POCATELLO — The Street Renaming Ad Hoc Committee is recommending that the honorary stretch of South 8th Avenue between Martin Luther King Jr. Drive and Humboldt Street be renamed Gutierrez Avenue in honor of Idaho Judge Sergio Gutierrez.

An update on the recommendation is expected to be presented during the Pocatello City Council's meeting Thursday.

The move comes following sexual abuse allegations regarding prominent civil rights figure César Chávez in a New York Times investigation in March. As a result, the city of Pocatello began a review process to rename the eponymous local street.

In the months that have followed, a street renaming committee was formed and has recommended renaming the local street to Gutierrez Avenue, in honor of a prominent and historically significant judge.

"Judge Gutierrez was Idaho's first Latino district court judge and then Idaho Court of Appeals judge," the committee document said. "He helped advance statewide standards for certified court interpreters, which strengthened equal access to justice across Idaho courts. He has mentored youth across Idaho and encouraged education, leadership and public service. In his early career, he worked with the Idaho Migrant Council and Idaho Legal Aid Services with the goal to help migrant farm workers."

Judge Gutierrez came from a migrant farm worker family. Gutierrez worked in farm fields throughout most of his childhood before earning his GED, graduating from Boise State University and becoming an attorney.

"Renaming the street to honor Judge Sergio Gutierrez would recognize a lifelong Idaho public servant whose achievements reshaped the state's judicial system, expanded access to justice and inspired generations through education and perseverance," the document said. "It would reflect values of fairness, unity, opportunity and education, while honoring a Hispanic leader whose legacy is deeply and permanently tied to Idaho's history and future."