DELANO, Calif. (KERO) — It’s been a little more than a week since news of sexual allegations came out against Cesar Chavez, and since, many discussions surrounding his legacy have taken place. The California Senate has now joined in on that conversation.
“The California legislature thanks the survivors for sharing their truth and hopes that by renaming this day, we are supporting the values of the movement of dignity and justice,” said California Senate president Pro Tempore Monique Limon.
California Senate president Pro Tempore Monique Limon is speaking on behalf of AB 2156, a bill created by her and Speaker of the Assembly Robert Rivas.
Proclaimed by President Obama in 2014, AB 2156 would rename the March 31 holiday from Cesar Chavez Day to Farmworkers Day.
The bill was approved unanimously by the senate Thursday morning and by the afternoon, it was signed into California law by Governor Gavin Newsom.
The proposal to change the holiday name comes weeks after initial reports came out from the New York Times that revealed sexual allegations against the labor leader Cesar Chavez.
23ABC took to social media to ask the community what they thought about the change.
While some expressed their disapproval, others questioned the quickness of it all.
A statements from the bills main author Speaker of the Assembly Robert Rivas reads “The farmworker movement was never about one man. It was built by thousands — tens of thousands — of workers. People like my grandfather. People who labored in the fields. People who organized, who sacrificed, who stood up when it was hard. Their legacy is not defined by one individual. It is defined by a movement — a movement for dignity, a movement for justice, a movement that still lives on today.”
Co-authors of the bill include local Assemblymembers Jasmeet Bains, Stan Ellis, and Tom Lackey.
Local state Senators Melissa Hurtado and Shannon Grove were at Thursday’s session, speaking on behalf of the bill.
“We are acknowledging Farmworkers Day in the state of California, but we must be able to practice it as well,” said Senator Hurtado.
“This is about more than recognition. It’s about protecting the workforce that feeds the state and the nation and the surrounding industry that protects their jobs and livelihoods, respectfully I ask for an aye vote,” said Senator Grove.
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