City Government

Sen. Padilla, Rep. Ruiz Push for National Park Named for César E. Chávez

U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla (D-CA) and Congressman Raul Ruiz (D-CA-25) last week introduced bicameral legislation to create the “César E. Chávez and the Farmworker Movement National Historical Park.” The bill establishes the César E. Chávez and the Farmworker Movement National Historical Park, which incorporates the headquarters of the United Farm Workers (UFW) at La Nuestra Señora Reina de la Paz in Keene, California, and expands upon the existing César E. Chávez National Monument.

Published

3 years ago

April 7, 2023

Oakland Post

César E. Chávez State Holiday Celebration in Northern California. CBM photo by Antonio Ray Harvey.

By Antonio Ray Harvey
California Black Media

The bill establishes the César E. Chávez and the Farmworker Movement National Historical Park, which incorporates the headquarters of the United Farm Workers (UFW) at La Nuestra Señora Reina de la Paz in Keene, California, and expands upon the existing César E. Chávez National Monument.

Co-sponsored by Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and U.S. Congressmembers Raul Grijalva (D-AZ-7) and Rueben Gallego (D-AZ-3), the bill calls for preserving nationally significant sites associated with labor and civil rights leader César E. Chávez and the farmworker movement in California and Arizona.

Further, the bill includes a provision to “Conduct a National Historic Trail Study” for the “Farmworker Peregrinación National Historic Trail,” the 300-mile march route taken by farmworkers between Delano and Sacramento in 1966.

“On César Chávez Day we commemorate the work and legacy of an iconic Latino civil rights leader,” Sen. Alex Padilla said in a statement. “Establishing the César E. Chávez and the Farmworker Movement National Historical Park will pay proper homage to Chávez’s tireless work for the dignity, respect and equal treatment of farmworkers.

Last week, Gov. Gavin Newsom declared March 31, 2023, Cesar Chavez Day in California.

Padilla continued, “Our national park system tells the story of our nation and preserves the people and movements that we value as Americans. Yet our park system does not yet adequately preserve the full culture and diverse legacy of all Americans. This legislation would bring us closer to the recognition farmworkers have earned and deserve.”

Chávez, who died in 1993, was a Latino icon and civil rights leader, labor leader and community organizer whose legacy is intricately connected to the story of California, the farmworker labor movement and the push for worker and civil rights.

Chávez empowered Latinos and farmworkers to fight for fair wages, health care coverage, pension benefits, housing improvements, and countless other protections for their well-being.

His commitment to social justice has inspired many, and advocates and activists point to him as a role model for their ongoing efforts to improve the lives of all people, regardless of their ethnicity or the color of their skin.

As a farmworker, César Chávez maintained a strong connection to the environment; and the bill by the lawmakers intends to uplift Chavez’s story, and those of others whose contributions helped build the farmworker and civil rights movements that are pillars of American history.

“Growing up the son of farmworkers in the Coachella Valley, I remember seeing César Chávez and the sense of hope he gave to our communities and farmworkers across the United States. His story still inspires and motivates me even today,” said Ruiz.

“My legislation with Sen. Padilla, the César E. Chávez and the Farmworker Movement National Historical Park Act, will help the National Park Service (NPS) embrace their role as storytellers of our nation and reflect the diversity and richness of our people.”

There are hundreds of sites that are part of the national park system that preserve natural, historical, and cultural heritage while offering vital spaces for teaching, learning, and outdoor recreation.

If the legislation passes, the Department of Interior will be required to complete a general management plan for the historical park within three years.

In 2012, President Barack Obama’s established the César E. Chávez National Monument in Keene, which recognizes the achievements and contributions to the history of our nation by Chávez and the farmworker movement.

Obama traveled to Keene to announce the establishment of the monument. From the early 1970s until his death, the site functioned as the residence and workplace of Chávez and his family, and now is home to Chávez’s grave.

“César Chávez gave a voice to poor and disenfranchised workers everywhere,” Obama stated in October 2012. “La Paz was at the center of some of the most significant civil rights moments in our nation’s history, and by designating it a national monument, Chávez’ legacy will be preserved and shared to inspire generations to come.”

This California Black Media report was supported in whole or in part by funding provided by the State of California, administered by the California State Library.

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Activism

Marin City Public Housing Residents Demand a Voice in County’s Renovation Plans

Representation has been a continuous struggle for the Residents Council, she said in an interview with the Post News Group. In 2014, the tenants took the county to federal court over this issue, and prevailed, resulting in an MOU that was in effect from 2014 to 2024, said McLemore. “Now, they are not responding to our rightful requests to participate. They are not giving us a legal justification for their position.”

Published

3 days ago

May 10, 2026

Oakland Post

The largest housing complex in Marin County, Golden Gate Village residents are for predominantly Black and low-income. Courtesy image.

Tenants say the County of Marin is ignoring federal law requiring resident council participation

By Ken Epstein

Marin City public housing residents say the County is illegally depriving them of their rights to participate in renovation decisions that affect the future of their housing, raising deep concerns over whether the county ultimately will find a way to displace them.

According to regulations established by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Marin City public housing residents have the right to organize, elect resident councils, and hold public housing agencies accountable for involving them in management decisions.

Without resident participation, the Board of Housing Commissioners, made up of the five Marin County Board of Supervisors and two resident comissioners, has approved a $226 million project. The plan calls for renovation of the 296 units in Golden Gate Village (GGV) and focuses on interior improvements. The project is scheduled to start in July.

Residents’ concerns have a long history, said Royce McLemore, president of the Golden Gate Village Residents Council and a 50-year resident of Marin City,

With no current MOU mandating training and participation of residents, the legal basis for all the redevelopment decisions made by the county since 2024 is questionable, said Terrie Green, executive director of Marin City Climate Resilience. “We are experiencing voicelessness. If residents had a voice, we wouldn’t be where we are today,” she said.

County decisions include a plan, in line with federal regulations, to convert GGV from public housing to a public-private enterprise that allows for private investment. The Marin Housing Authority has created a limited partnership that includes Burbank Housing – which will renovate the units and manage the property – and Wells Fargo Bank, the investor.

This change in federal policy regarding public housing, which includes a shift to a Section-8 voucher system, has resulted in gentrification across the country, particularly affecting African Americans in cities such as San Francisco.

Shifts in criteria of what is considered affordable could also end up pricing residents out of their living units. At present, low income in Marin County is officially considered $156,000. But the median household income in Marin City is significantly lower at $68,846.

Damian Morgan, a community advocate with Marin City Climate Resilience, questioned why the county is renovating apartments without fixing toxic infrastructure that is impacting the lives of people in GGV.

Morgan said tenants have filed a class action lawsuit because of unsafe conditions at Golden Gate Village.

Residents are also concerned that the County still does not have an adequate family plan for temporary displacement while their apartments are being renovated. Although the County has suggested other community apartments as alternatives, nothing concrete has developed except vacant public housing units that have the same toxic conditions, such as mold and mildew.

Green said it doesn’t make sense. “…Why are we moving people around into temporary housing that’s uninhabitable, when you should be dealing first with the infrastructure, the foundational work, replacing old and rusted water pipes and new sewers.”

Morgan questions the County’s motivation for neglecting infrastructure repairs. “They’re remodeling the units but leaving the decayed infrastructure in place. I feel like they’re just setting this up for it to fail.”

“What slowed it down a little is that GGV is a historic preservation district, but I think what they’re striving for is demolition by neglect,” he said. “The neglect has always been on their part.”

Architect Ora Hatheway said her concern is about cutting corners. “You have to deal with the land issues. You have to deal with grading and drainage, and that’s being brushed under the rug.”

In an interview with KGO TV, Marin County Supervisor Stephanie Moulton-Peters responded to some of these concerns. She said residents are guaranteed the right to return to their homes.

“This is a concern that we take seriously,” she said. “Every resident will move back into their own unit, and we’ve given this to them in writing. Before they leave their unit, we will sign a document together that guarantees their right to return.”

In response to residents who feel left out of the planning process, she said community input has focused on those affected by the first phase of the project. “So other residents may not have heard quite as much or felt like they had as much contact. But if there are residents who have concerns, we’re happy to hear from them. You can contact my office or the housing authority directly,” she said.

While County leaders may be giving some updates to some tenants, they are not sitting at the table with the Residents Council nor giving residents a voice in decision-making, said McLemore.

Without a voice in decisions, tenants are worried that Black people may be forced out of public housing, resulting in gentrification, she said in an interview with ABC 7. It’s still paternalistic, she said. “It’s still that ‘We know what’s best for you.’’’

Several years ago, the Residents Council proposed a land trust plan that would give tenants homeownership rights. Though the plan had broad support throughout the county, it was rejected by the Board of Supervisors

In the final analysis, Green said, for Marin City tenants the fight is not just for decent housing but to maintain their community with dignity under conditions of mutual respect.

“We’re talking about people who came here to work in the shipyards during World War II to bring about peace and safety to this country,” she said. “Look at the discrimination we’ve faced down through the years. Look at the life-span issue of Marin City folks – almost 20 years less than the rest of the County.”

“We want educational equity so our children will have decent schools. We need a land trust, property ownership, so we can have wealth creation. Marin City needs the same quality of life as other communities in Marin County.”