The City Council unanimously voted Wednesday to rename a 3 1/2-mile stretch of Rodeo Road through southwest Los Angeles as Obama Boulevard in honor of the 44th president.
The motion to rename Rodeo Road between Jefferson Boulevard and Arlington Avenue was introduced by Council President Herb Wesson, who recalled meeting Obama for the first time during an early campaign stop at Rancho Cienega Park on Rodeo Road in 2007.
The council president said he had received overwhelmingly positive feedback on the name change, with the only dissenters wanting a larger or more significant street to receive the Obama name.
“What I have said to the people is it’s not about the length of the street, it’s about the significance of the street. It is about what happened on that street,” Wesson said before the vote.
The motion also notes that the area, which is in Wesson’s 10th Council District, is home to “president’s row,” a series of streets named after former presidents which includes Washington Boulevard, Adams Boulevard and Jefferson Boulevard.
“President Obama is no stranger to Los Angeles. He began his college education in Los Angeles, as an undergraduate student at Occidental College from 1979 to 1981 before leaving for Columbia University,” the motion states.
