Newsom supports bill renaming California’s Cesar Chavez Day
March 27, 2026
By KAREN VELIE
Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday signed a bill to rename California’s Cesar Chavez Day to “Farmworkers Day.” Newson is scheduled to formally announce the change on March 31.
“The farmworkers’ movement was always bigger than just one man or one person,” Newsom said on X on March 19. “Given the horrendous allegations that were made public for the first time yesterday, this is a welcomed change.”
Earlier on Thursday, the California State Senate approved the legislation, introduced by state assemblyman Robert Rivas and Senate President pro Tempore Monique Limón in February, with bipartisan support.
“California’s farmworker rights movement never has been about one individual,” Rivas and Limón said in a statement. “To the survivors who have found the courage to come forward, uplifting the movement’s values of dignity and justice, and demanding accountability, our hearts are with you always.”
Recently publicized allegations that Chavez had sexually abused girls and women while he promoted a farmworker labor rights movement in the 1960s led to a rush of agencies removing Chavez’s name from memorials and celebrations.
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