California lawmakers to rename Cesar Chavez Day as Farmworkers Day after sexual abuse allegations

The California Museum said it will remove Cesar Chavez from the state’s Hall of Fame

Published: March 19, 2026 1:26pm

California lawmakers announced Thursday that they will rename Cesar Chavez Day as Farmworkers Day after sexual abuse allegations were published this week regarding the late labor union leader.

California was the first state to designate Chavez’s birthday, March 31, as a day to honor the union leader in 2000, seven years after his death at age 66, The Associated Press reported. The California legislature passed a bill to make Chavez’s birthday an official paid day off for state employees and require students to be taught about his legacy and involvement in the state's labor movement.

Some local and state leaders in both the Democratic and Republican parties urged their communities not to celebrate Chavez’s birthday, and to rename buildings and streets named for him. Celebrations of Chavez in Arizona and Texas have been canceled at the Cesar Chavez Foundation's request.

The California Museum also said it will remove Chavez from the state’s Hall of Fame, which it has never done before.

Two women told The New York Times in interviews published this week that Chavez had sexually abused them when they were girls in the 1970s. Chavez's fellow labor leader, Dolores Huerta, also alleged that Chavez had raped her in one instance and pressured her to have sex with him in another, both leading to pregnancies of girls that she arranged to be raised by other families.

Chavez’s family said in a statement that they are devastated by the allegations against him.

“We wish peace and healing to the survivors and commend their courage to come forward. As a family steeped in the values of equity and justice, we honor the voices of those who feel unheard and who report sexual abuse,” they said.

The Cesar Chavez Foundation promised support for the labor leader’s victims, saying it will figure out its identity going forward.

The United Farm Workers union, which Chavez founded, quickly distanced itself from him, calling the allegations troubling.