OXNARD : 5 Locations to Be Considered as Landmarks

The site where Cesar Chavez and his family lived in Oxnard is among five locations the Oxnard City Council will consider recognizing Tuesday as an important part of the city’s cultural history.

Two private residences, a row of palms on C Street and the former Japanese (Nisei) Methodist Episcopal Church on A Street have all been nominated as historic landmarks by the Ventura County Cultural Heritage Board. The board also serves as Oxnard’s Cultural Heritage Advisory Board.

Since the dirt-floor shed where Chavez and his family stayed while working on Oxnard area farms in the late ‘30s and early ‘40s no longer exists, the board recommended making the site the county’s ninth point of historical interest.

The owners of all five properties have agreed to support the landmark status, which restricts what kind of renovations may be performed.

The Japanese (Nisei) Methodist Episcopal Church was founded by the Rev. Kusaburo Baba in 1908 at a time when about 1,000 Japanese laborers were employed on area farms. The original church, which was later moved to the rear of the lot at 630 S. A St., was donated by St. Paul’s Methodist Church and transported from its former site in El Rio.

The church was popular among the area’s Japanese community for years. Assemblyman Nao Takasugi and his wife, Judy, were married in the chapel before the congregation merged in 1963 with St. Paul’s. The building now houses the New Hope Baptist Church.

The Chavez family rented quarters in a small barn behind a home at 452 N. Garfield Ave. Years later, Chavez returned to Oxnard, where he founded the Community Service Organization before going on to organize farm laborers with the creation of United Farm Workers.

Chavez’s former residence is an important piece of Oxnard’s history, said Madeline Miedema of the cultural board.

“Cesar Chavez is a man who is widely admired in the area,” Miedema said. “He believed in Gandhi’s principle of nonviolence and attracted many followers.”