Napa’s long-planned tribute to farmworker leaders Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta has hit a very public pause, and the artist behind the project is siding with the slowdown.
Mario Chiodo, the Napa sculptor who created the city’s Chavez and Huerta figures, said he supports pausing the planned installation of the Chavez figure at Puertas Abiertas. The nonprofit has halted the Chavez portion of the reinstallation while leaders and the artist consider next steps. The move puts a familiar piece of local public art right in the crosshairs of a wider debate over memorials, accountability and how communities respond when new information surfaces about celebrated figures.
The Napa Valley Register reports that Puertas Abiertas Community Resource Center halted the project to install Chavez's figure alongside Huerta's while leaders review the implications for the donated sculpture. Chiodo also told the paper that Huerta's figure was completed separately and technically could be displayed alone.
Why Leaders Hit Pause On The Chavez Figure
The pause follows a March investigation by The New York Times that reported Chavez groomed and sexually abused multiple girls and that Dolores Huerta said Chavez raped her in 1966. That reporting triggered cancellations and rebrandings of Chavez commemorations across the country and prompted communities to reconsider monuments and honors bearing his name.
Statewide Ripple Effects
Officials across California moved quickly. Governor Gavin Newsom signed legislation in March, renaming Cesar Chavez Day as "Farmworkers Day," as lawmakers and organizations weighed how to honor farmworker history without centering an individual under scrutiny. AP News and other outlets documented the swift policy and cultural response that followed the Times report.
Chiodo created the two life‑size figures in 2015 after Napa developer Michael L. Holcomb commissioned the work; Dolores Huerta attended the unveiling at Veterans Memorial Park, according to the Napa Valley Register. The sculptures were originally mounted above a downtown storefront and were later removed for restoration before the planned reinstallation at Puertas Abiertas' new headquarters.
About Mario Chiodo
Chiodo is a Bay Area sculptor known for large public monuments, including the multi‑figure "Remember Them" installation in Oakland and a Harriet Tubman memorial, work that has been profiled in local news and arts coverage. KTVU and other outlets note Chiodo's long record of civic commissions and the debates that can surround public monuments.
What Comes Next In Napa
For now, the Chavez figure remains out of public view while Puertas Abiertas and community members consider next steps. The artist has suggested the Huerta figure can stand on its own, and local conversations are expected to focus on context, interpretation and whether reinterpretation is preferable to removal. Any final decision will come after discussions with artists, advocates and survivors, stakeholders say.
