2 p.m. Friday, August 18,  in L.A.

Chavez’s family and UFW successor at bill
signing, hail Chavez holiday as unique

The first paid state holiday in the nation honoring Cesar Chavez will be a fitting tribute to the legendary farm labor leader, his family and successor in the United Farm Workers say as Gov. Gray Davis prepares to sign the bill into law during a ceremony Friday in Los Angeles.

Under SB 984, by state Sen. Richard Polanco (D‑Los Angeles), Chavez’s birthday "won’t be just another holiday," declares his son, Paul Chavez. "It will be a living tribute to my father."

In addition to a paid day off for state workers, the legislation provides for an hour of instruction around Chavez’s March 31 birthday about the UFW founder’s lessons on non‑violence, self‑sacrifice and social justice. Then, in the afternoon, students will engage in some form of public service appropriate for their age and grade. The bill provides $5 million for AmeriCorps and the California Conservation Corps to help local school districts plan public service projects.

"We are grateful to the Chavez family and the UFW leadership for contributing the educational and public service concepts for memorializing Cesar," Polanco says. "They added an exciting dimension to the bill."

Helping others as part of the holiday observance "is what my father was all about," Paul Chavez says. "He didn’t just talk about helping the poorest and most powerless among us change their lives; he went out and did something about it."

Who: Gov. Gray Davis, state Sen. Richard Polanco, many Chavez family members, Chavez’s son-in-law and successor as UFW president, Arturo Rodriguez, and UFW Secretary-Treasurer Dolores Huerta.

What: Ceremony at which Gov. Davis will sign into law the Cesar Chavez state holiday bill.

When: 2 p.m., Friday, Aug. 18, 2000.

Where: Northwest corner of El Pueblo de Los Angeles Plaza near Olvera St. (at North Main St.), downtown Los Angeles.

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