What an East San Jose nonprofit plans to do with historic Cesar Chavez home

The brown stucco house on Scharff Avenue looks like many of the others on the block in San Jose’s Mayfair neighborhood, the same area once infamously known as “Sal si puedes,” or “Get out if you can,” with a browning lawn surrounded by a chain-link fence and red brick pillars.

But like the garage where Hewlett Packard was born or the downtown San Jose house where the track stars of “Speed City” lived, the site has a history much larger than its humble appearance.

This was where legendary labor leader Cesar Chavez lived during the formative years before he launched what became United Farm Workers. And Friday morning, it was where a large group of community leaders and activists gathered to celebrate the property’s impending sale to Amigos de Guadalupe Center for Justice and Empowerment.

“We are so proud to call ourselves the new owners of the Cesar Chavez family home,” said Maritza Maldonado, founding executive director of the organization. “This neighborhood has lots of wonderful heroes and heroines that have paved the way for people like me, but more importantly for generations to come. That’s why it was so important for us to lift up Cesar Chavez and the wonderful work of the entire Chavez family.”

The nonprofit organization’s purchase of the house for about $1.1 million happened quickly after it went on the market in late May. Maldonado said it “was the easiest million dollars I’ve raised in my entire life,” highlighting contributions by Sobrato Philanthropies, John Matthew and Andie Sobrato, the Leo M. Shortino Family Foundation, the Heising-Simon Foundation, the Silicon Valley Community Foundation and the city of San Jose.

“They saw the vision and said ‘Count me in,’ ” Maldonado said.

Speaker after speaker — including the Rev. Jon Pedigo, City Councilwoman Magdalena Carrasco and UFW National Vice President Lauro Bajaras — extolled the importance of preserving the property, which was declared a city landmark in 1994, a year after Chavez’s death. A plaque stands in the front yard, and a sign on the sidewalk declares it part of the Cesar Chavez Memorial Walkway, which connects it to other historic sites, including Our Lady of Guadalupe Church’s McDonnell Hall, where Chavez first organized with members of the Community Services Organization in the 1950s and ’60s.

Maldonado said the home would be transformed into a living museum and an interpretive learning center, providing space where residents can meet to help shape policy in their community. After the purchase is completed, the next step will be a visioning process to find out how stakeholders and neighbors would like to see that realized — while also raising funds for the project. (More information is available at www.tinyurl.com/amigoschavezhome.

An interesting quirk to the historic nature of the event is that the house currently at the Scharff Avenue address is not the same one Chavez and his wife, Helen, lived in from 1951 to 1953 while he worked in the apricot orchards nearby. In 2007, Chavez’s brother, Librado Chavez, who has since passed away, said that tiny structure was torn down and replaced with the current duplex, which has remained in the Chavez family for all these decades. But to those who believe Chavez’s legacy transcends wood and nails, that is just a bit of historic trivia.

“It is important that the Mayfair community work together to bring about change, and what better place to learn about our past, to improve our future, than here at 53 Scharff Ave.?” said Teresa Andrade, Cesar Chavez’s niece. “We’re just so happy that the property will be preserved, demonstrating the legacy of Cesar Chavez, the Chavez families and the pursuit for social justice. This forever remains a presence in the city of San Jose.”

‘STAR TREK’ SURPRISE: William Shatner recently made a stop in Gilroy and learned a bit more about the people there than their penchant for garlic. ABC7 reported that the “Star Trek” star stopped by the Fruit Barn on Pacheco Pass Highway earlier this month and left his wallet behind. It was discovered by the teen daughter of Gary Tognetti, owner of Gilroy’s B&T Farms, who contacted the Gilroy Police Department to find out how to get the wallet to Capt. Kirk himself.

Shatner tweeted about the incident on Tuesday, thanking Tognetti and his daughter “for their extreme honesty in returning my wallet.” He also gave a shout-out to Officer Mark Tarasco and Sgt. John Ballard for their assistance.

I would like to thank Gary and Natalie of B&T Farms @TfarmsB for their extreme honesty in returning my lost wallet. They are obviously good citizens. I would also like to thank Officer Mark Tarasco and Sergeant John Ballard from the@GilroyPD My best, Bill

— William Shatner (@WilliamShatner) July 26, 2022

DOCUMENTARY ON DEMAND: BAYMEC Foundation Executive Director Ken Yeager dropped me a line to spread the word that “Queer Silicon Valley,” the documentary the foundation produced with award-winning documentarian Bob Gliner, is now available to view on YouTube. The 75-minute film is a tribute to the LGBTQ activists who led the way in San Jose and Silicon Valley starting in the 1970s. And if you’re looking to dive in deeper after watching it, there are more stories at www.queersiliconvalley.org.

TIME TO GET NEIGHBORLY: Don’t forget that Aug. 2 is National Night Out, the annual event during which neighborhoods are encouraged to gather and get to know each other. Some neighborhoods go all out with ice cream socials, bounce houses and potluck dinners. Police officers are also expected to stop by many events to get to know residents in their neighborhoods. After two years of COVID-19, it’s not a bad time to get to know the neighbors again.