FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) — A longtime Central Valley farmworker says he is heartbroken by recent sexual abuse allegations made against civil rights leader Cesar Chavez, a figure he credits with transforming working conditions for thousands of laborers.
In his living room, beneath a UFW flag and a figurine of Chavez, “All of the sacrifice, to be stained in an instant,” Gabriel Valladolid said.
Valladolid, who has picked tomatoes for decades and is a proud member of the United Farm Workers, keeps a single memento from his own activism: a meal card from a trip to Sacramento, where he protests for farmworker rights.
Showing the card, he said, “This is from when we were fighting for overtime and we won in Sacramento.”
He said Chavez’s movement brought significant improvements for farmworkers.
“Farmworkers suffer a lot, there are very little regulations and rights, but thank you to Caesar Chavez’s movement there’s been a lot of positive changes like shade, water, breaks, and overtime,” he said.
But Valladolid fears the allegations could lead to funding cuts or the loss of critical resources to the farmworker community and movement.
“Aside from Cesar Chavez’s organization there’s very few others that are helping farmworkers,” he said. “Will there be no one fighting for the farm workers? That’s the impact, I fear of.”
The allegations come just a few years after Fresno renamed several historic streets to form the 10-mile-long Cesar Chavez Boulevard.
The change faced opposition and legal challenges at the time.
Now, Supervisor Garry Bredefeld, the lone city councilmember who voted against the renaming, says he would back a reversal.
“We should return the historical context of these streets. They never should’ve been changed, but unfortunately, it would cost money once again to change it back,” Bredefeld said.
Supporters of the renaming included former Councilmember Luis Chavez and current Councilmembers Miguel Arias and Nelson Esparza. All three released statements responding to the allegations.
Chavez called them “disappointing and alarming.”
Esparza said he is “stunned,” adding that “there are more questions than answers.”
Arias said he supports pausing celebrations while more information emerges, adding that “truth and transparency are essential.”
There is a UFW protest scheduled for tomorrow regarding wage protections. At this point, organizers tell Action News it is still expected to move forward despite these allegations.
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