California lawmakers are advancing plans to remove Cesar Chavez's name from the state holiday that marks his birthday, replacing it with the more general title Farmworkers Day as officials and organizations respond to recent allegations of sexual assault.
On Thursday, California Assembly member Alexandra Macedo, a Republican, said she was among the first to file legislation that would change the name ahead of the March 31 observance and that a vote could come as soon as Monday. Democrats in the assembly, who hold the majority, were preparing similar bills.
"Due to the outrage, this is coming up fast," Macedo told Reuters in an interview. "But this holiday has never been about one man. It’s about all the farmworkers who feed and clothe the world, not just California or our nation, but the world."
Cesar Chavez became widely known in the mid-1960s for organizing to improve pay and working conditions for agricultural laborers across Central and Southern California. The criticism and proposed renamings follow public accusations that Chavez sexually assaulted women and girls.
Dolores Huerta, who co-founded the United Farm Workers union with Chavez and worked alongside him in the campaign for labor rights, on Wednesday accused Chavez of sexually assaulting her in the 1960s. The same day, the New York Times published a multi-year investigation that outlined a broader set of sexual misconduct allegations against Chavez, including women who said he molested and raped them when they were minors. Huerta said she had kept her encounters secret, including having two children by Chavez, because she feared it would harm the labor movement.
March 31, Chavez's birthday, was designated a federal commemorative holiday by President Barack Obama in 2014 and has been observed as a state holiday in several states. California was the first state to make it a state holiday in 2000. Traditionally, the day has featured marches, service projects and educational programs.
In response to the allegations, the United Farm Workers union has canceled planned celebrations honoring Chavez. Municipalities are also preparing to strip his name from schools and streets and to cancel or rename events held in his honor. The pace and scope of these local actions will vary, and many of the renamings are expected to take time to complete.
In Los Angeles on Thursday, Mayor Karen Bass signed a proclamation that immediately renames March 31 Farmworkers Day in the city.
Legislative momentum appears to be building at the state level, with both Republican and Democratic lawmakers submitting measures to reframe the holiday's focus away from an individual and toward the broader community of agricultural workers. How quickly those bills move through the legislative process remains uncertain, as lawmakers and local authorities determine next steps.
Context and next steps
Assembly action could come rapidly, with a potential vote early next week, though the article notes that many of the local renaming efforts will likely require additional time to implement. The United Farm Workers' cancellation of events and Los Angeles' immediate proclamation mark early and concrete responses to the allegations that have prompted reconsideration of how the holiday is observed.