Arizona Repeals Cesar Chavez Holiday; San Luis Vows to Keep March 31

The Arizona Legislature voted to strip Cesar Chavez's name from the state holiday calendar by overwhelming margins, 48-8 in the House and 29-1 in the Senate, but in San Luis, where Chavez died in 1993 and where his statue stands, city offices stayed shut on March 31 as local leaders debated what comes next.

Gov. Katie Hobbs was preparing to sign the repeal, a measure that would take effect immediately upon her signature. Hours after the House vote, press aide Christian Slater issued a statement announcing the governor's intent, even as state Sen. Sally Ann Gonzales, the lone dissenting vote in the Senate, mounted a last-ditch effort to persuade Hobbs to veto the legislation.

The repeal was driven by allegations that Chavez sexually abused people decades ago, including allegations he abused young girls and fellow activist Dolores Huerta. A minority of lawmakers, including Gonzales, agreed the allegations warranted action but objected to Republicans refusing to consider renaming the holiday to honor the broader farmworker movement rather than eliminating the day outright. Those amendment efforts failed.

In San Luis, Mayor Nieves Riedel and city council members opted to keep city offices closed despite the state's move. The decision was largely procedural: the city requires a 30-day window for ordinance changes, and when the council convened last Wednesday, less than a week before March 31 and with not all members present, an immediate policy switch was not possible.

The city's ties to Chavez run deep. Councilmembers approved a resolution in 2019 adding March 31 as a city holiday in his honor. Chavez was born near Yuma and died in San Luis in 1993; a statue of him stands in the city to this day.

At a future council meeting, members will take up whether to rename the March 31 holiday "Farm Workers' Day" or shift the city employee holiday to a different date in 2027. City Manager Jenny Torres has floated the day before Christmas as one option.

The outcome of that discussion will determine whether San Luis marks March 31 at all next year, and under what name.