COUNCIL AGENDA : 4/21/2026
FILE : 26-493
ITEM : 2.18
TO: HONORABLE MAYOR AND
CITY COUNCIL
FROM: Toni J. Taber, MMC
City Clerk
SUBJ
ECT: SEE BELOW DATE: April 15, 2026
SUBJECT: Resolution Honoring the Women and Families of the Farmworker Movement and proclaiming March 31 as Farmworkers Day
Recommendation
As recommended by the Rules and Open Government Committee on April 15, 2026, adopt a resolution honoring the women and families of the Farmworker Movement and proclaiming March 31st as Farmworkers Day in the City of San José.
CEQA: Not a Project, File No. PP17-008, General Procedure and Policy Making resulting in no changes to the physical environment. (Foley, Kamei, and Campos) [Rules Committee referral 4/15/2026 - Item C.2]
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ROGC AGENDA: 4/15/2026
ITEM: C.2
TO: RULES AND OPEN
GOVERNMENT
COMMITTEE
FROM: Vice Mayor Foley
Councilmember Kamei
Councilmember Campos
SUBJECT: See Below DATE: April 9, 2026
Approved:
Date: April 9, 2026
SUBJECT: Request t
o Add Resolution Honoring the Women and Families of the Farmworker Movement and proclaiming March 31st as Farmworkers’ Day to the City Council Meeting Agenda of April 21, 2026.
RECOMMENDATION
1. Consider a Draft Resolution of the City Council of the City of San José Honoring the Women and Families of the Farmworker Movement and proclaiming March 31st as Farmworkers’ Day in the City of San José;
2. Add the Draft Resolution to the City Council
Agenda for its regular meeting of
April 21, 2026;
3. Authorize the City Attorney’s Office to make such formatting and non-substantive changes and additions to the said Draft Resolution as it deems appropriate or necessary.
DISCUSSION
The farmwor
ker movement is one of the most significant labor and civil rights movements in San José’s history, rooted in the collective action of workers, families, and communities who organized for dignity, fair wages, and safe working conditions.
Farmworkers have long been essential to the economic and cultural fabric of the state, contributing not only their labor, but also leadership, resilience, and a legacy of advocacy. This movement was, and remains, a people-powered effort driven by the shared sacrifices of workers and sustained by the strength of families and communities.
RULES AND OPEN GOVERNMENT COMMITTEE
April 9, 2026
Subject: Request to Add Resolution Honoring the Women and Families of the Farmworker Movement and proclaiming March 31st as Farmworkers’ Day to the City Council Meeting Agenda of April 21, 2026.
Women and families have always been central to this movement. Women organized boycotts, led negotiations, and mobilized communities during periods of economic instability, strikes, and organizing efforts. Their work, often unseen and undervalued, was critical to the Farmworker Movement’s success, ensuring that workers could continue to fight for their rights while maintaining the wellbeing of their community.
At the same time, women in the movement navigated systemic barriers, including sexism, racism, and entrenched power imbalances, both within broader society and within organizing spaces themselves. Recognizing this history requires not just celebrating contributions but also acknowledging the full and complex experiences of those whose labor and harm has too often gone unrecognized.
The State of California has formally redesignated March 31 as Farmworkers Day, honoring the broader community of workers and families whose contributions made the movement possible
1. In this context, the proposed resolution provides an opportunity for the City of San José to align with this broader, people-centered framing. By uplifting the women and families of the Farmworker Movement, the City acknowledges the foundational role they played in advancing labor rights and social justice, while also recognizing a more complete an inclusive understanding of this history.
For the foregoing reasons, we urge our colleagues to the adopt the recommendation above and submit the attached Resolution for Council consideration at the April 21, 2026, City Council meeting.
The signers of this memorandum have not had, and will not have, any private conversation with any other member of the City Council, or that member’s staff, concerning any action discussed in the memorandum, and that each signer’s staff members have not had, and have been instructed not to have, any such conversation with any other member of the City Council or that member's staff.
1 See https://www.gov.ca.gov/2026/03/31/governor-newsom-proclaims-farmworkers-day/
RULES AND OPEN GOVERNMENT COMMITTEE
April 9, 2026
Subject: Request to Add Resolution Honoring the Women and Families of the Farmworker Movement and proclaiming March 31st as Farmworkers’ Day to the City Council Meeting Agenda of April 21, 2026.
Exhibit A:
Draft Resolution of the City Council of the City of San José Honoring the Women and Families of the Farmworker Movement and proclaiming March 31st as Farmworkers’ Day
RULES AND OPEN GOVERNMENT COMMITTEE
April 9, 2026
Subject: Request to Add Resolution Honoring the Women and Families of the Farmworker Movement and proclaiming March 31st as Farmworkers’ Day to the City Council Meeting Agenda of April 21, 2026.
WHEREAS, March 31 has been recognized in honor of labor organizing, farmworker rights, and those who helped advance dignity and protections for thousands of workers; and
WHEREAS, the farmworker movement was not built by any one individual, but by a collective of organizers, workers, women, and families whose shared sacrifice, leadership, and resilience made lasting change possible; and
WHEREAS, women and families were foundational to this movement, organizing boycotts, leading negotiations, sustaining households during strikes, caring for children and elders, and building the relational power that made victories possible, yet have too often gone unrecognized in dominant narratives; and
WHEREAS, leaders such as Dolores Huerta and countless other women, caregivers, and family members played critical roles in advancing labor rights, community health, and social justice, while also navigating the realities of sexism, patriarchy, racism, and economic hardship within the movement and society at large; and
WHEREAS, it is essential to tell a more complete and truthful history—one that honors both the achievements of the movement and the experiences of those whose labor has been overlooked or whose experiences of exclusion, sexism, racism, and harm have too often gone unacknowledged, and whose dignity and leadership deserve to be fully honored; and
WHEREAS, honoring the women and families of the farmworker movement also requires a commitment to learning from past harms and ensuring that today’s movements reflect the values of equity, safety, and shared leadership; and
WHEREAS, the State of California recently redesignated March 31 as “Farmworkers’ Day,” reflecting a commitment to honoring the collective contributions, sacrifices, and enduring legacy of farmworkers and their families.
WHEREAS, uplifting the women and families of the farmworker movement reflects the shared commitment of the City of San José to equity, gender justice, racial justice, family dignity, and the recognition of those whose labor and leadership have shaped our region;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SAN JOSE THAT:
1. The City Council of the City of San José hereby recognizes March 31 as a day to honor the Women and Families of the Farmworker Movement, celebrating their
RULES AND OPEN GOVERNMENT COMMITTEE
April 9, 2026
Subject: Request to Add Resolution Honoring the Women and Families of the Farmworker Movement and proclaiming March 31st as Farmworkers’ Day to the City Council Meeting Agenda of April 21, 2026.
leadership, resilience, care work, and enduring contributions to labor rights and racial and social justice; and
2. The City calls upon residents, institutions, and community organizations to uplift the stories, leadership, and ongoing work of farmworker women and families, and to continue building movements rooted in equity, accountability, and collective power; and
3. This recognition affirms a commitment to ensuring that future generations understand the full and inclusive history of the farmworker movement, and are inspired to carry forward its unfinished work with integrity and justice; and
4. Effective as of the date of this resolution, the City shall annually observe and proclaim Farmworkers’ Day on March 31st.
PASSED AND ADOPTED by the City Council of the City of San José, State of California, this 21
st day of April