Reynoso’s legacy looms large in local history
EL CENTRO — An important figure in local history was honored Thursday at Southwest High School’s Jimmie Cannon Theater.
The Central Union
High School District, with support from MANA de Imperial Valley and SoCal Gas Co., held a special screening of a documentary honoring Judge Cruz Reynoso, first Latino state Supreme Court justice and a major figure in the farmworkers movement.
The event was intended to commemorate Cesar Chavez Day.
The farmworkers movement and rights were causes close to Reynoso. He was born in Brea, California on 1931 as one of 11 children from immigrant parents. At the age of 8, Reynoso worked picking oranges to make ends meet.
“Cruz Reynoso had many firsts,” said CUHSD Trustee Maria Peinado. “He advocated for farmworkers, immigrants and the indigent. He served two years in the army and was the only Latino in his 1958 graduating class from law school at Berkeley.”
Before having a seat as a state Supreme Court justice, Reynoso’s legal career began in El Centro.
“There are many reasons why Cruz Reynoso is important, but he was one of ours,” said Juan Ulloa, who served 27 years as a judge in the Imperial County Superior Court.
Reynoso became the first Latino lawyer of the California Rural Legal Assistance in the Imperial Valley and in 1968 rose to director.
“Señor Reynoso was my hero,” said Lupe Quintero, director of Community Workers at CRLA, as she remembered when President Ronald Reagan tried to cut off federal funding for the organization.
“We were helping the poorest of the poor,” Quintero recalled. “We were slowly bringing change to people’s lives.”
Reynoso defended CRLA and ensured farmworkers rights and benefits after a legal battle against Reagan’s administration that lasted three years.
“This master of the law was fearless, presented our case and saved CRLA,” Quintero said.
In 1972, Reynoso became one of the nation’s first law professors when he began teaching at the University of New Mexico. He championed to bring more Latino students and professors to the program.
Reynoso was appointed by governor Jerry Brown in 1982 to the California Supreme Court, where he favored rights of employees, consumer and protected the poor.
“To be a judge, you have to listen to your justice bone, and your justice bone is going to help you find the balance between what’s right and what’s the law,” Ulloa said, recalling advice he received from Reynoso. “Where do you find your justice bone? Is somewhere between your head, where the law resides, your heart where passion resides and somewhere in the neighborhood of your elbow.”
After leaving the bench in 1987, Reynoso spent 10 years on the faculty of UCLA’s School of Law and five years as a professor emeritus at UC Davis School of Law.
“Judge Cruz Reynoso showed us that they are no limitations to what we can accomplish,” Peinado said.
In 2000, he received the Presidential Medal of Freedom for his efforts to address social inequities and public service.
Quintero recalled advice Reynoso used to share with his colleagues:
“Always be prepared; always fight your best fight,” she said. “You are just as good and worthy as anybody. Be respectful to others, don’t be afraid to take necessary risks and be persistent.”
Reynoso died in 2021. The documentary film presented Thursday, “Sowing the Seeds of Justice,” portrays him as a humble man with an exemplary legacy.
“It is fitting that we honor his work as part of this year’s Cesar Chavez Day given that he was the executive director of the California Rural Legal Assistance in Imperial County and the impact of his actions have been consequential for generations,” said Diahna Garcia-Ruiz, CUHSD poard president.