Expect Closings Friday as County Celebrates Cesar Chavez Day

Some local agencies will be closed this week in honor of Cesar Chavez Day.

The Los Angeles Superior Court and public schools in the Los Angeles Unified School District are closed on Friday—an early holiday prior to spring break. Schools in the will remain open.

Los Angeles County offices are encouraging employees to volunteer in a variety of activities. Public services will continue as scheduled.

The Department of Motor Vehicles remains open. Most state offices will be closed Friday. Federal offices and services, including the U.S. Postal Service, will be open.

Banks, bus and trash collection services will all operate on their regular schedules.

Chavez's birthday, March 31, is celebrated as a state holiday in California and several other states. Chavez was a labor organizer and civil rights activist who sought better working conditions for migrant farm workers through nonviolent means.

He was a co-founder of the union that later became the United Farm Workers and his slogan, "Sí, se puede" (Spanish for "Yes, it can be done") remains a rallying cry for Hispanic civil rights movements.

Chavez died in 1993 and former President Bill Clinton posthumously awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian award.

Many parks, schools, cultural centers and streets have been named in Chavez's honor in cities across the country.

Palos Verdes residents can get involved by donating to or volunteering at the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank.