April 25, 2019 

By City News Service 

 

A May 4 ceremony to rename a South Los Angeles street in honor of former President Barack Obama will coincide with a daylong music and street festival featuring musical guests Doug E. Fresh, Yo-Yo, BJ the Chicago Kid, Battlecat and Kurupt, city officials announced today.

 

The Los Angeles City Council unanimously voted last August to rename a 3.5-mile stretch of Rodeo Road as Obama Boulevard. The street runs from near the Culver City border east to Mid-City and is not to be confused with Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills.

 

“I’m thrilled that Los Angeles will be home to Obama Boulevard,” City Council President Herb Wesson said. “Our history is important and this is one way that we will ensure that America's 44th president’s legacy is shared for generations to come for Angelenos and visitors alike.”

 

   The street is in Wesson's council district and home to “president's row,” a series of streets named after former presidents, which includes Washington Boulevard, Adams Boulevard and Jefferson Boulevard.

 

 

When Wesson proposed the name change in 2017, he noted that then- candidate Obama held a campaign rally at Rancho Cienega Recreation Center on Rodeo Road in 2007.

 

The location of the naming ceremony is where Obama Boulevard will intersect with Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.

 

Free tickets for the festival are available online at obamafest. eventbrite.com, Wesson’s office said.

Category: Community