Cindy Montañez, a former state Assemblymember, two-time San Fernando City Council member and current CEO of the environmental nonprofit TreePeople, continues to be recognized for her years of service with the renaming of a San Fernando Valley park in her honor.
More than 100 people attended the Saturday, Sept. 9, event in the city of San Fernando, where the Pacoima Wash Natural Park was renamed the Cindy Montañez Natural Park.
The 49-year-old Montañez, who today is battling an aggressive form of terminal cancer, has long been an environmentalist and champion of green space. The 4.7-acre park at 801 8th St., which now bears her name, features walking trails, views of the Angeles Forest and a shady picnic area.
The park also features a stormwater capture system. Up to 371,000 gallons of water – enough to fill 8,800 bathtubs – can infiltrate into the San Fernando Groundwater Basin, decreasing the area’s need for imported water, according to San Fernando city officials.
At Saturday’s event, elected officials from northeastern San Fernando Valley joined Montañez, her family and other community members, for a park renaming ceremony and cleanup. The event included a ceremonial blessing performed by the Aztec dance group Xipe Totec, dedication of a coast live oak, and the planting of more than 60 milkweed plants — the only plant endangered monarch butterflies will use to lay eggs.
“This park wouldn’t be here without her and renaming it ensures we continue to honor Cindy’s work for generations to come,” San Fernando Mayor Celeste Rodriguez said in a statement.
Throughout her career in politics, Montañez has made history, first by becoming the youngest person ever elected to the San Fernando City Council in 1999 at age 25. She became the San Fernando mayor two years later. In 2002, at age 28, she became the youngest woman ever elected to the state legislature. At 30, she chaired the powerful Assembly Rules Committee — the youngest person,…
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