ABSTRACT
On July 26, 2011 the City of Los Angeles unveiled a satellite city hall for Pacoima, in the northeast corner of the San Fernando Valley. 1 An extensive mural highlights several noteworthy Pacoimans, and although Pacoima and its surrounding neighborhoods are now anywhere from between 75 to 99 percent Latino, muralist Ignacio Gomez had gone to great lengths to sketch the multiethnic patchwork that characterized the region for several generations. 2 Gomez painted a story of homegrown celebrities, cultural workers, community organizers and everyday residents who crafted an eastern San Fernando Valley community. This story subverted antagonistic stereotypes layered on the region and staged a vibrant civil rights movement that defied the contours of “suburban” political activism. 3 While some of the figures portrayed in the mural are veritable cultural icons, such as George Lopez and Ritchie Valens, other were more obscure, even though they challenged the dynamics of race, space, and activism beyond an urban core.
