California lawmakers just made a historic call that’s shaking up how we think about labor history. Less than a week after sexual abuse allegations against César Chávez surfaced, the state voted unanimously to rename César Chávez Day to Farmworkers Day. Governor Newsom signed the bill immediately, and it’s already in effect as of March 31.

To be real, this is pretty wild. Back in 2000, California became the first state in the nation to officially recognize César Chávez with a paid holiday. Now, 26 years later, the state is completely reversing course. The New York Times investigation revealed that Chávez sexually abused young girls during his time as president of the United Farm Workers union in the 1960s and 70s. And it gets heavier, legendary activist Dolores Huerta, who’s 95 years old, came forward saying Chávez sexually abused her nearly 60 years ago.

The response from California lawmakers has been swift and decisive. The Senate voted 37-0 in favor of Assembly Bill 2156, with legislators from both parties stepping up. “This recognition is deeply personal to me”, Republican Senator Suzette Martinez Valladares said, sharing that her family worked as farm laborers in Bakersfield. “For generations, farmworkers were excluded from basic labor protections”. Senate President Pro Tem Monique Limón added that the new focus on farmworkers themselves represents what California should actually be celebrating.

But renaming the holiday is just the beginning. Cities across California are moving fast to erase Chávez’s name from public spaces. Fresno city council members voted to rename César Chávez Boulevard back to its original street names, Kings Canyon Road, Ventura Avenue, and California Avenue. At Fresno State University, students literally boxed up a statue of Chávez hours after the allegations dropped. San Jose, where Chávez did some of his early organizing work, created a commission to figure out what to do with all the plazas, monuments, and murals bearing his image.

Schools are getting involved too. District officials are telling teachers to dial back Chávez’s role in teaching the civil rights movement, and the state is working to update its entire history curriculum. They’re still figuring out if these changes will happen before the school year starts in August.

For decades, Chávez was celebrated as one of the most important Latino political figures of the 20th century. He and Huerta co-founded the United Farm Workers union and organized workers across California, securing better wages and safer working conditions. His legacy shaped California politics for generations.

Now, California is grappling with how to honor farmworkers while separating them from Chávez’s complicated and disturbing history. It’s a messy reckoning, but it’s necessary.