City Council Approves 'Obama Boulevard' in 15-0 Vote
Los Angeles residents will soon be able to joke that when driving on a road named after former President Barack Obama, they’ll be forced to go left.
Before such jokes can be told, however, there has to be a road named for the progressive president. The latter step is complete after the Los Angeles City Council voted unanimously to rename a city street as Obama Boulevard.
The proclamation was made public in a tweet by Mayor Eric Garcetti.
“We’re thrilled that Angelenos and visitors will forever be reminded of the legacy of President @BarackObama when traveling across L.A.,” Garcetti said in the tweet.
It’s official: our City Council has voted to rename Rodeo Road to Obama Boulevard!
We’re thrilled that Angelenos and visitors will forever be reminded of the legacy of President @BarackObama when traveling across L.A. pic.twitter.com/gnVNgBgndn
— Mayor Karen Bass (@MayorOfLA) August 29, 2018
The city is renaming Rodeo Road to honor Obama. This road should not be confused with Rodeo Drive, the street that is famous for its trendy shops in Beverly Hills.
There are no such fancy shops on the soon-to-be Obama Boulevard. The street is a 3.5 mile road that runs though a largely African-American part of the city.
One of the locations along Obama Boulevard is Rancho Cienega Park, where Obama held one of his first presidential campaign rallies in 2007.
Los Angeles City Council President Herb Wesson proposed renaming Rodeo Road in Obama’s honor last year.
Also #OTD in 2008, @BarackObama became the first African-American presidential nominee from a major political party. Today our council gave final approval to our motion to rename Rodeo Road to Obama Boulevard. Proud to take this next step on a day that meant so much to so many. pic.twitter.com/fpGqikmQtD
— L.A. City Council President Herb Wesson (@HerbJWesson) August 28, 2018
In addition to the fact Obama campaigned at a park on the road, Wesson noted there are several streets in the area named after U.S. presidents such as George Washington and Thomas Jefferson.
There is also a spot where Obama Boulevard will intersect with Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.
California Assemblywoman Sydney Kamlager-Dove, who represents the area, said she is thrilled Obama’s legacy will forever be part of the community’s future.
“It’s the merging of a historic president [and] street with an iconic black community,” she told the Times.
In September, a resolution was passed by the California Senate to rename a portion of the 134 Freeway in Obama’s honor. The Monterey Bay town of Seaside has already designated a street in its community as Obama Way.
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