One year ago, Congress defunded public media. Now that we're 100% community funded, please become a sustaining member or increase your existing membership today.
This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.
This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.
City Council Approves Plan To Rename Rodeo Road For Obama
(Photo by Steffi Loos/Getty Images)
Great news for nostalgic fans of America's 44th president and people who are never able to correctly pronounce Los Angeles' other Rodeo roadway alike: on Wednesday, City Council voted unanimously to rename Rodeo Road in southwest L.A. "Obama Boulevard" in honor of the former president. (For the record, Rodeo Road is pronounced row-dee-oh, like the sport, not row-day-oh, like Beverly Hills' famous Rodeo Drive).
The proposal to rename the three-and-a-half mile stretch of Rodeo Road between Jefferson Boulevard and Arlington Avenue was first introduced by City Council President Herb Wesson last week. As Wesson noted in his motion, the area is already home to a "President's Row" of streets, with Washington, Jefferson and Adams boulevards all located nearby. According to City News Service, the councilman received "overwhelmingly positive feedback" on the name change; the only dissenters wanted a larger street chosen for the renaming.
This morning we introduced a motion to rename #CD10’s “Rodeo Road” to “Obama Boulevard” in honor of President @BarackObama's legacy. pic.twitter.com/1FvECfJ70b
— Herb J. Wesson, Jr. (@HerbJWesson) June 20, 2017
"I would love for the name to be changed, I'm excited for it," Desirae Glover, who works at a beauty supply store on Rodeo Road in Baldwin Hills, told LAist. Although she lives in Inglewood, the 30-year-old saleswoman said that she is in the neighborhood "24/7" for "work, family and friends."
"We need a street named after one of the best presidents ever—pretty much the best president ever," Glover continued. "What's going on with this new presidency is outrageous. I would rather have had Obama for a third, fourth and fifth term."
KTLA reports that city engineers will soon begin the process of changing the name.
Obama Boulevard won't be the only thoroughfare bearing the former president's name. In May, the California State Senate voted to move forward on plans to rename a section of the 134 Freeway for Obama.
One year ago, Congress voted to defund public media, eliminating a critical $1.7 million from our budget every year going forward. But they couldn’t silence us, and we’re not going anywhere. LAist is now 100% community funded and that means we’re taking our future into our own hands and turning to you to keep local reporting strong.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief
