Labor leader Cesar Chavez with United Farm Workers members in Coachella in 1991. The Sacramento County Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to change the name of the holiday next week to Sacramento County Farmworkers Appreciation Day.
JOHN TROTTER
Sacramento Bee file
Sacramento County supervisors unanimously voted to rename Cesar Chavez Day in honor of the county’s farmworkers days after allegations surfaced that the late labor leader sexually abused women and girls, and said they will consider when to observe the new holiday.
The March 31 holiday is now known as Sacramento County Farmworkers Appreciation Day, said the county said in a statement Tuesday following the vote.
“This change formally acknowledges the essential role farmworkers play in supporting the region’s economy, as well as the health and well-being of Sacramento County communities,” the statement read. “Farmworkers are a vital part of the County’s agricultural heritage and continue to contribute significantly to the food system that serves residents locally and beyond.”
A nationwide reckoning of the late United Farm Workers leader and civil rights icon has accelerated in recent days. Cities, schools and institutions in California and across the country have moved to remove Chavez’s name from public places. California lawmakers are also considering renaming the day to honor the state’s farmworkers.
The reckoning began with revelations by two women quoted in a years-long New York Times investigation publishe last week that they were sexually assaulted as girls by Chavez in the 1970s.
The venerated civil rights leader Dolores Huerta, who co-founded the UFW with Chavez and served as the union’s vice president, later came forward with her own accounts of abuse by Chavez. Huerta became its leader upon Chavez’s death in 1993.
Huerta, now 95, released a statement that Chavez had raped her twice in the 1960s and that she became pregnant after each assault. Huerta said she remained silent in order to put the farmworkers’ rights movement — her life’s work — first.
As part of the change, supervisors directed county staff to meet with employee bargaining units to determine how and when the holiday will be observed. Those talks will “explore recognizing Sacramento County Farm Workers Appreciation Day on a date other than March 31 in future years,” officials said.
Staff will return to the Board of Supervisors with recommended dates for consideration.
This story was originally published March 24, 2026 at 1:31 PM.
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Darrell Smith is a local reporter for The Sacramento Bee. He joined The Bee in 2006 and previously worked at newspapers in Palm Springs, Colorado Springs and Marysville. Smith was born and raised at Beale Air Force Base and lives in Elk Grove.