Today is Cesar Chavez Day-celebrated by the state of California offices and SFUSD.

San Francisco’s largest employer does not honor Cesar Chavez Day. Who is the City’s largest employer? The City and County itself.

Supervisor Geraldo Sandoval and then-Supervisor Matt Gonzalez announced six years ago that they were going to lead an effort to declare Cesar Chavez Day as a city holiday. But after a few hearings, the two supervisors lost interest and went on to other things.

But even those who don’t get the day off can honor the great labor organizer, Cesar Chavez. Here are some suggestions:

-Thank the MUNI driver who has had to deal with city traffic, angry commuters and other obstacles to deliver you safely to your destination.
-Leave a thank you note to your office’s custodian on what a great job she/he is doing each day to keep your office clean.
-Bring a box of homemade cookies to your school’s traffic monitor after spring break.
-Ask for a recommendation of a book from the hundreds of library aides who are working part-time and not getting enough hours to easily survive. They are there because they love books.
-Give an extra tip to your waiter, waitress or counterhelp.
-Bring in a box of donuts to all of your co-workers-thanking them for their dedication to the job.
-Come out and walk in the Cesar Chavez Parade to show your support for all of our workers.
-Testify to help raise the wages of various hardworking unions at SFUSD, City College and the City.
-Be sure that your union dues are paid and up-to-date.

We don’t have to rely on the empty promises of politicians to make Cesar Chavez’s dream come true. We can show how powerful we are by making it a reality in our world and through our own actions.

Si se puede.