Dolores Huerta allegedly assaulted by UFW co-founder Cesar Chavez
Dolores Huerta claims that Cesar Chavez sexually assaulted her while he was leading the farm worker movement and co-founding the United Farm Workers Union.
For many years, Cesar Chavez Day in California has been celebrated on Tuesday, March 31st. But Californians may hear the day called something else in 2026.
The annual holiday named after the late Labor Party leader and marking his birthday, now known as Farm Workers’ Day, will continue to be celebrated on March 31. The name was changed after Mr. Chavez, once widely celebrated, was accused of sexual abuse in early March by prominent civil rights activist Dolores Huerta and others.
Following a New York Times investigation that reported Huerta’s accusations and those of other women, leaders across California began making plans to remove Chavez’s name from local events and rename buildings. On March 26, Governor Gavin Newsom signed a bill officially designating the last day of March as Farm Workers Day, rather than Cesar Chavez Day.
Cesar Chavez’s name spreads throughout California
The renaming of the holiday is one of many actions taken across California since the New York Times investigation was published on March 18.
Fresno County leaders renamed the holiday “Fresno County Farmworker and Agriculture Appreciation Day,” and the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved an article renaming “Cesar E. Chavez Day” “Sacramento County Farmworker Appreciation Day.”
March 31 will be known as Farmworkers Day in Los Angeles, and the city will begin the process of reviewing and renaming city property (roads, facilities, and other assets) named after Chavez. Similarly, Los Angeles County will rename the holiday Farmworkers Day and begin an effort to review and rename assets such as roads, parks and county facilities in Chavez’s honor.
In Sacramento, the state capital, city leaders ordered maintenance crews to cover a statue of Chavez in Cesar E. Chavez Plaza, a few blocks from the California State Capitol, to commemorate the historic march he led in the 1960s.
“We take these allegations seriously and will ensure that the names of our city facilities are consistent with our values,” Sacramento Mayor Kevin McCarty said in a March 18 statement. “The farmworker movement was never about one individual, and we will continue to find ways to honor the struggle of farmworkers and the labor movement.”
A plaque honoring Chavez has been removed from a civil rights monument in Victorville, according to the Victorville Daily Press, part of the USA TODAY Network.
Even cities with significance in Mr. Chávez’s history, such as La Colonia, where Mr. Oxnard grew up, and San Jose, where he first held community meetings to organize farmers, are moving toward abandoning his legacy.
On March 25, the San Jose Committee on Rules and Open Government approved the first phase of Mayor Matt Mahan’s plan to remove Chavez’s name from city-owned property, including Cesar Chavez Plaza, schools and libraries, according to the San Jose Spotlight.
Farther south, San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria signed an executive order on March 20 that renames the city’s Cesar Chavez Parkway and takes steps to remove Chavez’s name from facilities, signage, programs and more after city leaders surveyed properties honoring him. The order also called for Cesar Chavez Day to be renamed Agricultural Workers Day.
The Los Angeles Unified School District, one of the nation’s largest school districts, announced that the schools that bear Chavez’s name in San Fernando and El Sereno will be changed by the fall. Meanwhile, the San Bernardino County School District announced that Cesar E. Chavez Middle School will be referred to as Middle School #318, as signs with the school’s name will be removed or covered. The district says the move will give officials “time for thoughtful consideration.”
The Ventura County Star, a member of the USA TODAY Network, reported that the Oxnard School District has taken the first step in renaming a school named after Chavez.
On March 26, State Superintendent Tony Thurmond notified superintendents and charter school administrators that the California Department of Education has “compiled and updated the educational resources available to teach and recognize the farm worker movement as a civil rights movement larger than any one person.”
When did Cesar Chavez Day become a public holiday in California?
California established Cesar Chavez Day as an official paid holiday for state employees in 2000, according to the Los Angeles Times and SFGATE.
Paris Barraza is a reporter covering Los Angeles and Southern California for the USA TODAY Network. please contact her pbarraza@usatodayco.com.
