The reaction has been swift with palpable dismay across the Valley as allegations spread about the past sexual abuse of girls and young women by the late labor leader Cesar Chavez, one of the region’s most prominent civil rights icons.
Since The New York Times published its multi-year investigation into the co-founders of United Farm Workers union Wednesday, some California communities have already begun to disentangle themselves from public homages to the once widely revered figure.
Elected leaders in Sacramento and Fresno have said they’re open to renaming public sites that bear his name.
Some officials in Modesto, Merced and other Valley communities, where Chavez founded and grew his movement, have taken a somewhat more cautious approach while still expressing their devastation over the investigation’s shocking revelations. Those allegations include the grooming and abuse of two underage girls and rape of co-UFW founder and fellow civil rights leader Dolores Huerta.
In Merced, no city streets, parks or schools are named after Chavez, but a large mural in his honor went up in 2020 in south Merced on the Merced Food Center at Martin Luther King Jr. Way and 12th Street. There is a smaller mural of Chavez at P and West 13th streets in south Merced.
Two Democrats who represent Merced County in the state Legislature both made public statements shortly after the allegations were released.
Assemblymember Esmeralda Soria, D-Merced, called the revelations “deeply personal,” noting that she’s the daughter of immigrant farmworkers from Mexico.
“As a Latina who has worked to break barriers, I am shocked and outraged by these accounts,” Soria said about the allegations in a statement. “I believe Dolores Huerta. I believe the women who have come forward. I believe the victims.”
The revelations do not erase the important work of the farmworker movement, she said. The work now must focus on ensuring that abuse is not ignored, excused or repeated, Soria said.
State Senator Anna Caballero, D-Merced, said she stands in solidarity with Huerta and the other survivors.
“Their statements are what resiliency looks like in action, reflecting the strength of the women who carried a burden in silence for decades. A burden that was never theirs, often placing others before themselves. There is power in truth coming to light. Sunlight heals and cleanses, while the cover of darkness allows it to fester. For many women of our generation, the tools to seek justice did not exist, and even now, too many barriers remain,” Caballero said, in her statement.
“Speaking truth is an act of courage, but it does not come without a cost and demands something of us all. This moment does not center just one voice, but a collective of survivors who deserve to be seen, believed, and supported. We must change how we value and protect women as they step into leadership alongside men, how we protect women and girls from abuse, exploitation, and coercion, and how we hold accountable those who enable harm through silence or in action. May every survivor feel seen, believed, and supported, and may we build a world where no one has to carry this kind of pain alone.”
Other Valley reactions
Modesto has two high-profile public places honoring Chavez. The first is the Cesar E. Chavez Park, which is undergoing major renovations with plans to reopen this summer. The second is a mural on the side of the downtown Modesto Peace/Life Center on 13th Street, which went up in 2024 and features Chavez and Huerta.
Additionally, two junior high schools in Stanislaus and Merced counties are named in his honor – Cesar Chavez Junior High School in Modesto and Cesar E Chavez Middle School in Planada.
Cesar Chavez Day, March 31 this year, has been a federal holiday since 2014. The City of Modesto held its Cesar E. Chavez Family Day Celebration March 14, prior to the investigation release by The New York Times.
But according to The Modesto Bee, the Sí Se Puede Luncheon sponsored by the local César Chávez Community Celebration Committee will go on as planned March 30.
When reached for comment, Modesto spokesperson Sonya Severo said the city is still learning about the allegations and did not have any updates to share. She also declined to comment on whether the city is considering renaming the César E. Chávez Park, currently under construction in west Modesto.
Jim Costello, vice chairman of the Peace/Life Center, said the recent news of Huerta’s publicized assaults by Chavez – which she acknowledged in a public statement – is devastating to those in the community who honor him as a civic leader and activist. The nonprofit’s board called an emergency meeting for Wednesday night because they “definitely have to discuss what this means” for the mural.
After the emergency meeting the Modesto Peace/Life Center board members agreed that the image of Chavez must come down in some way. A hand-painted sign saying “No Mas! Stand with Survivors” was placed over Chavez’s face for now.
“We want to send a message that we support all women, and especially survivors,” Costello said. The organization will meet with the muralist, Joel Aguilar, to discuss how he wants to proceed with the changes.
Huerta is also featured in the mural holding a sign that reads “ORGANIZE” modeled after the historic photo of her holding a sign that reads “HUELGA” (meaning “strike” in English) during the UFW Delano Grape Strikes in 1965.
Costello referred to Huerta as a “superhero” and said the decision to share her story and seek justice for the other survivors must have required a great personal sacrifice.
The Modesto Focus reporters Garth Stapley, Vivienne Aguilar and Ximena Loeza and The Merced Focus editor Brianna Vaccari contributed to this report.
