Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and City Councilman Kevin de León were expected to be present when a massive mural honoring the late Dodgers legend Fernando Valenzuela is officially unveiled in Boyle Heights on Sunday.
Along with Bass and de León, Spanish-language announcer Jaíme Jarrin of the beloved Dodgers and actor Edward James Olmos were also expected to attend.
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Robert Vargas, the artist behind the masterpiece, will discuss his creation at the conference on Sunday. He is known for his incredible murals throughout Los Angeles, including: Shohei Ohtani mural in Little Tokyo.
“I literally started painting the day he passed away,” Vargas said while speaking to KCAL News. Since then, he says, the work has acquired a much deeper meaning.
The Ohtani and Valenzuela murals, both located on First Street, face each other. Vargas says this is no coincidence.
“It’s really about bridging these two communities and the connection that Mexican-Americans and Japanese-Americans have had since the antebellum period,” he said.
On Friday, November 1, Los Angeles City Council members approved a resolution to make the day “Fernando Valenzuela Day,” which is also the Mexican-born star’s birthday.
The mural was announced several days earlier news of Valenzuela’s death on October 22and just weeks before the Dodgers World Series run and reflects the “spirit and pride that Valenzuela brought to the Dodgers and the city,” de León’s office said in a statement.
Because of the festive parade through the streets of Downtown Los Angeles, the original unveiling ceremony scheduled for Friday was postponed.
Valenzuela captivated Dodger fans in the 1980s when he burst onto the scene as a rookie in 1981. His dominance on the mound and affinity with Angelenos led to “Fernandomania.” That season, the left-hander won the Rookie of the Year Award and the Cy Young Award in the National League.
Over the course of his career, most of which was spent with the Boys in Blue, Valenzuela was named to six All-Star teams, threw a no-hitter and won one Gold Glove Award and two Silver Slugger Awards.
After his playing career, Valenzuela moved to the booth, where he continued to earn the respect of Dodger fans across the country. He is highly regarded for his contributions to the community and news of his death was was met with an outpouring of support.
“Fernando’s contributions to the game of baseball are matched only by his contributions to the city of Los Angeles, where he remains an icon of perseverance, humility and cultural pride, helping to increase the visibility of the Latino community and serving as a beacon for generations to come. with different backgrounds,” said the resolution, which was presented by de León at the end of October.
