SACRAMENTO, October 25, 2026 — California Gov. Gavin Newsom has proclaimed October 25, 2026, Larry Itliong Day, recognizing a Filipino American labor organizer whose leadership helped transform agricultural labor in California. The proclamation coincides with Filipino American History Month and what would have been Itliong’s 113th birthday.
Itliong’s story links the fishing and canning industries of Alaska, the asparagus fields around Stockton and the vineyards of Delano in Kern County. His role in the farmworker movement is a vital part of California history, particularly for Central Valley communities where agricultural labor remains central to the regional economy.
What Newsom proclaimed
The governor’s October 25 proclamation honors Itliong as a labor and civil rights leader who organized workers facing discrimination and low wages. It describes his organizing among Alaska cannery workers, his role in the 1948 asparagus strike in Stockton, his later work with the Filipino Farm Labor Union and the Agricultural Workers Organizing Committee (AWOC), and his leadership in the Delano grape strike.
Newsom also highlighted the solidarity between Filipino and Mexican American farmworkers. The proclamation invokes the phrase “Isang Bagsak!” to emphasize their shared struggle. The governor’s statement is a ceremonial proclamation, not an announcement of a new labor law or a change in employment benefits.
Who was Larry Itliong?
Modesto “Larry” Dulay Itliong was born on October 25, 1913, in San Nicolas, Pangasinan, in the Philippines. He came to the United States as a teenager and worked in industries that employed many migrant laborers. According to the National Park Service and California Museum, he became a leading organizer in efforts to secure better working conditions and union representation.
In Stockton, Itliong participated in the major 1948 asparagus strike. In 1956, he founded the Filipino Farm Labor Union. He later helped organize workers through AWOC, whose membership included Filipino workers as well as people from other backgrounds.
Delano, September 1965: the strike that changed California labor history
On September 8, 1965, Itliong and AWOC organizers led approximately 1,500 Filipino farmworkers in a walkout against grape growers in and around Delano. The workers sought higher wages and better conditions. Recognizing that growers could recruit replacement labor, Itliong reached out to César Chávez and the National Farm Workers Association (NFWA), which included many Mexican American workers.
The organizations joined forces that September. Their cooperation expanded into the Delano grape strike and a national consumer boycott. In 1966, AWOC and NFWA merged to form the United Farm Workers. The California Museum describes the struggle as lasting five years and helping secure contracts for farmworkers.
This history is sometimes told chiefly through Chávez and Dolores Huerta. Itliong, Philip Vera Cruz and the Filipino manongs—a term of respect for older men in the community—were also central to the movement’s origins and organizing.
Why Stockton and Delano matter
The proclamation is statewide, but its geography is distinctly local. Stockton was a center of Filipino American community life and agricultural labor organizing. Delano, in Kern County, became the site of a defining confrontation over farmworker wages and representation. The National Park Service also records Itliong’s work on the Paulo Agbayani Retirement Village, which opened in Delano in 1974 to support aging Filipino farmworkers.
For readers of California58’s local newspapers, these connections show how events in individual California communities shaped national debates about workers’ rights, migration and collective bargaining.
Recognition beyond the governor’s proclamation
The California Legislature also adopted Senate Concurrent Resolution 190 in 2026, proclaiming October 25 Larry Itliong Day and encouraging schools and educational institutions to recognize his contributions. The resolution was filed with the Secretary of State in August. It is a commemorative resolution; it should not be confused with legislation imposing new classroom curriculum requirements.
Itliong was inducted into the California Hall of Fame in 2021. He died in 1977, but his legacy continues to be commemorated by schools, museums and labor-history organizations.
A California story with national significance
The Delano campaign demonstrated the importance of organizing across ethnic and linguistic lines. It also highlighted difficult questions about agricultural workers’ bargaining power, housing, working conditions and political representation—issues that remain part of public discussion today.
California58 will continue covering California labor history and the communities connected to it. Readers with photographs, family histories or firsthand recollections from Stockton, Delano and other agricultural communities may contact the newsroom.
Related coverage and background
- California58: History — more California history reporting.
- California58: California News — statewide reporting and explainers.
- Governor’s Office: October 25, 2026 proclamation — primary announcement.
- California Museum: Larry Itliong — biographical background and historical timeline.
- National Park Service: Larry Itliong — labor history and Delano strike.
California58 Newsroom | Statewide coverage with local context. This report is based on the governor’s proclamation and historical sources; it is not a reproduction of the full proclamation.
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