Grand Park, the rectangular green space squeezed between downtown Los Angeles city and county buildings, is getting a new name.
In honor of the county’s first Latina elected to city and county government, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously on Tuesday, March 21, to rename the park “Gloria Molina Grand Park.”
Molina, 74, is battling terminal cancer and could not attend Tuesday’s Board of Supervisors meeting.
Grand Park was the brain child of Supervisor Molina and was a joint venture with the city and the county. It stretches from The Music Center to Los Angeles City Hall and has become a popular gathering place.
Molina was credited with convincing a developer in the mid-2000s to put up $50 million toward the park as part of approval of a development project on Grand Avenue.
In 2012, the $56 million, 12-acre park, located in the heart of the Civic Center, opened to the public. Nicknamed “A Park For Everyone” it features gardens with plants from around the world, a lawn for picnickers, yoga aficionados and others, a combination fountain and splash pad loved by children, plus a 1-acre lawn near LA City Hall for concerts. Through the years, the park played host to Fourth of July and New Year’s Eve celebrations.
“Without Gloria Molina make no mistake, there would be no Grand Park,” said Fifth District Supervisor Kathryn Barger.
The supervisors said it was appropriate to name the park after Molina because of her tenacious efforts to get it funded and oversee the transformation from an unremarkable, concrete space into the crown jewel of county and city parks.
“It was her insistence, tenacity and perseverance that kept that project going,” said Ron Martinez, Molina’s husband. He said his wife of 37 years is resting at their home.
Molina is the first Latina to be elected to the State Legislature, the Los Angeles City Council, and the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors. She served on the Board for 23 years, from…
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