California Labor Agency Building to Honor Dolores Huerta

California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced on October 30 that the state’s Labor and Workforce Development Agency headquarters in downtown Sacramento will be named for Dolores Huerta, the labor leader and civil rights activist who died earlier this week. The building opened in January after a full renovation.

Newsom said the tribute recognizes Huerta’s work alongside farmworkers, her role in building unions and her efforts to secure a stronger voice and better treatment for workers. He described the naming as a way to honor her legacy and continue the gains she helped achieve.

California Labor Secretary Stewart Knox also praised Huerta’s advocacy for farmworkers and working families. In the 1960s, Huerta joined Cesar Chavez in establishing the group that eventually became the United Farm Workers.

Huerta received the Presidential Medal of Freedom and earned places in California’s Hall of Fame and the National Women’s Hall of Fame as its inaugural Latina inductee. Universities across the United States awarded her nine honorary doctoral degrees.

The 17-story, 650,000-square-foot building accommodates about 2,500 employees from the labor agency, the Employment Development Department, the state office responsible for industrial relations and California’s workforce development board.