Metropolitan News-Enterprise

 

Wednesday, October 10, 2001

 

Page 3

 

Davis Signs Bill Making Observance Of Cesar Chavez Day a Court Holiday

 

By KIMBERLY EDDS, Staff Writer

 

State courts will be open one less day next year under a bill signed Friday by Gov. Gray Davis marking Cesar Chavez Day.

Davis signed Senate Bill 1112, authored by Sen. Richard Polanco (D-Los Angeles), allowing court employees to celebrate March 31, Chavez’s birthday, as a paid holiday.

The bill was approved 23-6 in the Senate and 73-1 in the Assembly.

A former California migrant farm worker, Chavez formed the United Farm Workers in an attempt to win respect for migrant workers across the country. A noted pacifist, Chavez fasted many times to get his point across, including his 36-day Fast for Life in 1988.

The holiday was approved by Davis as a paid day off for employees of the state’s executive and legislative branches last year. State employees observed the holiday for the first time this year.

Judicial Council sponsored the bill to observe the holiday in the courts.

In a Sept. 14 letter to Davis, Ray LeBov, Judicial Council’s Director of Office of Governmental Affairs, wrote approval of the bill “will enable the judiciary to join the other two branches of government in honoring the life and work of Cesar Chavez.”

LeBov said no additional costs would be incurred by the additional day off for the courts. It costs approximately $5.9 million a day to run the state’s courts.

“Since the courts will be closed no one will be paid beyond what they normally would have been making,” LeBov said.

The holiday will have an effect on some court filing deadlines.

Deadlines will be extended by one day if the original deadline falls on Cesar Chavez Day.

The state courts currently observe 12 paid holidays.

 

Copyright 2001, Metropolitan News Company