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The military has christened its newest cargo-ammunition ship for civil rights leader and labor activist Cesar Chavez, who served in the Navy during World War II.

Last week, Congress passed a massive $662 billion defense bill that may or may not be vetoed by the president because of a couple controversial provisions about the military's role in dealing with terror suspects. But also snuggled inside that huge bill was a very small provision from Missouri Congressman Roy Blunt. The amendment would require the Secretary of the Navy to "perform a study and seek recommendations to evaluate how Naval vessels are named." Blunt's provision is in response to the decision by the Secretary of the Navy last May to name one of its ships after famed labor...

SAN ANTONIO — A judge on Monday blocked the city of San Antonio from renaming a street after the late labor activist Cesar Chavez. The temporary restraining order from State District Judge Antonia Arteaga came just days after the City Council voted along ethnic lines to approve the name change. The proposal to rename Durango Street, one of the city's main streets, has divided a city where 61 percent of residents are Hispanic. "It is very important that we protect the integrity of our history, and that includes objecting to changing street names," said Bill Oliver, who represents the San...

In a vote that split down ethnic lines, the City Council on Thursday approved changing the name of Durango Boulevard in honor of civil rights activist and labor leader César Chávez. Though they all said Chávez should be honored in some meaningful way, none of the non-Latino council members — Ivy Taylor, Reed Williams, Elisa Chan and John Clamp — voted in favor of the proposal. The council's seven Hispanic members supported the initiative. Opposition vacillated from the pragmatic to the philosophical and included arguments that changing the street name would be too great a burden on residents and businesses,...

While the idea of naming a U.S. Naval ship after labor leader Cesar Chavez has roiled some, California Democrat Sen. Barbara Boxer is thrilled that the activist will be receiving the honor. Boxer called Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus Tuesday to thank him for the decision. “I applaud Secretary Mabus for continuing the Navy’s rich tradition of naming these supply ships after pioneers, explorers and visionaries by honoring César Chávez, who worked tirelessly to promote fair working conditions and equal rights for all Americans,” Boxer said in a statement. “This is a fitting tribute to Chávez, who served in...

Military: What's the U.S. Navy doing naming a ship after a leftist activist? If it wants to honor American Hispanics, there are scores of military heroes more worthy than Cesar Chavez. Apparently, even the military isn't immune to being reimaged into the Obama world view. It was announced Tuesday that Navy Secretary Ray Mabus, a former Democratic governor of Mississippi, had chosen to name a Navy cargo ship under construction in San Diego after the migrant labor leader. Chavez will join aviation pioneer Amelia Earhart, astronauts Alan Shepard and Wally Schirra, and assassinated civil rights hero Medgar Evers, whose names...

The next U.S. Navy cargo ship will be named after civil rights leader Cesar Chavez, the Secretary of the Navy officially announced Wednesday afternoon at a Barrio Logan ceremony. The news was met with pride by members of the Chavez family who were on hand at the General Dynamics NASSCO shipyard for the announcement, but it was not without controversy as it drew fire from a Southern California congressman. Navy secretary Ray Mabus stood alongside members of the Chavez family and the current president of the United Farm Workers of America to acknowledge the naming of the USNS Cesar Chavez,...

SAN DIEGO -- The Navy has named the last of 14 new cargo ships after the late farm labor leader Cesar Chavez.

The Navy's weighing a decision to name a cargo ship now under construction after labor activist Cesar Chavez has drawn sharp criticism from one veteran lawmaker who says that a military war hero should receive the honor instead. Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Calif., who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, said he understands the Navy's desire to honor Hispanic leaders, but the Navy may want to skip the politically divisive names and opt for an outstanding service member. "If this decision were about recognizing the Hispanic community's contribution to our nation, many other names come to mind, including Marine Corps Sergeant Rafael...

The last of the 14 Lewis and Clark-class cargo ships that General Dynamics NASSCO is building in San Diego will be named after Cesar Chavez, the late civil rights and labor leader. Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus will visit NASSCO on Tuesday afternoon to make the formal announcement. Some members of the Chavez family are expected to be in attendance, says NASSCO, which recently laid the keel of the ship. "We suggested the name Cesar Chavez for the ship because we're in Barrio Logan and want to be good neighbors, and we want to show respect for our workers,"...

U.S. Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-Alpine) disagrees with the Navy's decision to name a cargo ship under construction in San Diego for California farm labor leader Cesar Chavez. The decision, announced Tuesday, "appear[s] to be more about making a political statement than upholding the Navy's history and tradition," Hunter said in press release....

SAN DIEGO (AP) -- The Navy is considering naming a cargo ship that's being built after farmworker activist Cesar Chavez. James Gill, a spokesman for General Dynamics NASSCO in San Diego, said Monday the company suggested the name to honor its mostly Hispanic work force and the mostly Hispanic neighborhood, Barrio Logan, where the boat builder is located.

Initial claims for state unemployment benefits rose 18,000 to a seasonally adjusted 460,000 (week ending 4/3/2010) the Labor Department said. The prior week was adjusted to reflect 442,000 initial claims versus the previously reported 439,000. A Labor Department official attributed the rise in claims to seasonal volatility, mainly from the Easter holiday (a.k.a Easter Bunny) and noted there were shutdowns in two states. A holiday on March 31 in California (Cesar Chavez Day) also had an effect on claims, he said. Wanted By The Department of Labor... Easter Bunny and Cesar Chavez.

The Dallas City Council voted unanimously Wednesday to rename a short stretch of a downtown street for civil rights hero and farm labor champion César Chávez, capping two years of struggle often rooted in raw feelings over race, culture and a changing city. < snip > At City Hall and around Dallas, the process to rename a street for Chávez engendered hard feelings among proponents and opponents alike. But the mood in the City Council chambers was buoyant Wednesday, with Hispanic leaders joining with black, Asian and other minority groups in a standing ovation when the vote was taken. Several...

César Chávez Elementary School 825 Shotwell Street San Francisco, CA. 94110 Voice/TTY (415) 695-5765 Fax (415) 695-5843 Email: sch603@muse.sfusd.edu Silent Language of the Soul (©1990), mural by Juana Alicia & Susan Cervantes, welcomes diversity in our school. Full image (500 K) Si Se Puede (©1996) mural by Susan Cervantes, keeps César Chávez' s struggle for justice and dignity alive. Full image (340K) Our Mission Statement César Chávez School is a community of life-long learners, achievers and activists who support self determination. We incorporate and integrate academic skills, leadership development, and cultural awareness that is relative to the reality of our...

Oakland — Honoring the memory of civil rights leader Cesar Chavez, about 30 students and other activists marched down International Boulevard today demanding rights for immigrant students. "The families of undocumented students pay taxes and make an enormous contribution to our nation's economy and prosperity, yet their sons and daughters face the same kind of discrimination that young black students experienced in the old Jim Crow south," read a statement from By Any Means Necessary, the organization that held the march. The Federal DREAM Act, which would give those students access to financial aid, was reintroduced last week, as was...

LORETITO, Mexico — It's the end of the day here. Down one lonely street two young boys kick a ball between them, as an elderly woman slowly makes her way nearby. On most days, this little town about 300 miles northwest of Mexico City feels like the set of a Hollywood movie — its narrow streets and alleyways silent, stark, deserted. From the sidewalk outside his small liquor shop, Edmundo Cruz takes in the vast emptiness, pointing out one house after another left vacant when families headed north — to Seattle. It is said more Loretito people now live in...

Obama, who has struggled to overcome Clinton's significant advantage among Latino voters in state after state, sought to one-up his rival for the Democratic presidential nod by joining the call for creating a national holiday to commemorate the father of the United Farm Workers. "That's why I support the call to make Cesar Chavez's birthday a national holiday. It's time to recognize the contributions of this American icon to the ongoing efforts to perfect our union." Eight states commemorate Chavez' birthday in some fashion. In California, all state offices are closed, but local government facilities and public schools are open....

PORTLAND, ORE. -- Fourth Avenue ambles for 30 blocks past high-rise office towers, regional banks, upscale retailers and such urban landmarks as the county courthouse and City Hall. Fourth also rolls through one of Portland's most prominent symbols of diversity: Chinatown. An ornamental red and gold gateway inscribed with dragons and Chinese characters greets visitors and evokes ties to the Pacific Rim. Red and gold street lamps, a gift from Taiwan, line the street near restaurants that specialize in dim sum. This is not the street that Latino activist Marta Guembes wanted to rename in honor of Cesar E. Chavez,...

AUSTIN – It took 124 years, but the largest university in Texas on Tuesday unveiled a monument to a Latino leader, Cesar Chavez. “Cesar would be humbled to be acknowledged in this way,” said Juan C. Gonzalez, vice president for Student Affairs at the University of Texas at Austin. Chavez’s granddaughter, Christine Chavez, and the nation’s head of higher education were among the speakers as more than 1,000 people sang, cried, cheered remembered the legacy of the Mexican-American labor organizer who grew up picking crops in California and went on to found the United Farm Workers union. The statue is...