California lawmakers announced on Thursday that they intend to change the name of Cesar Chavez Day to “Farmworkers Day” in the wake of devastating accusations of sexual abuse by Mr. Chavez, an iconic labor leader who has been celebrated for decades in the state.

Twelve days before the annual March 31 state holiday, leaders of the California State Assembly and State Senate said they were introducing a bill to make that change. It came as elected officials across the Southwest were grappling with how to respond to a New York Times investigation that detailed how Mr. Chavez groomed and sexually abused two girls and raped Dolores Huerta, his most prominent farm labor ally.

“This moment calls for honesty, it calls for reflection, and it calls for a renewed commitment to the values that the farmworker movement was built on,” Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas said in an emotional floor speech on Thursday, recalling his grandfather’s history in the union that fought to improve pay and conditions for farmworkers.

Monique Limón, leader of the California State Senate, said that lawmakers were examining how to update other parts of state law, because the Cesar Chavez holiday is mentioned in a dozen different provisions, including educational requirements.

“We will move swiftly to make the changes,” she said in an interview.

Mr. Chavez, who co-founded the United Farm Workers and died in 1993 at age 66, has been hailed as a civil rights champion for decades. His status only seemed to build over time as governments and schools hailed him as a hero, holding celebrations and teaching lessons every March grounded in farmworker history and the fight for Latino equality in the United States.