DELANO, Calif. — Surrounded by grapevines, orange groves and almond orchards a few hours north of Los Angeles, this Central Valley city still bears deep ties to farm labor organizing. “This is what drives and fuels our city,” said Monike Reynozo, whose family worked the fields and who now advocates for youth with Loud For Tomorrow.
A mural in downtown Delano honors local harvesters and labor leaders; one familiar face is Cesar Chavez, who lived in Delano for nine years and co-founded the United Farm Workers. For decades Chavez has been celebrated here as a hero. That reputation was shaken earlier this month after a New York Times investigation alleged Chavez sexually abused girls in the 1970s and raped longtime ally and co-leader Dolores Huerta in the 1960s. The report arrived days before Chavez’s birthday, a date long observed in many places.
The revelations have prompted a swift institutional response in some areas: states are reconsidering commemorations, and landmarks and statues across California are being reviewed or removed. In Delano, the controversy has left residents and officials divided. Reynozo called the allegations heartbreaking and said Chavez had been a role model for some, but added that the movement and its symbols “don’t need him anymore. He’s just one individual amongst, you know, thousands of people who have been fighting for this and continue to fight for it.”
Local leaders are weighing changes. The Delano school board voted to rename Cesar E. Chavez High School, and the city council is expected to consider renaming Cesar E. Chavez Park. “Everything that we want to take into account, for how does accountability look like at the Delano level, will be on the table,” councilmember Bryan Osorio said, while acknowledging he expects resistance.
That resistance reflects the complicated legacy Chavez leaves behind. The UFW won tangible improvements for farmworkers — higher pay, breaks and access to bathrooms — and many residents see those gains as inseparable from Delano’s history. “This man was a huge part of Delano’s history, is still part of Delano’s history,” Osorio said. Some locals, including grape picker Armando Pulido, have expressed disbelief about the accusations. “I think everything is a lie… Why didn’t they bring it up while he was alive?” Pulido asked.
Huerta, who is quoted in the reporting, said she postponed speaking publicly out of concern for the movement. “When people say, why didn’t you leave? Why didn’t you tell people? Well, this is why, because I felt that my coming out and saying what occurred would have hurt the movement,” she said.
The Times also reported that others had raised claims years earlier, citing internal emails and a private Facebook post, details NPR has not independently verified.
Some residents hope the moment broadens the conversation about the farm labor movement and its many contributors. Filipino organizer Larry Itliong helped organize the 1965 Delano Grape Strike that sparked the UFW’s founding, and many in Delano emphasize his role. “A lot of Filipinos, to this day, we always say: without Larry Itliong, there’d be no Cesar Chavez,” said Rogelio Gadiano, who leads tours of local sites tied to the movement.
Gadiano said he hopes the controversy leads to more informed discussions and greater recognition of the many people and communities who built the movement. “We got buried in history,” he said. “We were the spark, the ultimate spark.”
As Delano debates renaming schools, parks and other memorials, residents and leaders are trying to balance honoring the concrete advances won for farmworkers with answering calls for accountability and addressing the pain the allegations have caused.