The Real Hero: Dolores Huerta, Farmworker Movement Co-Founder, Dies at 96
Her death arrives as Austin weighs whether to rename Cesar Chavez Street, the man she co-founded the United Farm Workers with and later accused of sexual abuse.
Dolores Huerta, the labor organizer and civil rights leader who helped build the nation’s first recognized farmworkers’ union and gave the movement its best-known rallying cry, died Wednesday at her home in Bakersfield, California. She was 96.
Her family announced the news in a statement released through the Dolores Huerta Foundation. Family spokesperson Erik Olvera told the Associated Press she died of cancer and was surrounded by loved ones.
A life spent organizing
Huerta was born Dolores Fernández on April 10, 1930, in the mining town of Dawson, New Mexico, and was raised in Stockton, California, by her mother and grandfather. She trained as a teacher but left the classroom after a year, in part because of the poverty she saw among her students’ families, many of them farmworkers.
She went on to co-found what became the United Farm Workers (UFW) alongside Cesar Chavez, the first nationally recognized union for farmworkers. During the five-year Delano grape boycott, Huerta has said, she and her family faced violence. She became one of the movement’s most effective negotiators and lobbyists, and the phrase most associated with her, “Sí, se puede,” became a rallying cry well beyond the fields, from labor halls to presidential campaigns.
Her work reached far past agriculture.
Over seven decades she pushed for gender equity, immigrant rights and voting rights. In 2002 she used a $100,000 prize to launch the Dolores Huerta Foundation, which now runs community organizing chapters across California. Her honors included the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and California designated her birthday, April 10, as Dolores Huerta Day.
She was also a mother of 14, with 24 grandchildren, 23 great-grandchildren and seven great-great-grandchildren, according to a family spokesperson who spoke with TIME. The spokesperson said Huerta was deeply private about her family life.
Even in her mid-90s she kept appearing in public. She spoke at a rally at the Texas Capitol in Austin in 2025, leading the crowd in her signature chant.
Tributes pour in
Former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton called her a stalwart champion of working Americans, saying her fight for gender equity, workers’ rights and civil rights paved the way for generations.
Other tributes have come from labor leaders and elected officials across the country.
The 2026 reckoning
Huerta’s final year was marked by a painful disclosure.
In March 2026, after a New York Times investigation reported allegations of sexual abuse against Chavez by multiple women, Huerta released a statement saying Chavez had coerced and forced her into sex on two occasions, each resulting in a pregnancy. She said she had stayed silent for decades out of fear that speaking out would damage the farmworker movement, and that she came forward after learning of the other women’s accounts.
In a later interview with Latino USA, she described the silence as her personal pain and her cross to bear.
The UFW canceled its tributes to Chavez in response.
Chavez died in 1993 and cannot respond to the allegations, and some commentators have questioned how they can be tested. But the account of Huerta, a figure with an unmatched reputation in the movement, has shifted how many people think about who built it and who has been celebrated for it.
What it means for Austin
The timing is notable for Austin.
The city is still deciding whether to rename Cesar Chavez Street, the downtown and East Austin thoroughfare that was called 1st Street (and, before that, Water Avenue) until the City Council renamed it in September 1993.
After the allegations surfaced, several council members, including Vanessa Fuentes, José Velásquez, José “Chito” Vela and Zohaib “Zo” Qadri, asked City Manager T.C. Broadnax to develop a community outreach plan and cost estimate. Staff presented that plan at the May 26 council work session. The city then held three community meetings and an online survey. According to city reporting, the renaming could cost as much as $1.2 million, much of it for highway signage, and could take 18 months or longer. A street name change requires majority support from property owners along the street, an emergency services review and a council vote. The Downtown Commission has also weighed in with a recommendation supporting a change, and one East Austin group has urged restoring the name First Street.
Staff were expected to bring a recommendation to the council this fall, so a decision point may be near.
One wrinkle: council members noted during the May discussion that the Dolores Huerta Foundation would prefer that farmworkers collectively be honored, rather than the street being renamed for Huerta herself. How that preference might shape the choice of a new name remains to be seen.
Her legacy
Huerta leaves behind a union that changed American agriculture, a foundation training a new generation of organizers, and a chant that outlived the era that produced it.
Huerta also leaves a harder lesson about how movements remember their founders. Many of those paying tribute this week are doing so with both things in mind: the extraordinary work, and the cost she bore to tell the truth about it.
Funeral and memorial arrangements had not been widely reported at the time of publication. Readers should check the Dolores Huerta Foundation for updates.
Sources:
- TIME, “Activist Dolores Huerta Dies at 96. Here’s What To Know About Her Trailblazing Life,” Oct. 28, 2026. https://time.com/article/2026/10/28/dolores-huerta-dies/
- CBS News/Associated Press, “Dolores Huerta, labor activist and civil rights icon, dies at age 96,” Oct. 28, 2026. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/dolores-huerta-dies-age-96-labor-activist-civil-rights-leader/
- Associated Press via News4Jax, “Dolores Huerta, influential labor leader, feminist and civil rights icon, dies at 96,” Oct. 28, 2026. https://www.news4jax.com/news/national/2026/10/28/dolores-huerta-influential-labor-leader-feminist-and-civil-rights-icon-dies-at-96/
- NBC News, “Dolores Huerta, farmworker and civil rights activist, dies at 96,” Oct. 28, 2026. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/obituaries/dolores-huerta-farmworker-civil-rights-activist-dies-96-rcna137901
- NBC Los Angeles, “Pioneering California civil rights leader Dolores Huerta dies at 96,” Oct. 28, 2026. https://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/california-civil-rights-leader-dolores-huerta-dies-at-96/3962301/
- Wikipedia, “Dolores Huerta” (biographical background). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dolores_Huerta
- Wikipedia, “Cesar Chavez sexual abuse allegations.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cesar_Chavez_sexual_abuse_allegations
- Axios, “Dolores Huerta accuses César Chávez of sexual abuse amid wider claims,” March 18, 2026. https://www.axios.com/2026/03/18/cesar-chavez-sexual-abuse-allegations-dolores-huerta
- Good Morning America, “Meet the fearless labor activist who coined the positive protest slogan ‘Si Se Puede’.” https://goodmorningamerica.com/culture/story/meet-fearless-labor-activist-coined-positive-protest-slogan-69129766
- KXAN, “‘Si se puede’ creator Dolores Huerta continues 70-year fight for civil rights.” https://www.kxan.com/news/local/si-se-puede-creator-dolores-huerta-continues-70-year-fight-for-civil-rights/amp
- KXAN, “Renaming Cesar Chavez Street could cost city up to $1.2 million and take 18 months or longer.” https://www.kxan.com/news/local/austin/renaming-cesar-chavez-street-could-cost-city-up-to-1-2-million-and-take-18-months-or-longer/amp/
- KXAN, “Effort to rename Cesar Chavez Street underway after allegations of abuse.” https://www.kxan.com/news/local/austin/effort-to-rename-cesar-chavez-street-underway-after-allegations-of-abuse/
- Spectrum News, “City memo outlines plan to rename Cesar Chavez Street,” April 6, 2026. https://spectrumlocalnews.com/tx/austin/news/2026/04/06/city-memo-outlines-plan-to-rename-cesar-chavez-street
- FOX 7 Austin, “City of Austin starts community engagement process on renaming Cesar Chavez Street.” https://fox7austin.com/news/renaming-cesar-chavez-street-austin-tx
- CBS Austin, “Austin asks for public input on possible César Chávez Street name change.” https://cbsaustin.com/news/local/story/austin-asks-for-public-input-on-possible-cesar-chavez-street-name-change
- City of Austin, “City invites community feedback on potential César Chávez Street name change.” https://www.austintexas.gov/communications/news/city-invites-community-feedback-potential-cesar-chavez-street-name-change
- City of Austin Downtown Commission, Recommendation 20260415-006, “Renaming Cesar Chavez Street.” https://services.austintexas.gov/edims/document.cfm?id=471585
Travis County Early Voting, Day 10: More Than 360,000 Ballots Cast With Two Days to Go
Unofficial figures from the Travis County Clerk’s Elections Division, through Wednesday, October 28
With two days of early voting left before the Nov. 3 Joint General and Special Elections, Travis County voters have already cast 360,302 ballots. That is 37.98% of the county’s 948,575 registered voters.
The numbers below come from the Elections Division’s unofficial daily totals report. Thursday, Oct. 29, and Friday, Oct. 30, show zeros in the report only because those days haven’t been tallied yet, so the turnout figure will keep climbing.
The Big Picture: 10 Days, 360,302 Ballots
Every form of early voting is counted in the total:
| Ballot type | Total |
|---|---|
| In person at early voting locations | 343,145 |
| Mail ballots received | 15,427 |
| Limited ballots | 1,730 |
| All forms combined | 360,302 |
In-person voting accounts for the vast majority of the total, roughly 95% of all ballots cast so far.
How the Days Stacked Up
Opening day set the high-water mark, and turnout has not come close to matching it since. Here is the daily total, all ballot types included:
| Day | Date | Total ballots |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mon, Oct. 19 | 49,987 |
| 2 | Tue, Oct. 20 | 40,968 |
| 3 | Wed, Oct. 21 | 40,734 |
| 4 | Thu, Oct. 22 | 38,972 |
| 5 | Fri, Oct. 23 | 41,378 |
| 6 | Sat, Oct. 24 | 25,450 |
| 7 | Sun, Oct. 25 | 18,733 |
| 8 | Mon, Oct. 26 | 34,298 |
| 9 | Tue, Oct. 27 | 34,484 |
| 10 | Wed, Oct. 28 | 35,298 |
Opening day got a boost from a large batch of mail ballots (9,170 received that day). The weekend was the slowest stretch, with Sunday the quietest day of the period at 18,733 ballots. Since the second week began, turnout has been steady and edging upward: each weekday has been a little busier than the one before it.
Wednesday, Oct. 28: A Third Straight Uptick
Day 10 brought in 35,298 ballots, or 3.72% of registered voters:
- 34,057 in person
- 789 by mail
- 452 limited ballots
Limited ballots have grown each day of the second week, from 222 on Monday to 323 on Tuesday to 452 on Wednesday.
Keep in mind that a lower count doesn’t necessarily mean a site is less important. Locations differ in size, hours and the number of voters living nearby.
What’s Next
Thursday and Friday are the last two chances to vote early. Based on the pace of the past three days, each day could add roughly 35,000 ballots to the count, though last-day rushes can change the pattern. If that holds, the county would finish early voting with well over 400,000 ballots cast. Check back after the final totals are posted.
All numbers are unofficial and subject to change. Source: Travis County Clerk, Elections Division, “Unofficial Early Voting In Person and By Mail Totals” for the Nov. 3, 2026 Joint General and Special Elections.
WILLIAMSON COUNTY
Williamson County has surpassed 40% voter turnout after 10 days of early voting ahead of the November 3, 2026 Joint General and Special Election, according to official county election records.
Through October 28, a total of 192,150 out of the county’s 471,602 registered voters have cast their ballots, representing a 40.74% cumulative turnout. The vast majority of votes have been cast in person (183,650), alongside 7,241 mail-in ballots, 673 limited ballots, and 586 provisional ballots.
On Wednesday, October 28 alone, 15,880 voters turned out (3.37% of registered voters), led by 15,275 in-person ballots.
The Wilco Jester Annex remains the busiest polling location in the county by a wide margin, logging 1,609 voters on October 28 and 18,741 total early voters across the 10-day period. Other high-traffic sites include the Brushy Creek Community Center (12,728 cumulative) and the Cedar Park Recreation Center (12,526 cumulative).
Conversely, Florence City Hall recorded the lowest activity, with just 67 voters on October 28 and 1,123 overall. East View High School (1,711 cumulative) and the Wilco Round Rock Annex (1,983 cumulative) also saw lighter turnout relative to other county sites.
Wondering what to do and eat in Austin in November? We’ve got you covered.
STATEWIDE
(Through Day 9 with Day 10 results still pending.)
This dataset tracks cumulative daily early voting figures across all 254 Texas counties for the 2026 Texas General Election, published by TexPolls.
Key Data Summary
- Timeframe Covered: October 19, 2026 – October 27, 2026 (Early Voting Days 1 through 9).
- Scope: All 254 Texas counties (19,041,684 total registered voters state-wide).
Cumulative Voting Totals (As of Day 9 / Oct 27, 2026)
- Total Ballots Cast: 5,664,689
- In-Person Votes: 5,437,603 (96.0%)
- Mail-In Ballots: 227,086 (4.0%)
- Overall State Turnout: 29.75% of registered voters.
- Comparison to 2022: Average county-level turnout percentage is up +5.07 percentage points compared to the same point in the 2022 election cycle.
Daily Accumulation Breakdown
| Early Voting Day | Date | In-Person | Mail-In | Cumulative Total | Statewide Turnout % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Oct 19, 2026 | 785,029 | 125,537 | 910,566 | 4.78% |
| Day 2 | Oct 20, 2026 | 1,530,498 | 138,875 | 1,669,373 | 8.77% |
| Day 3 | Oct 21, 2026 | 2,213,917 | 156,268 | 2,370,185 | 12.45% |
| Day 4 | Oct 22, 2026 | 2,847,604 | 170,891 | 3,018,495 | 15.85% |
| Day 5 | Oct 23, 2026 | 3,536,729 | 188,458 | 3,725,187 | 19.56% |
| Day 6 | Oct 24, 2026 | 4,054,791 | 199,285 | 4,254,076 | 22.34% |
| Day 7 | Oct 25, 2026 | 4,323,205 | 202,233 | 4,525,438 | 23.77% |
| Day 8 | Oct 26, 2026 | 4,906,197 | 217,711 | 5,123,908 | 26.91% |
| Day 9 | Oct 27, 2026 | 5,437,603 | 227,086 | 5,664,689 | 29.75% |
Top 10 Counties by Total Votes Cast (as of Oct 27, 2026)
| County | Total Votes | In-Person | Mail-In | Registered Voters | Turnout % | Change vs 2022 (pts) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harris | 760,551 | 724,589 | 35,962 | 2,746,177 | 27.7% | +8.2 |
| Dallas | 459,285 | 444,739 | 14,546 | 1,493,955 | 30.7% | +11.4 |
| Tarrant | 432,993 | 416,228 | 16,765 | 1,228,367 | 35.2% | +12.9 |
| Bexar | 389,484 | 368,775 | 20,709 | 1,325,780 | 29.4% | +7.5 |
| Travis | 322,959 | 309,227 | 13,732 | 945,505 | 34.2% | +10.1 |
| Collin | 278,023 | 271,604 | 6,419 | 788,729 | 35.2% | +8.9 |
| Denton | 243,569 | 237,396 | 6,173 | 688,032 | 35.4% | +9.2 |
| Fort Bend | 201,934 | 197,030 | 4,904 | 581,636 | 34.7% | +10.1 |
| Williamson | 175,449 | 168,636 | 6,813 | 472,191 | 37.2% | +10.0 |
| Montgomery | 136,672 | 129,020 | 7,652 | 487,323 | 28.0% | +4.0 |
Candidates were required to submit campaign finance forms eight days ahead of the elections. Here’s how much they’ve earned and spent this year. (Austin Current)
A fatal hit-and-run incident occurred at a fast food drive-through in North Austin overnight. Police are searching for a white pickup truck that fled the scene.
A man in a zombie costume stabbed two people at Buzz Mill Coffee in southeast Austin on Wednesday night, according to local police.
The incident occurred around 8:54 p.m. at the 1505 Town Creek Drive location after the suspect created a disturbance inside the shop.
A neighbor may have thwarted an attempt to abduct a child Monday afternoon, according to Taylor Police. (Taylor Press)
Vehicle burglaries have fallen across Austin, but incidents near parks made up a larger share of reported break-ins in 2025. More than one in five vehicle burglaries reported in Austin last year occurred within 300 feet of a city park. (Austin American-Statesman)
Austin police are investigating an assault that occurred near the Lady Bird Lake hike and bike trail on the morning of Friday, October 23.
A jury has been selected for the capital murder trial of Shane James Jr., the man accused of killing six people in a shooting spree in Austin and San Antonio in 2023. The trial is expected to begin in Travis County today.
Following ongoing public concern and the recent cancellation of a contract with the Flock surveillance camera system, the City of Pflugerville is taking major steps to tighten oversight of artificial intelligence, surveillance tools, and municipal data sharing. (KXAN-TV)
It’s called “SAFE,” which stands for the Secure, Accountable, Fair and Explainable (SAFE) Technology policy. According to a press release from the city, it “sets standards for reviewing and approving technology that could affect residents’ rights or access to City services. It also limits how City data can be used and shared.”
Two people are known dead after a crash closed all westbound lanes of State Highway 71 early this morning near the Travis County-Bastrop County line, according to the Texas Department of Transportation. By 6:45 a.m., one lane had been reopened.
A new bridge that has been discussed since the 1970’ will finally be built in Burnet County. The Wirtz Dam bridge won’t be done until the early 2030s, but it will eventually improve access to life-saving medical care for people living in the Horseshoe Bay and Marble Falls area.
WEATHER
WEDNESDAY’S HIGH / LOW TEMPERATURES
AUSTIN-BERGSTROM INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
CAMP MABRY
5-DAY FORECAST / AUSTIN, TEXAS
A Travis County judge ruled late Tuesday that those behind recent mailers supporting transgender youth must give sworn depositions this week to reveal their identities. (Texas Tribune)
Gov. Greg Abbott’s Democratic challenger will have to wait to see unredacted communications between his office and Elon Musk’s companies after a Texas appeals court put a lower court’s order on hold.
The state’s 15th Court of Appeals on Tuesday issued a stay on an earlier ruling granting state Rep. Gina Hinojosa, who’s running in a tight race against Abbott, access to the documents. (KUT 90.5)
Gov. Abbott Wednesday announced that the Internal Revenue Service granted his request for federal disaster tax relief for individuals and businesses in 62 Texas counties impacted by July’s severe storms and flooding.
KXAN-TV filed 500+ records requests to track how local officers exercise federal immigration powers, but many agencies never responded, didn’t release information or directed them to ICE.
From The Texas Standard.
The number of E Coli cases possibly linked to the State Fair of Texas is now growing.
SPORTS
NBA: It was a clean sweep for the Lone Star State on Wednesday night as the San Antonio Spurs, Dallas Mavericks, and Houston Rockets all secured victories in a rare, all-Texas dominant showing on the hardwood. With each team finding its rhythm, Texas basketball staked a resounding claim over the Western Conference lineup for the evening.
Fred VanVleet scored 24 points and Amen Thompson added 23 as the Houston Rockets remained undefeated with a 132-100 rout of the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday night. (Associated Press via MSN)
Cooper Flagg had 26 points and eight assists and P.J. Washington scored 18 points as the Dallas Mavericks beat the injury-depleted Oklahoma City Thunder 120-96 on Wednesday night.
The Mavericks (3-2) led by 12 in the first half and by 27 in the fourth quarter to move over .500 for the first time since Flagg joined the team last fall. (Associated Press)
Victor Wembanyama had 36 points and 14 rebounds, and the San Antonia Spurs beat the short-handed Utah Jazz 117-111 in overtime on Wednesday night. (Associated Press via MSN)
Texas hoops fans are in for a busy Halloween weekend.
On Friday, the Houston Rockets head to Dallas to face the Mavericks at 7:00 PM CT in NBA Cup group play, before both teams return to regular action on Saturday, alongside the San Antonio Spurs.
Halloween night tips off at 7:00 PM CT with the Spurs hosting the Minnesota Timberwolves, followed by a 7:30 PM CT matchup at the Toyota Center as the Rockets host the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The Mavericks round out their schedule after Friday’s intrastate clash when they host the Sacramento Kings on Monday, November 2, at 7:00 PM CT.
MLS: Austin FC fell in a 2-1 defeat to Real Salt Lake on Wednesday night at Q2 Stadium. (Austin FC)
Fan discontent was evident on social media:
ON THE SCHEDULE
NHL: The Dallas Stars return to the ice tonight hosting Montreal.
The Texas Longhorns prove their championship pedigree with a gritty top-10 victory over Ole Miss, even as star players like Colin Simmons and Hollywood Smothers are sidelined. Is this roster’s depth the true secret weapon for a College Football Playoff run?
Ashley Ugarte is the solo owner/operator of Austin-based Hijita, which makes small-batch drinking chocolate from Mexican cacao beans.
