Dolores Huerta mourned, remembered across Southern California

As news spread Wednesday, Oct. 28, of the death of Dolores Huerta, a key figure in the nation’s Latino labor rights movement, many in Southern California mourned the labor leader, civil rights and feminist icon, whom many union organizers called a “trailblazer.”

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Huerta, 96, died Wednesday at home, her family announced in a statement through her foundation.

RELATED: Dolores Huerta, influential labor leader, feminist and civil rights icon, dies at 96

Luz Gallegos, the executive director of the TODEC Legal Center, which provides resources to immigrant workers across the Inland Empire and Coachella Valley, said Wednesday that Huerta’s passing is “deeply personal” for her, being born into the labor movement. Gallegos honored the late activist for her “courage that inspired generations of farmworkers, immigrants, women and young people understand that our voices matter.”

Southern California has long honored Huerta, naming schools, housing projects, street intersections and public spaces after her. Events have been dedicated to her and murals painted with her likeness, to recognize the legacy and role she played in fighting for workers’ rights.

Huerta visited the region throughout her life, including stops at a school in Fontana, in Riverside before the opening of Cheech Marin’s Chicano art museum and before a statue of fellow labor leader, the disgraced Cesar Chavez, was erected. She also rode on a Rose Parade float with the AIDS Healthcare Foundation earlier this year.

Local elected officials and labor organizers mourned news of the death of a strong woman, mother, and for more than some, friend — whom they say inspired their own leadership.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom said Huerta’s legacy lies not just in her accomplishments, but in those “who follow in her footsteps … creating a better world.”

Her fight “for gender equity, workers’ rights, and civil rights paved the way for generations to come — teaching people what was possible with determination and heart,” he posted on X.

In a statement, Sen. Eloise Gómez Reyes, D-Colton, said she mourned “the loss of someone who profoundly shaped my own life.”

“Dolores Huerta taught generations of us that we did not have to accept the world as it was,” Gómez Reyes wrote. “That ordinary people, working together, could challenge powerful institutions, overcome injustice, and build something better. She didn’t simply open doors for women like me. She taught us that we had the power to open them for others. Dolores gave us more than a rallying cry. She gave us a responsibility to one another. We will carry that responsibility forward.”

Rep. Norma Torres, D-Ontario, agreed: “As a Latina and immigrant, I know that I stand on the shoulders of women like Dolores, who refused to be silenced and made sure our voices were heard. I will always be grateful for the doors she opened.”

Rep. Dave Min, D-Irvine, in a statement called Huerta a “living legend who devoted her life to making the American Dream possible for so many in this country.”

“Her incredible and courageous work on behalf of workers, immigrants, and women transformed the labor movement and gave new voice to survivors of sexual assault, while inspiring generations of Americans, including me, to fight for an America that delivered on its promise of liberty and justice FOR ALL.”

Shockwaves rippled through the Latino and migrant worker communities when Huerta revealed earlier this year that she was sexually abused in the 1960s by her United Farm Workers co-founder, labor leader Cesar Chavez, which led to the birth of two children. It was a secret she kept for 60 years, long after Chavez — whom many then revered as the “founder” of farmworker’ movements — had died in 1993.

State Sen. Catherine Blakespear, who represents south Orange and north San Diego counties, admired Huerta for her courage speaking out “about a painful period, which undoubtedly created personal consequences.” Blakespear honored Huerta’s “commitment to exposing what far too many women have suffered in order to prevent more women from being victimized.”

“Her ability to connect with all people, to uplift voices that are too often marginalized and to take a stand on controversial issues despite known difficulties was her hallmark,” Blakespear stated. “Dolores Huerta will forever be remembered as a force of nature, an impactful labor leader who brought dignity, fairness and a voice to farmworkers. Her passing is an immeasurable loss and her legacy endures in the many leaders inspired by her activism.”

Huerta co-founded the United Farm Workers union, aiming to improve working conditions for migrant workers and those in the fields.

Labor organizations and union leaders honored Huerta’s tireless work — which they said was always for the community.

Huerta’s passing “comes at a painful moment, when immigrant families are facing fear, enforcement, exploitation and uncertainty. We are in deep pain with the passing of Dolores,” Gallegos, of the TODEC Legal Center, noted. “For TODEC, honoring Dolores means continuing the work: protecting immigrant and farmworker families, continue developing the next generation of leaders, and carrying forward the belief that ‘Sí se puede’ is not only a statement of hope, but a responsibility. It is a call of action to all.”

The California Federation of Labor Unions, AFL-CIO, in its statement called Huerta “a trailblazing organizer who continued to inspire and mentor new organizers her entire life.”

“Dolores’ leadership in fighting for a union for California’s farmworkers, UFW, is only part of her historic story. Dolores stayed in the fight for working people for decades. She was everywhere and will be deeply missed,” President Lorena Gonzalez said in the statement. “Huerta showed generations of women they had a place in this labor movement. She was our singular trailblazer and the shoulders on which we continue to stand.”

Long Beach Mayor Rex Richardson also honored Huerta as a “giant of the labor and civil rights movements.” He remembers seeing her at a June 2025 rally demanding the release of a prominent labor union leader.

“Even in her 90s, she was still showing up, speaking out and standing shoulder to shoulder with working people. That was Dolores — she never stopped fighting,” Richardson said. “As a former labor organizer with SEIU and CFA, I know that my own journey in public service was shaped by the movement she helped to build. Her example reminds us that progress doesn’t happen on its own. It takes people willing to organize, stand together and demand change.”

In a statement, SEIU California and SEIU Local 2015 union president Arnulfo De La Cruz called Huerta a “matriarch” to the labor movement. he encouraged mourners to “carry forward, knowing the best way to honor Dolores is to approach every day as she did, where every moment is an organizing opportunity, every person a potential activist, every minute a chance to change the world.”

Hilda Solis, chair of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors and former U.S. Secretary of Labor, said she was “heartbroken” by Huerta’s death and called her a “dear friend” who also inspired her, as a fellow Latina, to pursue her own political career. She recalled stories of traveling to Mexico and Sacramento, joining demonstrations and rallies, fighting for womens’ and workers’ rights.

“I learned so much from Dolores …  I remember seeing the iconic photograph of her holding the ‘Huelga’ sign and drawing strength from her example,” Solis said, referring to the Spanish word for “strike.” “She helped me understand that women like us had a place in public life and a responsibility to speak up for those too often ignored. That lesson stayed with me throughout my career.”

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Southern California leaders and local residents, long inspired by Huerta, say they will continue to carry her legacy forward in their work.

Jose Madera, director of the Pasadena Community Job Center, said Huerta lived “a beautiful life committed to community, to love, to justice… May her legacy echo in every farm, union meeting, day labor corner, classroom and march.”

Action-film star Danny Trejo, who worked with Huerta on community projects, said on Instagram that he recently reconnected with Huerta while doing activism work.

“I had met her before I started to get involved in community work long ago. For over 70 years she dedicated her life to our community, created and supported multiple great organizations, was honored with many awards, and changed many lives,” Trejo said. “Rest in power.”

Film director Patricia Nazario’s 2021 bilingual documentary “Backstreet to the American Dream” — in which Huerta served as an executive producer — explores the stories of Latino entrepreneurs in L.A.

“It’s an aspect of the American dream. And that, I think, is what resonated with Dolores. Her legacy is really about social justice. It’s that people come here and … whatever their backstory is, whoever they love, whatever skin color they have, whatever language they speak … everybody had equal rights, to work with dignity, to be paid a living wage. That’s what she fought for… and I have no doubt that people will continue to discuss her legacy and be inspired by her.”

Mexican multimedia artist Andrea Lopez, from Riverside, credits Huerta’s activism in labor and feminist spaces as a significant influence for her work. Earlier this year, she modified a mural she had painted at the Moreno Valley Public Library that featured world leaders, including Chavez, and replaced his portrait with Huerta.

Lopez said she feels both heartbreak and empowerment after hearing of Huerta’s death.

“She’s always been a grand inspiration for me, of what an extraordinary woman who fights for what she believes in and for the rights of others is,” she said. “I know her legacy will continue to inspire many more generations to come.”

Another mural honors Huerta on the north side of the historic Barclay Hotel building — now set as affordable housing — in downtown Los Angeles, and was unveiled earlier this year. Huerta made her first public appearance since the Chavez allegations surfaced at the mural’s dedication ceremony on May 16, and denounced immigration enforcement “attacks” on the community.

Boyle Heights artist Robert Vargas, who painted the towering Huerta mural titled “Walking Into History,” placed flowers at the site early on Wednesday. He said Huerta was a dear friend whom he had known for years, and they grew especially close while he worked on the mural. When Huerta saw the completed piece, Vargas said she told him it looked like she was standing, waiting for others to join her in a march for the community.

“My inspiration was, of course, the lifelong commitment that Dolores has made to advocating for others and showing up for the community,” Vargas said. “Her humanity — and I wanted to show up for her, like she’s showing up for everyone else.”

Vargas and other community leaders planned to be at a “Día de Los Muertos”-themed vigil planned for Wednesday night, 6 p.m. at the site of his mural at 103 W. 4th St. in Los Angeles.

Vigil organizers planned to include dozens of immigrant and labor rights leaders, elected officials and other civil rights and faith leaders, organizers said. Public ofrendas at the mural would also be set up throughout the week.

Other local efforts to reframe history include renaming a high school in Santa Ana, which was renamed for Huerta earlier this year.

In a statement, Lorraine Perez, superintendent of the Santa Ana Unified School District, said “that choice reflected what so many in Santa Ana see in her story: perseverance, service, courage, and an unwavering belief that ordinary people, organized together, can change the world.”

Perez added that Huerta’s spirit “lives on at the school that now carries her name, where students are encouraged to find their voice, stand up for others, and build a better future for their community.”

Elsewhere, there is a heavy community-led push to rename Cesar Chavez Avenue — stretching through downtown and east Los Angeles — after Huerta.

Cindy Shea, who leads the Grammy-award winning group the Mariachi Divas, shared group photos with Huerta and thanked her “for showing us the power of standing together” on Facebook.

At a Fontana school named for Huerta, students observed a moment of silence Wednesday morning.

Janet Rivera, the assistant principal of Dolores Huerta International Academy in Fontana, said that Huerta herself visited the dual-language magnet school when  it first opened in October 2016, and again when the school unveiled a new mural of her in April 2019, which Huerta also signed. The students at the school often talk about her life’s work, what she has done for Latino and worker communities, and they also celebrate her April 10 birthday.

“Her passing reminds me that a legacy does not end when a life ends,” Rivera said. “A legacy continues through the people who choose to carry it forward.”

Fifth-grader Lucia Zamora has attended the magnet school since kindergarten. He called Huerta an inspiration.

“Dolores Huerta was the one who spoke up for those who couldn’t be proud of their culture and be who they truly are,” Zamora, 10, said. “But even though she has passed, her legacy lives on.”

Staff writers Mona Darwish, Christina Merino, Israel Carreón Jr., Madison Hart, Anissa Rivera, Teresa Liu, Linh Tat, Madeline Armstrong and City News Service contributed to this report.

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