Gov. Gavin Newsom renames new state building after labor advocate Dolores Huerta

Corey Schmidt, The Sacramento Bee on Oct 30, 2026

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SACRAMENTO, Calif. — State workers at the California Labor and Workforce Development Agency moved to a new building this January. Gov. Gavin Newsom on Friday announced he’s renaming the building after labor advocate Dolores Huerta, who died earlier this week.

“Dolores Huerta’s legacy is inseparable from the story of California’s labor movement,” Newsom said in a statement. “She stood shoulder to shoulder with farmworkers, helped build powerful unions, and fought to make sure working people had a voice, a seat at the table, and the dignity they deserved.”

Huerta, who is a member of the California Hall of Fame, died Wednesday at her home in Bakersfield, according to previous Sacramento Bee reporting. She was 96 years old.

California Secretary of Labor Stewart Knox also weighed in on the renaming. He said, “We owe her an immeasurable debt of gratitude for her tireless advocacy on behalf of farmworkers and working families across the nation.”

Huerta, for more than half a century, advocated across a wide array of subjects but is best known by many for her efforts as a labor leader. She was appointed vice president of UFW in 1995 when the Agricultural Workers Organizing Committee and National Farm Workers Association merged.

Beyond labor, according to previous Bee reporting, Huerta advocated for LGBTQ+ rights and women. She also condemned President Donald Trump’s immigration policies.

Newsom said naming the building after her will serve as a reminder to “carry forward the progress she helped win for workers across this state.”

“Every person who walks through those doors should be reminded of the standard she set: stand up for workers, expand opportunity, and keep pushing until people get the respect they deserve,” Newsom said.

The decision to rename the building after Huerta comes as tensions are high between the Newsom administration and state workers. SEIU Local 1000 hosted California’s largest state worker strike last week and raises for state-employed scientists were initially withheld from the Department of Finance’s budget. Those raises were later funded by the state legislature.

About 2,500 people work at the building. It is 17 stories tall and 657,000 square feet.