California Farmworkers Day replaces Cesar Chavez Day as Newsom signs new law
California will now observe March 31 as Farmworkers Day after Gov. Gavin Newsom signed legislation on Thursday officially renaming what has been known as Cesar Chavez Day after sexual assault allegations against the late labor leader came to light.
Assembly Bill 2156 was introduced last week by Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas (D-Salinas) and backed by Senate President Pro Tem Monique Limón (D-Santa Barbara). Now, with Newsom's signature, the measure renaming it Farmworkers Day in the state took effect immediately as an urgency statute, just days ahead of the holiday.
California lawmakers moved quickly to advance the proposal following an investigation by The New York Times that detailed allegations of sexual abuse against Chavez involving women and minors.
Labor leader Dolores Huerta, who co-founded the United Farm Workers alongside Chavez more than half a century ago, corroborated allegations of abuse and said she experienced two non-consensual sexual encounters with him in the 1960s that resulted in pregnancies.
In announcing the legislation, Rivas said the farmworker rights movement has always extended beyond any one person.
"We have a responsibility not just to remember that [farmworker] movement but to carry it forward with integrity... This moment calls for honesty, reflection and a renewed commitment to the values that the farmworker movement was built on," Rivas said during Assembly floor remarks last week.
The day before Rivas introduced the legislation, Newsom had already signaled openness to changing the holiday's name. The renaming comes as cities and counties across California take similar steps to address murals, buildings, statues and other public areas that feature Chavez's name and image.
In Los Angeles, Mayor Karen Bass signed a proclamation establishing "Farm Workers Day" for the last Monday of March. The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors has also moved to rename the holiday and review county properties bearing Chavez's name.
In Northern California, Sacramento County also moved to rename the holiday to Farm Workers Day, while leaders in the capital city have begun reviewing the name of Cesar Chavez Plaza. Officials in San Francisco have voiced support for removing Chavez's name from public institutions. Chavez's name has also been removed from the California Hall of Fame.
