SHOHEI OHTANI AND L.A. CITY COUNCIL ARE BESTIES NOW? – LOS CUENTOS WRAP-UP

J.T. the L.A. Storyteller

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You can also catch this WRAP-UP on YouTube. On Friday, May 17, the L.A. City Council presented a number of local celebrities with some proclamations. May 17th was declared “Shohei Ohtani day,” while May 19th is now “Father Greg Boyle” day, at least on the official calendar of the L.A. City Council chambers. Afterwards, a number of different speakers made Public Comment, many in opposition to an eviction notice filed against the Hernandez family at Plazita Olvera, who’s owned the landmark destination’s only burro or donkey for over 60 years.

Plazita Olvera is located less than half a mile north of L.A. City Hall, but half a mile south of L.A. City Hall is Suehiro cafe, or the former location of Suehiro Cafe, which had been in operation in Little Tokyo for over 50 years before closing this January not because of an eviction notice, but because of a massive rent hike imposed by the landlord; two months later, a brand-new mural of Ohsei Ohtani was revealed across the street from Suehiro’s former location in Little Tokyo. It was a special day on 1st street, full of vibes, not so different from those at this L.A. City Council meeting.

While institutions like L.A. City Council have the power to declare and even decorate for symbolic purposes like Ohtani or Father Boyle day, they do not have the power to prevent eviction notices like the one given to the Hernandez family and their burro at Plazita Olvera, nor the power to prevent rent hikes for legacy businesses like Kenji Suzuki’s Suehiro Cafe in Little Tokyo. The question for Ohtani in particular then is if his legacy will go the way of Fernando Valenzuela, another “once-in-a-generation” talent who the Dodgers would nonetheless isolate from local working class communities outside of the jersey and uniform.

That’s all for the introductory wrap-up! To learn more about my nonprofit work in Los Angeles, visit onevecindario.org. To support the production of J.T. the L.A. Storyteller Podcast for as little as $5 a month, check out my page at Patreon.
Until the next time, stay vigilant and stay tuned!

J.T.

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