegations of sexual abuse against the late civil rights leader.

Portlanders seem to agree that the street name should change, but differ on how to go about it. OPB’s Alex Zielinski and Saskia Hatvany report from the street formerly known as 39th Avenue.

In other news, the NBA Board of Governors has approved the sale of the Portland Trail Blazers to Texas billionaire Tom Dundon.

Here’s your First Look at Tuesday’s news.

—Bradley W. Parks

Marta Guembes poses for a portrait at her home in Portland, Ore., on March 25, 2026.
*Saskia Hatvany / OPB*

Portlanders consider the future of Cesar Chavez Boulevard following allegations of sexual abuse

Marta Guembes led the successful campaign to rename Portland’s 39th Avenue after labor leader Cesar Chavez in the late 2000s.

Last week, following revelations that Chavez had allegedly sexually abused women and girls, Guembes took a photograph of Chavez off her kitchen wall and carefully cut it into 39 pieces.

“I haven’t been able to throw it away,” Guembes said Friday, looking at the pile of the fragmented photo scattered on her coffee table. “I can’t rush it. It needs to be intentional. There needs to be a process.”

Some activists like Guembes want to respond slowly and deliberately to calls to scrub Chavez’s name from public spaces. Others want more immediate change.

While Portlanders may disagree on approach, they appear united on one thing: The name needs to change. (Alex Zielinski)

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FILE - The sun rises over the landscape of the Warm Springs Reservation on Dec. 7, 2021, near Warm Springs, Ore.
*Nathan Howard / AP*

3 things to know this morning

A respected elder and leader for the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs, Chief Delvis Heath Sr., died Sunday, according to state and tribal leaders. (OPB staff)
Abnormally warm weather and low snowpack are bringing an early end to the ski season at Mt. Hood Meadows – it’s the latest blow to a winter sports industry that’s been hit hard this season. (Courtney Sherwood)
The NBA Board of Governors approved the sale of controlling interest in the Portland Trail Blazers from Paul Allen’s estate to a group led by investor Tom Dundon yesterday. (Associated Press)

FILE - In this Sept. 14, 2017, file photo, salmon circle just below the surface inside a lock where they joined boats heading from salt water Shilshole Bay into fresh water Salmon Bay at the Ballard Locks in Seattle.
*Elaine Thompson / AP*

Headlines from around the Northwest

PCC faculty strike ends as union and college agree on tentative deal (Tiffany Camhi and Rob Manning)
El Niño, marine heat will likely make Washington’s warm year even warmer (Bellamy Pailthorp)
Income tax signed in Washington with a legal challenge close behind (Jerry Cornfield)
Washington charges drivers for buying studded tires. Why doesn’t Oregon? (Mia Maldonado)
Pharmaceutical giants sue Washington over new drug pricing law (Jake Goldstein-Street)

Listen in on OPB’s daily conversation

“Think Out Loud” airs at noon and 8 p.m. weekdays on OPB Radio, opb.org and the OPB News app. Today’s planned topics (subject to change):

How Pacific Northwest can handle growing energy demands without new gas-fired power plants
Grant High School constitution team to compete in national civics championship

Samira Abdul rests her head on Valeria Hernandez's shoulder, center, as they stand with teammates before a match at a soccer tournament for immigrant and refugee girls on Sunday, March 29, 2026, in Portland, Ore.
*Jenny Kane / AP*

A ‘World Cup’ for immigrant girls uses the joy of sport to counter ICE fears

The organizer of a soccer tournament in Portland over the weekend dubbed the event the World Cup for immigrant and refugee girls.

Community advocate Som Subedi, an immigrant from Bhutan, created the event to help provide a sense of joy and unity amid federal immigration enforcement operations that have affected players’ families.

“ICE and federal enforcement must be out of our parking lots, out of our soccer fields, and most importantly, out of the fear in our hearts and minds,” Subedi said during the opening ceremony, using the acronym for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Reports of immigration agents targeting parks and youth sports have swirled in Oregon and across the country in the past year.

Officers with two local police departments and an immigrant rights group were present, Subedi said, “and their presence helped families feel protected, not policed.” (Claire Rush)

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Correction: A headline in yesterday’s First Look for a story about life-threatening burns associated with fentanyl use linked to the wrong page. You can find the story here.