Chavez-Columbus Debate No Holiday for Council

Faced with the sometimes choppy waters of ethnic politics, the Los Angeles City Council on Wednesday could have used the navigating prowess of Christopher Columbus and the negotiating skills of Cesar Chavez.

The touchy issue at hand: whether to allow 2,000 city employees to take Cesar Chavez Day as a paid city holiday instead of Columbus Day.

The proposal drew a storm of protest from the Italian American community, including a letter of opposition signed by former Dodger Manager Tommy Lasorda, actor Joe Mantegna and Democratic strategist Joe Cerrell, among others.

Italian Americans do not oppose declaring Cesar Chavez’s birthday a city holiday, said Cerrell, also president of the National Italian American Foundation. But they vigorously oppose taking city holiday status away from Columbus Day, an action “which we interpret to be racist, anti-Italian American,” said Cerrell, one of about a dozen Italian Americans to address the council.

“As one who met Cesar Chavez ... I think he would be appalled at what they are trying to do today,” Cerrell said.

The freewheeling debate included a shouting match between Councilmen Hal Bernson and Nate Holden. In the back of the council chambers, a bust of the late John Ferraro, former council president and proud Italian American, seemed to be averting its eyes.

The council decided to give the employees Cesar Chavez Day off instead of Columbus Day for this year but--offering an olive branch--also agreed to see if the unions representing city workers would accept changes in future years that would not offend either community.

One option would be to give both days as paid holidays, but an additional day off would cost the city about $5 million.

City employees already have at least 12 holidays a year, depending on the union they belong to.

Since some unions have yet to finalize their new contracts, only about half the city employees will get Monday off to commemorate Chavez’s birthday, which is actually March 31, while the other half will take off Oct. 14 as Columbus Day.

Chavez, founder of the United Farm Workers union, died in 1993. The state made his birthday a holiday in 2000.

Columbus Day has long been a national holiday to honor the Italian explorer who discovered America.

“If a person with such a tremendous accomplishment is no longer to be honored, then who should be?” they asked in a letter to the council.

The vote was 8 to 4, with council members Nate Holden, Nick Pacheco, Jan Perry and Ed Reyes in opposition.

Reyes said the city should honor both Columbus and Chavez. “We should not be devaluing either the memory of Cesar Chavez or Columbus,” he said.

Former City Councilman Mike Hernandez said that when he and others first proposed commemorating Cesar Chavez’s birthday, it was not their intent to pit one ethnic group against another.

During negotiations, the unions refused to swap a floating holiday for Cesar Chavez Day, insisting that another holiday be swapped, City Administrative Officer William Fujioka said.

The three-year contracts with six unions, including management and inspection employees, were negotiated in good faith, and, as a result, employees involved were expecting to have Monday off, Fujioka said.

The City Council could have faced unfair bargaining complaints from the unions if the holiday switch had not been approved, at least for this year, council members said.

Councilwoman Janice Hahn said that if the city budget improves next year, it might help solve the problem.

“This year we are in a bit of a bind,” Hahn said. “We should go forward with what we negotiated in good faith.”

“I’m disappointed,” said Russ Rametta, president of the California Commission for Social Justice, Order Sons of Italy in America.

Cerrell, whose firm does lobbying at City Hall as well as political strategy, said the council offer to revisit the matter for future years was better than nothing.

“I can live with one year,” Cerrell said afterward. “Italians are lovers, not fighters.”