Cesar Chavez mural in Merced painted over by local car club
A Merced mural celebrating the legacy of late farmworker rights leader Cesar Chavez has been covered up by a local car club.
The mural, at 1150 Martin Luther King Jr. Way, was covered with gray paint by Car Club Si Se Puede over the weekend, according to a video posted on Facebook.
“We’re here to remove this image, this doesn’t meet community standards,” one of the men in the video says as the mural is being painted over. “We’re taking the initiative to remove this. We were sure it was going to be removed anyways, so we want to be the ones to take the first step in putting us in the right direction as a solid community.”
The mural was painted on the side of the building in December 2020, according to a United Farm Workers Facebook post.
A Chavez mural painted on the back of the El Porvenir Market at 13th and P streets in Merced was also painted over, according to reports.
Recent startling allegations against Chavez have put attention on the Central Valley’s institutions that bear his name or image.
Leaders at the Planada Elementary School District are considering a name change for Cesar E. Chavez Middle School.
Elsewhere in the Central Valley, Fresno State University will remove its statue of Cesar Chavez. And in Modesto, city leaders are considering changing the name of Cesar E. Chavez Park.
Also in Modesto, a mural painted in 2024 in front of the Peace/Life Center on 13th Street faces an uncertain future. The mural was created by Merced-based artist Joel Aguilar.
As the Peace/Life Center decides exactly what to do about the mural, a temporary move was to put a sign over Chavez’s face, reading “No mas! Stand with survivors.”
This story was originally published March 23, 2026 at 10:08 AM.
