It’s official. Barack Obama Boulevard is now open in Los Angeles.
The city renamed a stretch of Rodeo Road after the nation’s 44th president during a massive street festival Saturday evening.
Not to be confused with Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills, Rodeo Road is a 3 ½-mile street that runs through the Baldwin Hills-Crenshaw neighborhoods in South L.A.
As thousands of people lined the streets, city officials and music artists sang the former president’s praises.
“With this change, we are publicly documenting what Obama’s legacy as our nation’s first black President means to our city and our South Los Angeles community,” L.A. City Council President Herb Wesson said in a statement.
Here with CM @HerbJWesson, Sup. @MRidleyThomas, Rep. @MariaEDurazo and the @LAUrbanLeague for #ObamaFestLA to name #ObamaBlvd and etch President Obama’s name and legacy even deeper in our city’s story. pic.twitter.com/opinsPUAx0
— Mayor Karen Bass (@MayorOfLA) May 5, 2019
Wesson and Mayor Eric Garcetti helped unveil the new President Barack Obama Boulevard sign near the intersection of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. They were joined by Rep. Karen Bass (D-Los Angeles) and other elected leaders.
As part of the celebration, music artists including Doug E. Fresh, Yo-Yo, Kurupt and Sheila E. performed.
The name change followed a proposal by Wesson, and a unanimous city council vote last summer.
Rodeo Road has a special connection to Obama, who held a campaign rally in the area when he was running for president in 2007.
The road is located near “president’s row,” a series of streets named after former U.S. presidents, including Washington Boulevard, Adams Boulevard and Jefferson Boulevard.
