001Translation system back there. on the back of the room. 6:08 p.m. Um, can you have roll call, please. Present. Thank you. Uh, can we all please stand for the of allece? States of America. for one nation god individuality and justice for thank you may be seated do i need to provide the agenda right so we're going to skip number three item number three we're going to go to item number four which is the pilot hearing legally however I have to disclose the following admonition Um before we start the hearing, I wanted to remind everyone of its purpose. This gathering is intended to address a specific agenda item. It is not a forum for protest or discussion outside the scope of that item. Please be advised that the disruptions will not be tolerated. If any attende
002becomes disruptive, they will be asked to stop. And if the behavior continues, they will be asked to leave or fail to comply with the established rules. Um you will not be removed for exercising your first amendment rights. However, failure to follow the rules set for by the person in charge may prove irreparable from the meeting. So legally I just have to disclose that and with that we're going to go to the public hearing which is item number 4.1 One discussion regarding consideration of name change for César Chavez Elementary School and the Cesar Chavez activity center at the San Luis Midle School with an invitation for public regarding the same. The journal of rules regarding public comment shall apply including um a minute limitation which I'm not going to have the limitation for each comment. And
003the purpose of this public hearing is uh to public comment on this topic only. The government will take any action; all public input has been considered. The public hearing is open; anyone who wishes to speak may please come here. Ah, well, okay. Before someone else can give you a translation of this, please let me... Excuse me if the prince of the board didn't hear me. Before we started, I mentioned that there was a translation system. They're making it easier for him there. That's right, that's right. There, there's the M. which is what Okay, again, ah, I'm going to say it again. If someone needs a translation system, it is available at the back attached to the TV. Ah, I see . And I'm going to repeat what I just said so you can hear it
004in Spanish. I'm going to give it 2 minutes because two people are using the translation system. Anyone else who needs the translation system? Okay. So, let's allow more people to read what this public hearing is about. Discussion regarding consideration of the change name for Cesar Chavez elementary school and the César Chavez activity center at the Luis Midle school with an invitation for public comment regarding the same. The rules regarding public shall apply including um each comment to our rules and regulations. The purpose of this meeting is for discussion and public comment on this topic only. No action will be taken today by the governing board. me public. Someone from the audience, please come up to the microphone. Please state your name and address. Okay. Well, I'm here, so good afternoon to everyone, and let's hope
005that this meeting we have here is peaceful and harmonious. Let it be fair, let it be fair. Without lying, and everything that is said should be clarified and said with facts, with evidence, not with words, not with words, no. That's what I would like . And as for Mr. César Chávez, ah, I notice that here there are many people much younger than me and they didn't live through what I lived through. I dated Mr. César Chávez when I was very young, and for me, this man was a great man, a great leader. That lady, with all due respect, whatever she is, I believe that that lady, perhaps because of her age or someone is pushing her, I don't know what they're up to, what their policy is, because I, as I say, here I see
006many very young people who can't say something they didn't see, I lived it and I have proof, I have photos, I have many things. So, Mr. César Chávez, I started working when we were in the bases, which was just a board where we sat down. Any little accident that had happened would have been a failure, but thanks to God, to that person, to that struggle, the purpose of having better service was achieved. Another thing, the bathrooms, do you know where they used to go to the bathroom? In the canals, on the banks of the rivers, to eat, for a lunch, you would grab a taco and climb onto the platform to eat your taco however you can. So, it's not just about seeing it, and as I said, those are proofs and nobody can assure
007me that a younger person than me can't say that because they didn't live through it, and I did . So, the raises, the salaries, well, I started when we earned 99 cents and that's how it increased with his struggle . They lifted us up with the short hoe, we were hunched over, bent over, and yet, he fought for what? For that hoe to be as long as a broom. Everything changed, everything was very different, thank God, thanks to him. Now, that lady who is spreading all those things now, I know for a fact, I saw her on his arm . I never saw her sad, I saw her worried, I saw her say, "Oh, well, whatever." Never. On the contrary, she was always ahead of him. I ca n't say that she was hugging him
008in a morbid way or that he was too busy with so many things; it was she who was carrying him by the arm. And as I said, there was a lot of it for us , not just for me, but for all the farm workers, because that's how wages increased, and it may not seem like it, but there was a defense, a defense that many didn't know how to appreciate. I, thank God, my stepmother, I was with my stepmother and my stepmother, she received a certain amount when she retired as a result of the UFW. Who was that walking around there? He, that lady. I can't say more than that they should do psychological studies on her, and those people who are leading her, manipulating her, or whatever, should also be studied, because we shouldn't
009believe many things. We can say, as they say, that our tongue is so powerful that we can destroy marriages, we can make someone run from a good job because of our words. Careful. So there were many things to say. I have plenty of material to work with to speak in his favor. That's all I can say. Let this meeting be fair, let's be reasonable, because sooner or later you pay the price. So that's all I can say. I'm on his side. I refuse to let them remove their signs from him. I refuse, but from then on it's your own decision and that's all I can say. And blessings to all. María Angélica Murillo. Before moving on to the next person, I want to remind you that we have a translation system. If you need it,
010it's in the back. Translation devices available, yes, my name is Sofia Rodriguez. My address is 1255 America Street, here in San Luis, Arizona. Ah, I've come to want to know if there is concrete evidence of the situation involving Mr. César Chávez, because what is a fact is everything he did for the struggle. Several people have told me about the conditions they worked in as farm workers, which were horrible; they lived almost like slaves because of how they lived. People who had nothing came to work and had nowhere to sleep, nowhere to go to the bathroom, and many other things suffered. And it is thanks to the struggle of that leader and also many people who supported him, obviously, that the conditions of the farm workers changed. Maybe the younger ones don't know anymore, but like
011Angelica, she did live it, she did know, she does know. So, I think that until there is concrete evidence of the act he is being accused of, we cannot make hasty decisions and dismiss everything that man did, which is a fact known to the farm workers. That would be like taking away his name, it would be throwing his entire legacy to the ground, including ourselves as citizens of San Luis, Arizona. He's a person who has represented us for years, and for us as citizens to be throwing dirt on him without having the evidence in hand to say, "This happened, here's the proof." If he did that harm to that person in their personal life , that's very wrong. I think we all pay for what we do, right? Very wrong. It wasn't right, and it's
012not good for anyone, but we can't base hasty decisions on things we don't have proof of. It would be unfair. It wouldn't be fair. And what is a fact, it did happen . It was all the social struggle he was involved in , everything he did for farmworkers. I'm surprised by the things you're telling me now because I didn't know all the things they went through. So, I wouldn't want any hasty decisions to be made here without any certainty . Thank you. Next person. Good afternoon, everyone. Um, I apologize in advance because I'm not used to speaking in public, right? And it makes me nervous, but I don't want to stay silent because I see and feel like a great injustice is being committed, right? Like they're accusing someone who can no longer defend himself,
013right? No, how can he defend himself if he's already dead? These people who are accusing him had so many years. Why, in all those years, didn't they accuse him when he could have defended himself, right? Like María Angélica, I also lived through all of that. So, he's a person who, in my humble opinion, deserves all my respect. Because, who among us, or among the people who are accusing him, is going to fast for 40 days from all food, only the communion wafer? They carried him. Once, Robert Kennedy, Kennedy, practically carried him, and the people who were with him. Why? Because he hadn't eaten for 40 days . All of that was like a sacrifice for us, for the humble people, for the farm workers. He did so much. The sacrifices he made, the march to
014Sacramento with blistered feet, not just him, but the people who accompanied him on that march. Ah, those are sacrifices that I don't think any of us would make, well, as far as I'm concerned, and I'm sure many of us wouldn't either. Ah, what I also want to say is that there's a great phrase in the Bible that says, "You shall not judge, and you will not be judged." Ah, we will be judged someday by those of us who believe in eternal life, right? We will be judged. And I would like us to reflect a little on that, because there's a saying, "You shall not lift up your hands, you shall not cast out your feet ... False testimony, especially from someone who can no longer defend themselves. Ah, as I said, I'm very nervous, and
015well, I am nervous, right? But I do want to, as I said, despite my nervousness, defend what I consider to be just, right? This, ah, for me, he was an exceptional person, a great man, respectful, and above all, hardworking for us, the humblest, the most needy. Now, ah, he was human. I know he was human like everyone else, and like all humans, we fail from time to time, but as our Lord Jesus Christ said when they were going to stone a prostitute, he said, "They wanted to stone her." Then he said, "Let he who is without sin, let him who is perfect, cast the first stone." Who threw it? No one threw it. Everyone began to leave, as they say, starting with the oldest. So, I want to, as I said, I don't want to
016offend anyone. That is my humble opinion, and I respect everyone's opinion. Who? What I will say is that if God, who was perfect, didn't judge the sinner, how can we consider ourselves better than God to judge another human being? I leave it to your consideration and your conscience, because for me, even if the whole world says otherwise, I'm going to base my opinion on what I saw and what I know. May God forgive those who are doing wrong, because as I say, one day we will all have to answer for our actions. And that's all. Thank you so much for listening, and well, look, I'm trembling with nerves, but I am happy because I'm expressing what I feel and what I experienced, the person I knew and whom I respect, and I hope it appeals
017to the conscience of many people who may be misinformed , right? I'm not saying malicious, but perhaps misinformed. Thank you so much for listening and for your patience, and may God bless you all, and one day, one day we will all see each other in the Father's house along with César. Good afternoon. Thank you very much. Anyone else? Luisa Riola, community leader here in San Luis, is also a union leader. And one of the things that saddens me greatly is that our women are turning against a woman who was a victim—a victim of leadership. As president of the Gazen District teachers and employees union, I witnessed many injustices that even professional teachers couldn't advocate for themselves. And what did we do? We all united. We ca n't abuse that power as a leader, especially in
018a union. You were saying, because as a teacher, I had many students who told me that their grandparents didn't support César Chávez. These are students who were telling me they didn't even have enough to eat, and I understand, I understand what César Chávez was doing , but to sit here and say that Dolores Huerta wasn't a victim, that's not our right. What are we telling our daughters, our mothers who were victims in a generation, that they can't speak out after 20 years? If you've known a victim, it's not easy to say, "I was "Abused." And yes, there is proof, there is proof of this. And how sad that our women here in San Luis are throwing stones at her. What message are we giving our daughters? That it's okay, okay? That they shouldn't talk about
019it, because it's not easy. We've spoken with abuse victims and it's not easy because they feel guilty. And now we're going to throw stones at Dolores Huerta, at all those victims who were abused, who don't have a voice. And I tell you, as a former union president, professionals, teachers with master's degrees, why are you afraid to speak up for yourselves? Now, for someone from a rural area, it 's difficult. We can't judge our women. Dolores Huerta in the 60s. Women have neither voice nor vote. And if you look at history, that's what happened. Dolores Huerta took that movement to Washington. She took it to Washington, and we need you to know the history, the true history of what was happening, not just that it was César Chávez, it was a woman who also promoted it.
020No We may be judging our women. It's my time to speak, sir. I already left her. Yes. And that's what we have to do, advocate for our women and not continue to be victims and remain silent because he was the uncle, he was the leader. How can I leave him? No, no, we can't do that to our granddaughters, to our children, because we are silencing generations. So, yes, I am in favor of changing César Chávez's name. Thank you. Is there anyone else in the audience who would like to speak ? Anyone else? Please go ahead. Name and address, please. Good afternoon. My name is Lilia Quiñones and I live at 1088 SINAFA Avenue. I am listening to what is being said for and against, and it is very sad for me because I have had
021friends who were fighting alongside César Chávez. Unfortunately, those people are no longer with us. But I loved hearing their stories. I never heard them say anything negative. They always talked about his achievements, the places he went, his appointments, and how he defended him. Unfortunately, I did n't know him personally, nor was I involved in the struggle, you know? But I have friends who were, and I had friends who were involved in the struggle. You know how bad things fly away, good things walk on. For me, the leader, and always will be , César Chávez. The fact that they want to tarnish his name is another matter entirely, because that's tarnishing the name of a person who acted with integrity. Why, after so many years, are they coming to say such awful things? Because it's been
022many years since he passed away . Why? Who knows? That's what should be investigated, the why, and to have the evidence, because I don't think they have any. It's been many years. Many people can spread evil against others. In a moment like that, they can ruin someone's life. Words, there are many words. I've heard, I've seen videos that break my heart because I'm Latina. We still have, for me, a Latino leader that they don't want. remove. It's not fair. That's all. Thank you so much. Thank you. Anyone else to participate in the hearing? Anyone else like to speak. If there is no other person, memberit with her employer but she was uh vested in making a well informed decision and to watch and the video after this meeting or any future hearings. Well, she wishes
023to be present but tonight she had a previous commandment so she called me personally uh Monday and uh Roy I think she called uh our superintendent a couple hours ago to say that she was sick. Um so I just wanted that out there for the record because remember to say that notes care but she had something already scheduled but decision making and that she wants to talk to you. Thank you all. Have a nice night.