California Governor Gavin Newsom signed legislation Thursday to rename the state’s March 31 holiday from César Chavez Day to Farmworkers Day, a move aimed at reconciling the Latino labor icon’s legacy with recent explosive sexual abuse allegations. The state Senate had earlier approved the bill with bipartisan support.
The change follows public revelations last week that Chavez allegedly sexually abused girls and women during his time building a major farmworker labor rights movement in California’s agricultural heartland in the 1960s. Among those who came forward with accusations was Dolores Huerta, who co-led the movement that eventually became the United Farm Workers.
This renaming effort is part of a broader trend to alter memorials honoring Chavez, who, throughout the 1960s and 1970s, was instrumental in securing better wages and working conditions for farmworkers and was widely admired by many Democratic leaders. The swift and sweeping push to remove Chavez’s name from public life marks a significant shift, as such a move was previously unthinkable given his iconic status had only grown since his death in 1993.
Republican Sen. Suzette Valladares said Thursday that her family built a life in California by working the fields and that the movement brought together workers from different backgrounds.
“This is not about one person. This is not about one narrative,” she said. “It’s about honoring generations of sacrifice, of resilience and hope.”
Senate President Pro Tempore Monique Limon said honoring farmworkers is especially important in the face of a series of federal raids across the state last year. A worker in her district died after being chased by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent last summer, Limon said.
“His death is a reminder of how much farmworkers risk every day to put food on our table,” she said before the vote. “Our farmworkers remind us that everyone deserves to be treated with dignity and respect.”
California was the first state to designate Chavez’s birthday, March 31, as a holiday to honor the civil rights leader nearly 30 years ago. The Legislature then, in 2000, passed a bill to make it an official paid day off for state employees and require that students learn about his legacy and his role in the labor movement in California. The legislation passed Thursday didn’t address the curriculum requirement. State leaders said they’re in conversation with school officials to adjust lesson plans.
The California bill also passed in the Assembly with bipartisan support on Monday.
“We cannot ignore wrongdoing and we should not continue to celebrate a single person when the movement itself is so much bigger,” Assemblymember Cecilia Aguiar-Curry said before the vote Monday.
Since the allegations came to light, California State University, Fresno, has covered up Chavez’s statue on campus, while cities like San Francisco, Los Angeles and Sacramento have taken steps to erase his name from public landmarks. Some advocated for Huerta’s name to replace Chavez’s, and several states already said they won’t observe the day.
As his birthday approaches, cities across the country have remade or canceled annual celebrations to honor him. In Tucson last weekend, the annual César Chavez and Dolores Huerta March and Rally were scaled back and rebranded. There was no march or car show, and it was billed instead as the Comunidad y Labor Unity Fair to focus more broadly on labor rights without mentioning Chavez.
In Grand Junction, Colorado, the organizers of the annual event in Mesa County had already printed flyers and T-shirts, all bearing Chavez’s name. There has been a flurry of social media posts in recent days to let people know the event will go on Saturday as the Sí, Se Puede Celebration instead.
In El Paso, Texas, March 31 will be celebrated as the Community and Labor Heritage Day.
