Civil rights icon Dolores Huerta dies at 96
Dolores Huerta, co-founder of the United Farmworkers Union and an influential figure in politics on the Central Coast, has died at her Bakersfield home.
She was 96 and the cause was cancer, a spokesperson said.
Huerta and her late husband, labor leader Cesar Chavez, co-founded the UFW and led a landmark effort to secure better pay for farmworkers. That relationship was clouded by Huerta’s revelations in recent years about sexual abuse while they were married.
On the Central Coast, Huerta was a familiar figure in labor circles; she visited Ventura and San Luis Obispo counties regularly. She played a role in advancing the Affordable Care Act, in mentoring women in politics, as well as advocating for farmworkers.
She had strong connections to the Central Coast and especially Oxnard, where Dolores Huerta Gardens, an affordable housing project by Cabrillo Economic Development Corp., is named for her.
A year ago, at age 95, she traveled to the project for a dedication ceremony.
Members from the Central Coast community have shared statements on her passing, including politicians.
“Dolores inspired the fight for many farmworkers to achieve the American Dream and give their children a better life,” said U.S. Rep. Jimmy Panetta (D-Monterey) in a statement. “Her legacy is felt well beyond our local agricultural communities on the central coast of California and throughout our country.”
