The labor icon who has loomed large over California politics for decades is now at the center of a crisis that’s forcing Democrats to reckon with a painful truth: one of their heroes allegedly used his power to abuse women and children.

Last week, The New York Times published an investigation revealing that multiple women, including Dolores Huerta, the co-founder of the United Farm Workers union, have accused César Chávez of sexual assault. Huerta, now 95, told the Times that Chávez raped her and that she gave birth to two children after encounters with him. Two other women, both daughters of union leaders, also came forward with allegations that Chávez abused them as girls.

The revelations hit especially hard because Chávez wasn’t just some distant historical figure, he’s woven into the fabric of California life. His name graces dozens of schools, parks, boulevards, and community centers. Former President Joe Biden kept a bust of him in the White House. Governor Gavin Newsom has said that a photo of Chávez with Senator Robert Kennedy is the first thing he sees every morning in his house. The farmworker activist is even part of California’s official school curriculum.

The fallout was immediate. Politicians who have spent years invoking Chávez’s name as proof of their solidarity with the labor movement and Latino communities suddenly had to grapple with cognitive dissonance. “It’s been hard to absorb this”, Newsom admitted to reporters, visibly shaken.

Now, cities and state leaders are taking action. San Diego officials are considering renaming César Chávez Parkway. Sacramento is working to rename César Chávez Plaza, which sits just blocks from the Capitol. Mayor Kevin McCarty, who marched in Chávez Day celebrations for 30 years, said the city needs to “ensure the naming of our city facilities aligns with our values”.

The state Legislature is also discussing whether to rename the official holiday honoring Chávez before March 31st, less than two weeks away. Democratic Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas issued a statement emphasizing that “the farmworker movement has never been about one man; it is bigger than any one person”.

But experts say there’s much more work to do beyond scrubbing his name from landmarks. The real opportunity, according to political scientists, is to finally lift up the other women and leaders who fought alongside Chávez but were overshadowed by his charisma and power. It’s a moment for elected officials to look beyond the loudest voice in the room and recognize the countless organizers doing the work in communities across the state.

For California Democrats, the pain is real. They’ve lost a hero. But honoring the labor movement Chávez represented means confronting an uncomfortable truth: we can never place any individual above reproach.