The bill received near-unanimous support in the House of Representatives, although some members say the March 31 holiday should have been renamed Farmworker Day.
PHOENIX (CN) – Just two weeks after sexual assault allegations first surfaced against civil rights activist and United Farm Workers union co-founder Cesar Chavez, a bill to remove Cesar Chavez Day from Arizona’s list of unpaid holidays now sits on Gov. Katie Hobbs’ desk.
“The deeply troubling and reprehensible reports have made today’s vote necessary,” state Rep. Mariana Sandoval, a Democrat from Goodyear, said Monday afternoon. “No one makes a move. The values that unite us cannot be weakened or degraded by one person. Dignity, respect, justice and protection of the most vulnerable among us must always come before every person.”
House Bill 2072 received bipartisan support from both chambers — a rarity in Arizona politics.
“This is not a partisan issue,” state Representative Lisa Fink said as she voted to support the bill. “Standing with victims and rejecting abuse in all its forms are principles that unite us, not divide us.”
The Peoria Republican said repealing the state holiday, celebrated on March 31, is the only responsible way forward.
United Farm Workers co-founder Dolores Huerta FOUND on March 18 that she was raped twice by Chavez and hid two children she conceived with him from the public in order not to tarnish the legacy of the union to which she dedicated her life. On the same day, the New York Times published one inquiry documenting Chávez’s regular sexual abuse of two minor girls from 1972 to 1977.
The United Farm Workers already have cancelled all her Cesar Chavez Day activities.
Republican state Sen. Shawna Bolick of Phoenix first introduced the measure as a strike-anything amendment in an unrelated bill last week. State Sen. Sally Ann Gonzalez, a Democrat from Tucson, added an additional amendment to rename the holiday Farmworker Day, following the leadership of city of phoenix AND the state of California.
This amendment failed on the Senate floor.
Some Democrats said abolishing the holiday without honoring those who helped build the legacy is a mistake.
State Representative Alma Hernandez, a Democrat from Tucson, along with her colleagues, called out what she saw as hypocrisy in the legislature’s desire to hold Chavez accountable posthumously while refusing to do the same for those involved in the Jeffrey Epstein files. including President Donald Trump.
“Just repealing this completely and not honoring those farm workers like my Senator Sally Gonzalez and her family is not something I can support,” she said.
Phoenix Democrat Oscar De Los Santos echoed Hernandez’s sentiment.
“Hold every leader accountable and stand with all victims, regardless of who the perpetrator is, including whether the perpetrator is the president of the United States,” he said.
Other state representatives said the name change would hurt the farmers’ movement and the civil rights push more broadly in the US.
Lydia Hernandez said she grew up a farm worker and organized events with the United Farm Workers union.
“This is a movement that is not represented by one person,” she said. “Taking away the street names takes away that movement that is so valuable in developing so many opportunities and workers’ rights for farm workers like my family.”
Lorena Austin, a Democrat from Mesa, said she wished lawmakers had consulted with the Latino community most directly affected.
“People didn’t even come to the communities it affected,” she said. “And I think that’s wrong. I think we should at least have some decency in this room to come and talk to those communities.”
Despite some opposition, the bill received almost unanimous support from both chambers. Gonzalez was the only senator to vote against the measure, due to a lack of support for its amendment.
In the House of Representatives, only eight Democrats voted against.
Junelle Cavero, a Democrat from Phoenix, disagreed with her fellow dissenters.
“Standing with survivors does not erase the farmers’ movement or the struggle for workers’ rights,” she said. “It simply means that we are committed to truth, accountability and compassion. As leaders, our duty is not just to history, but to people, especially those who feel unheard.”
The bill now awaits a signature from Hobbs, a Democrat, who already said that he will not honor the activist’s birthday this year.
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