Wave Wire Services
BOYLE HEIGHTS — A mural unveiling, an art exhibit opening and the premiere of a tribute play were part of Gloria Molina Day Aug. 29, honoring the late L.A. County supervisor, City Council and Assembly member who was the first Latina to serve on each of those bodies.
The events took place on the 54th anniversary of the historic East L.A. Chicano Moratorium anti-Vietnam War march, which drew some 30,000 demonstrators and laid the groundwork for Molina’s trailblazing career in public service.
Molina died of cancer on May 14, 2023, at 74, leaving behind a long line of “firsts” — and a longer line of Latino leaders inspired by her example.
The event were held one day after the City Council officially proclaimed Aug. 29 as Gloria Molina Day in the city.
Council members Kevin de León and Monica Rodriguez led the City Hall presentation that also featured several Molina family members.
The council members had originally introduced a resolution on Aug. 8 to mark the day in Molina’s honor.
“We gather on the eve of a day in which we will honor the memory and the legacy of a true trailblazer here in Los Angeles — that’s no other than our very own Gloria Molina,” de León said.
This date holds profound significance, marking the anniversary of the Chicano Moratorium — the pivotal moment that ignited Gloria’s journey as an activist, a dedicated public official and a national figure in the battle for equity and justice,” he added.
Rodriguez said it was a “tragic loss for our city” when Molina died. She described Molina as a “trailblazer” who opened opportunities for people in many communities to be seen and recognized.
“It was through her example and leadership that there were subsequently opportunities afforded to other Latinas to serve in legislative bodies, not just in Los Angeles, not just in California, but across the country,” Rodriguez said.
Mayor Karen Bass, along with de León, Rodriguez and numerous other dignitaries, attended the dedication of a mural honoring Molina that was commissioned to artist Margaret Garcia.
U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Los Angeles, L.A. County Supervisor Hilda Solis and labor leader/civil rights activist Dolores Huerta also were among those attending the dedication, which was followed by a reception at the nearby Casa 0101 Theater that also featured a new art exhibit titled “Gloria Molina: Madrina of the Eastside.”
Following the reception was the premiere of playwright Josefina López’s “A Woman Named Gloria” in the Gloria Molina Auditorium.
Molina, who grew up in Pico Rivera, was active in the early days of the Chicano movement, becoming an advocate for women’s health issues — which she continued into her time in elected office. She also founded a nurse mentoring program through local community colleges to address a nurse shortage at the time.
She first won elective office in 1982, capturing the 56th Assembly District seat and eventually leading a fight to quash a proposed prison in East L.A.
Molina won the City Council’s First District seat in 1987, and was elected to the Board of Supervisors from the county’s First District in 1991.
She served as a supervisor through 2014, becoming known as a sharp fiscal watchdog before being termed out. Her district encompassed Koreatown, Pico-Union, East Los Angeles and parts of the San Gabriel Valley.
Molina was also the first woman elected to the Board of Supervisors — once known as the “Five Little Kings” — though Yvonne Brathwaite Burke, who was appointed to fill a vacancy, was the first woman to serve on the board.
Prior to her elected positions, Molina worked as a deputy for presidential personnel in the Jimmy Carter White House.
In recognition of Molina’s leadership, the Board of Supervisors in 2023 renamed Grand Park — a project Molina also championed — in her honor. It is now called Gloria Molina Grand Park.
