Council Designates Cesar Chavez Day and Juneteenth as Official City Holidays
March 16, 2022 8:51 AM
At last night’s meeting, City Council designated Cesar Chavez Day and Juneteenth as official City of Santa Monica holidays as part of continued efforts to address systemic barriers to racism and better include, celebrate, and uplift communities of color. Effective in 2022, City facilities and programs will be closed in recognition of Cesar Chavez Day on the last Monday in March (Monday, March 28 this year), and to mark Juneteenth on June 19 each year (observed Monday, June 20 this year).
“As a city, we want our holiday observances to reflect our values and celebrate important trailblazers and moments in our collective history,” said Mayor Sue Himmelrich. “So Santa Monica is proud to adopt and observe Cesar Chavez Day and Juneteenth as official City holidays and to shine a brighter light on their significance to our nation’s history.”
Cesar Chavez Day is observed as a commemoration to the legacy of Cesar Chavez as a community organizer who improved the lives and working conditions of millions of Latino/a farm workers nationwide. He dedicated his life to advocating for labor rights, political representation for ethnic minorities, environmental justice, voter registration rights, and improving literacy amongst farm workers. The City of Santa Monica aligns itself with the City of Los Angeles in observing Cesar Chavez Day on the last Monday in March, which is Monday, March 28 for 2022.
Juneteenth recognizes June 19, 1865 when Union Major General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas to announce that the Civil War had ended, and all slaves were free. Though declared free two years earlier by President Lincoln through the Emancipation Proclamation, many had not yet been freed. Santa Monica will celebrate Juneteenth on June 19, but because that date falls on a Sunday in 2022, it will be observed on Monday, June 20 this year.
On these days, consistent with other City holidays, City facilities will be closed, and City programs will be canceled. Street sweeping and trash and recycling pickup along with Community Services programs will be suspended. The Swim Center, Memorial Park Gym and Fitness Room, Skate Park, Reed Park Tennis Office, and Beach House will operate on a reduced service schedule like other holidays.
For questions, call 311 or email 311@santamonica.gov.
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