Who Gets Cesar Chavez Day Off?

Although Cesar Chavez Day falls tomorrow, on Saturday March 31, government offices, courts, and the state legislature are closed on Friday in honor of the famed labor leader.

The Sacramento Bee reports that the State Legislature is not in session on Friday and has begun its spring recess early with the Cesar Chavez day holiday.

In L.A. County the City of Los Angeles is totally closed down, and the court system is closed for the day.  However, Los Angeles County offices are encouraging employees to volunteer in a variety of activities. Public services will continue as scheduled.

Altadena parents can take solace in the fact that PUSD schools are in session today.

Banks, bus and trash collection services will all operate on their regular schedules.

Chavez's birthday, March 31, is celebrated as a state holiday in California and several other states. Chavez was a labor organizer and civil rights activist who sought better working conditions for migrant farm workers through nonviolent means.

He was a co-founder of the union that later became the United Farm Workers and his slogan, "Sí, se puede" (Spanish for "Yes, it can be done") remains a rallying cry for Hispanic civil rights movements.

Chavez died in 1993 and former President Bill Clinton posthumously awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian award.

Many parks, schools, cultural centers and streets have been named in Chavez's honor in cities across the country.