Legislator Wendy Carrillo wants ‘justice’ for once-thriving communities of Palo Verde, La Loma, Bishop
By Linh Tat | OC Register
Assemblymember Wendy Carrillo has introduced a bill seeking reparations for the families who lost their homes decades ago when Los Angeles city leaders pressured them to sell their land – and in some cases forcibly evicted many homeowners – from the area where Dodger Stadium sits today.
“With this legislation, we are addressing the past, giving voice to this injustice, acknowledging the pain of those displaced, offering reparative measures and ensuring that we honor and remember the legacy of the families and the communities” of Palo Verde, La Loma and Bishop, Carrillo said.
The land was originally the site of three predominantly Mexican-American communities known as Palo Verde, La Loma, and Bishop – today’s Chavez Ravine.
In the 1950s, Los Angeles city leaders wanted to build public housing for low-income residents on that land.
According to historic accounts, the families were pressured to sell their property to the city or forced out using eminent domain. And those who refused to leave were physically removed by law enforcement before their homes were bulldozed.
Those families were promised first dibs on homes in the new housing development. But that housing never materialized. Instead, city leaders changed their minds and ultimately offered the land to then-Dodgers owner Walter O’Malley to lure the team from Brooklyn, New York.
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