Tarrant County commissioners vote on holiday calendar, including Cesar Chavez Day

Tarrant County commissioners voted unanimously on Tuesday to approve the holiday calendar for 2025, keeping Cesar Chavez Day as a paid holiday.

The agenda item initially included two options for the holiday calendar — one that substituted Veterans Day for Cesar Chavez Day, and one that kept the calendar the same. The first option was eliminated when the agenda was updated Monday afternoon.

The vote followed a week of back-and-forth between the offices of commissioners Alisa Simmons and Manny Ramirez over the proposed changes to the calendar.

An aide for Simmons told people at a LULAC breakfast on Aug. 10 that Ramirez was spearheading an effort to scrap the holiday. An aide for Ramirez called that “a total lie.”

Ramirez responded to concerned constituents later in the week. Simmons said the staffer would be disciplined internally.

Over a dozen people came to speak on the topic Tuesday before the vote on the calendar. There was no discussion among the county commissioners.

Cesar Chavez Day has been a paid holiday for county employees since 2001.