Overview
- The City Council voted unanimously Wednesday to permanently replace the city holiday formerly called Cesar Chavez Day with Farmworkers Day.
- City leaders cited reporting that alleged sexual abuse by Chavez as the catalyst for the move and noted a public accusation from co‑founder Dolores Huerta.
- Mayor Kate Gallego said the new name is meant to center the collective struggles and sacrifices of farmworkers rather than a single figure.
- Phoenix is actively removing Chavez’s name from parks, schools, streets and municipal buildings with several new names already adopted and other sites still covered or pending replacement.
- A council memo asked that the holiday be observed on the Monday closest to April 6 to link the day to key farmworker movement milestones and to reinforce the city’s focus on workers’ contributions.