THE SAN JOSE COMMUNITY is grappling with allegations that labor leader Cesar Chavez abused women and children. The claims hit close to home for Northern California’s largest city, which which was home to the late UFW co-founder and icon.
Shocking allegations against Chavez claiming he abused young women and children have drawn condemnation from local leaders — including people who stood alongside Chavez in the early days of the farmworkers rights movement. That includes Dolores Huerta, who said in a social media statement that she herself was abused by Chavez.
“I am nearly 96 years old, and for the last 60 years have kept a secret because I believed that exposing the truth would hurt the farmworker movement I have spent my entire life fighting for,” Huerta wrote. “As a young mother in the 1960s, I experienced two separate sexual encounters with Cesar. The first time I was manipulated and pressured into having sex with him, and I didn’t feel I could say no because he was someone that I admired, my boss and the leader of the movement I had already devoted years of my life to. The second time I was forced, against my will, and in an environment where I felt trapped.”
Representatives for Huerta did not respond to a request for comment.
Chavez, who was raised in San Jose, has long been celebrated in the city, including through the naming of Plaza de Cesar Chavez downtown and an East San Jose elementary school. There are also several annual Cesar Chavez Day celebrations, including an annual breakfast, march through East San Jose and downtown and a city-sponsored UFW flag raising at City Hall. In 2022, nonprofit Amigos de Guadalupe, with support from the city, purchased Chavez’s childhood home in East San Jose — a historic property now being transformed into a community space focused on education, preservation and housing for young adults.
Representatives for Chavez Family Vision, a San Jose-based nonprofit that works to preserve Chavez’s legacy run by his family, did not respond to requests for comment.
Rudy Chavez Medina, nephew of the late labor leader and former Chavez Family Vision board member, said their family is devastated by the New York Times article about their father.
“This is deeply painful for our family. We wish peace and healing to the survivors and commend their courage to come forward,” Medina said. “As a family steeped in the values of equity and justice, we honor the voices of those who feel unheard and who report sexual abuse. We carry our own memories of the person we knew. Someone whose life included work and contributions that matter deeply to many people. We remain committed to farmworkers and the causes he and countless others championed and continue to champion. We ask for understanding and privacy as we continue to process this difficult information.”
‘A really painful moment’
The allegations are troubling for locals including Gabriela Chavez-Lopez, executive director of the Latina Coalition of Silicon Valley. She said she remembers walking at Chavez’s funeral at age 5.
“This movement has been a part of my upbringing foundation, understanding of people power,” she told San José Spotlight. “This is a really painful moment for our community.”
Chavez-Lopez said many residents are trying to hold both the farmworker movement’s impact and the harm described in the allegations at the same time.
“We’re centering survivors in this conversation. Believe her I think is the message that we’ve learned time and time again,” she said. “We can acknowledge the harm and stand with survivors while also honoring the broader movement that was built by many, not just one individual.”
Maritza Maldonado, founder and executive director of Amigos de Guadalupe, said the organization is “shocked and deeply dismayed” by the allegations.
“We stand in solidarity with the survivors and all those impacted by the actions of Cesar Chavez,” Maldonado told San José Spotlight. “At the same time, we do not want the broader contributions of the movement to be diminished by these deeply troubling crimes.”
“As we process this violation, it’s critical that we lift up our community and the women leaders that did the crucial work behind the scenes — too often without recognition.”
Supervisor Sylvia Arenas
District 1 Santa Clara County Supervisor Sylvia Arenas, who represents South County, is calling to focus all future county labor commemorations on Huerta.
“As the daughter of farmworkers, I am gutted to learn these horrific crimes that were committed against the women and girls of the labor movement — by a man who was supposed to be leading the campaign for all of farmworker rights,” Arenas told San José Spotlight. “As we process this violation, it’s critical that we lift up our community and the women leaders that did the crucial work behind the scenes — too often without recognition.”
Former District 5 San Jose Councilmember Magdalena Carrasco said the allegations are “horrific” and reflect a broader pattern of abuse of power. In a social media post, she urged the community to confront the issue directly and support survivors. She said while Chavez’s actions must be acknowledged, the broader farmworker movement represents the work of many people and should endure beyond any one figure.
“Shame on Cesar for such betrayal. Shame on those who covered up his crimes and shame on anyone today who tried to absolve him of responsibility,” Carrasco wrote. “We must confront these truths head-on, no matter how painful they may be.”
From celebrated to shunned
Chavez was a labor leader and civil rights activist who led strikes and protests throughout orchards in Salinas and Delano. He helped co-found the National Farm Workers Association in 1962, which later became known as United Farm Workers. UFW representatives have said the union won’t take part in activities on March 31, a state holiday recognizing Chavez’s birthday. Locally, the 25th annual Cesar E. Chavez Commemorative Breakfast has been canceled due to the allegations.
“In light of recent and deeply concerning allegations regarding Cesar Chavez, we cannot in good conscience move forward with a celebration at this time,” the Center for Employment Training, which hosts the breakfast, said in a statement. “CET stands in support of anyone who may have experienced harm.”
San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan said the allegations are “deeply troubling” and announced the city is canceling events tied to Cesar Chavez Day. He added he will work with Councilmembers Pamela Campos, Anthony Tordillos, Peter Ortiz and Domingo Candelas to review locations and monuments bearing Chavez’s name, with the goal of finding ways to honor the broader farmworker movement without celebrating Chavez.
“My thoughts are with the survivors who have carried this pain for decades,” Mahan said in a statement. “We recognize that Chavez’s ties to San Jose come with a responsibility to ensure we are not further traumatizing survivors.”
As part of the city’s response to the allegations, Ortiz, who represents District 5 in East San Jose, said the city is looking for alternative ways to honor the farmworker movement.
“This effort will ensure that any future recognition reflects our values, uplifts the full farmworker movement and does not cause further harm to survivors,” Ortiz told San José Spotlight. “This is a shocking tragedy and hits deeply for all of us who respect the invaluable support for farmworker families that the UFW has provided over the years.”
Tordillos, who represents downtown, said he’s “devastated” by the revelations. He said he’d support the renaming of Plaza de Cesar Chavez in downtown.
“This news comes as a betrayal to all of us who believe in the power of the labor movement,” Tordillos told San José Spotlight. “But we cannot allow the actions of one man to diminish the power of working people coming together.”
Recognizing the movement
Candelas, who represents District 8, also expressed alarm, and urged support for those who suffered the alleged abuse.
“I am heartbroken for Dolores Huerta and other survivors who have come forward or who may still be finding the courage to do so,” Candelas told San José Spotlight. “They deserve to be heard, respected, and supported.”
Candelas said he supports the mayor, his council colleagues and the community to thoughtfully evaluate how to recognize the farm workers movement in shared public spaces.
“The United Farm Workers have always stood for more than any single individual,” he told San José Spotlight. “Their efforts and organizing are vital, and their legacy is rooted in solidarity and justice.”
For the Sí Se Puede Collective — which includes Mexican Heritage Plaza, SOMOS Mayfair, Amigos de Guadalupe, Veggielution and Grail Family Services — this moment is especially personal.
“This is our neighborhood. This is where Cesar Chavez once lived,” they wrote. “His legacy is etched into our streets through murals, plaques, and the stories we’ve carried forward with pride. That is what makes this so painful. We are grappling, in real time, with what it means to hold space for both the history that shaped our community and the harm that has now come to light.”
Contact Maryanne Casas-Perez at maryanne@sanjosespotlight.com.
Reporters Keith Menconi and Brandon Pho contributed to this story.
This story originally appeared in San Jose Spotlight.