LOS ANGELES, CA – Hundreds of people gathered at a candlelight vigil in downtown Los Angeles on Wednesday night to honor Dolores Huerta, the labor leader and civil rights icon who co-founded the United Farm Workers and died at age 96, according to her family.
Huerta died Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2026, her family announced. A family spokesman said the cause was cancer, and according to initial reports she died at her home in Bakersfield, surrounded by loved ones.
The vigil took place beneath a mural of Huerta painted by Robert Vargas. Mayor Karen Bass, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna, state Sen. Maria Elena Durazo and Los Angeles County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath spoke to the crowd.
Angelica Salas, executive director of CHIRLA, also took part in the gathering, along with educator Chris Zepeda-Millan.
Officials speak at the downtown vigil
Bass recalled asking Huerta whether she could rest after all she had given. Huerta answered that there was so much work to do that she absolutely could not stop, Bass told the crowd.
Durazo said the country was mourning the loss of an American hero. She also called Huerta an icon, a mentor, a friend, a leader and a guide.
Luna described Huerta as small in stature but a giant in fighting for other people’s rights. He said young people need to see her strength, fight and resilience.
Horvath said she was heartbroken by Huerta’s loss. She urged those gathered to go out and be of service and to fight for justice.
Newsom orders flags lowered statewide
Gov. Gavin Newsom and First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom issued a joint statement on Oct. 28 mourning Huerta. The governor also ordered state flags flown at half-staff, according to the governor’s statement.
The statement says Newsom and Huerta were friends. It highlights the Delano grape boycott and her declaration “Sí, se puede.” It also says California and the United States would not be what they are without her resolute spirit, her passion for justice and fairness, and her commitment to those overlooked and forgotten.
“Dolores represented the best of us,” the statement says.
City Hall lit red and white
Bass directed city crews to light City Hall red and white from Oct. 28 to Oct. 29, according to an announcement from the mayor’s office. The lighting recognizes the National Farm Workers Association, which Huerta co-founded.
The announcement, issued with Councilmember Rodriguez, also covers the vigil for Huerta and the lowering of flags to half-staff.
Bass cites farmworker organizing gains
In a separate statement, Bass called Huerta a remarkable woman and a fearless leader who fought for civil rights and advanced the labor movement for decades. She said she admired Huerta from a young age and counted her as a friend. Bass said Huerta inspired her through tough times and taught her never to give up.
The mayor noted that farmworker organizing helped secure the first state laws giving farm workers overtime pay after eight hours a day. She said it also helped win the first comprehensive standards to prevent heat deaths in California.
Bass added that Huerta championed women’s rights, reproductive freedom and gender equality, and organized communities in Los Angeles and across the country.
County supervisors issue tributes
Supervisor Janice Hahn said in a statement that Huerta had the courage as a young woman to lead the movement for farmworkers’ rights. She said Huerta later had the courage to tell the truth about abuse she suffered in that movement.
Hahn said that when she was growing up, most major civil rights leaders were men, and that Huerta showed generations of women what leadership could look like. “Her legacy will live on in the lives she changed and the movement she helped to build,” Hahn said.
Supervisor Hilda Solis said her heart was broken by the passing of her dear friend. She said it is difficult to imagine her life in public service without Huerta.
Supervisor Kathryn Barger said Huerta dedicated her life to advancing labor rights and ensuring that working families were treated with dignity and fairness. Barger said her legacy of courage and service will inspire generations.
Huerta honored by Los Angeles County in 2024
Huerta had been recognized by Los Angeles County in recent years. On Jan. 16, 2024, the county’s Human Relations Commission presented her with the Yvonne B. Burke Courage Award at the 2023 John Anson Ford Human Relations Awards in downtown Los Angeles, according to the county’s announcement.
The county described the then 93-year-old Huerta as the co-founder of the United Farm Workers union with Cesar Chavez and the founder of The Dolores Huerta Foundation.
California farm labor law reached back to 1975
The farm labor movement Huerta helped lead is tied to California law. The state enacted the Agricultural Labor Relations Act in 1975, becoming “the first state to extend collective bargaining rights to agricultural workers,” according to the Agricultural Labor Relations Board.
The act created the board to oversee enforcement, adjudicate labor disputes and conduct union elections.
County flags remain at half-staff until services
Solis ordered county flags flown at half-staff until Huerta’s services. Her family had not announced the arrangements in the information available Friday.
