April 21--For years, many neighborhoods south of the 10 Freeway have been lumped together in one ubiquitous title that became synonymous with crime, poverty and blight.
The city has made numerous attempts to give the community an identity. First, by ridding the area of the often negative moniker "South Central Los Angeles" and replacing it with "South Los Angeles." That spun a movement to give individual neighborhood names to add a touch of charm and personality.
In the latest attempt to re-brand, the City Council could move to christen the area SOLA, an abbreviation of its geographic reference. The new name was conceived to follow the acronym and abbreviation craze that grew from revitalized neighborhoods like North Hollywood (NoHo), West Hollywood (WeHo) and downtown Los Angeles (DTLA).
The motion, which was introduced by Councilman Bernard C. Parks, is up for discussion at Tuesday's council meeting. It will be the first time that residents will weigh in. Parks said he has not held meetings to discuss the new nickname, but that residents have suggested SOLA to him in passing.
"They see these other communities reinvigorated by these contemporary names," said Parks, who represents Council District 8. "And they wonder, at times, why their community is lagging behind."
An email was sent out to his constituents who subscribe to his weekly newsletter two days after he introduced the measure. For Gloria Walton, it was the second time she had heard of the move to reclassify South L.A. into SOLA. The first came from a Times inquiry.
"We need a true focus group to see if this is what the residents want," said Walton, who is head of Strategic Concepts in Organizing and Policy Education. "But it begs the question: Who is the name change really for? It is really for the residents who live here now or is this about gentrification?"
