Former L.A. City Councilman Bill Rosendahl
Glen Alla Park, located off the 90 expressway near Culver Boulevard, has been renamed the Bill Rosendahl Del Rey Park.
The park, which had been named geographically because it is bordered by Glencoe Avenue and Alla Road, received full support from the L.A. Recreation and Park Board of Commissioners at their Zoom meeting on June 17.
In January 2019, the Del Rey Neighborhood Council proposed the renaming of Glen Alla Park in a resolution that “the Del Rey NC… supports the renaming of Glen Alla Park to ‘Del Rey Park’ with the potential addition of a name in memoriam so long as the Del Rey name is included.”
The Culver Slauson/Glen Alla Park Advisory Board also wanted the name “Del Rey” included in the proposed name. RAP Staff attended the Del Rey NC meeting on May 13, at which time the council officially proposed the park’s new name.
The Board report included the former CD 11 Councilmember’s, biography:
“Bill Rosendahl was born on May 15, 1945, in Englewood, New Jersey. From his early life, he was passionate about serving his community and his country.
“He supported President Kennedy’s campaign as a student in 1967, later modelling his political life after President Kennedy. He served in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War and worked as a psychiatric counselor for veterans when he returned.”
“He was a member of American Legion Post 283 based in Pacific Palisades.
“Del Rey Square, an affordable housing complex for ex-military low-income and formerly homeless senior citizens, renamed the complex to the Bill Rosendahl Senior Housing Community in his honor.
“Prior to serving on the Los Angeles City Council, Rosendahl was an educator and award-winning television broadcaster. He hosted several public cable programs, such as Week in Review and Beyond the Beltway, and produced more than 3,000 programs in his 16 years of journalism.
“Rosendahl was elected as the Council District 11 Councilmember in 2005 and served in the position until 2013. He was the first openly LGBTQ+ member of the City Council and the highest ranking LGBTQ+ official of Los Angeles.
“As chairman of the Transportation committee, Bill Rosendahl used his position to push for more mass public transportation to ease traffic congestion. He was also a strong proponent for homelessness and LGBTQ causes, with an emphasis on youth.
“He was directly responsible for the installation of the play equipment at Glen Alla Park and advocated for giving neighborhoods a larger voice in city decision-making with the expansion of neighborhood councils and park advisory boards.”
Rosendahl died on March 30, 2016, in his home in Mar Vista.
In 2013, RAP adopted a naming policy for its parks and recreational facilities, which includes 1) naming of parks is limited to those who are deceased and have made exceptional contributions to the park/community where it is located, 2) the naming promotes a positive public image and does not commercialize the park, and 3) the name must be compatible with the Mission of RAP.
The RAP Board felt the conditions had been met and new signage will be installed.
Said Commissioner Joe Halper, a longtime resident of Pacific Palisades: “Bill was a friend and I’m so pleased.”
RAP Commission President Sylvia Patsaouras said, “I was also pleased when I read this report.”
Bill Rosendahl was responsible for the park receiving a universal playground.
Can you imagine an initiative to rename a city park after Bonin?
It is a beautiful park, which I drove past this week enroute to Barnes&Noble in Marina del Rey. Unfortunately, that area of Glencoe Ave now has a growing number of tents & encampments along the street, between the park and Mindanao Way.