Congressman Cárdenas seeks to honor Ritchie Valens and Marilyn Monroe by renaming two post offices
Listen to this article“During this awards season, I am proud to introduce two bills renaming post offices on Van Nuys Boulevard after two of the San Fernando Valley’s most famous and celebrated artists, Richie Valens and Marilyn Monroe. Forty-six of my colleagues from California joined me in honoring these amazing talents from our great state.
Born in Pacoima, Ritchie Valens was a rock and roll pioneer, one of mainstream America’s first popular Mexican-American artists and a forefather of the Chicano rock movement. Once a student at San Fernando High School, Valens’ smash hit “La Bamba” took the nation by storm before he tragically passed in a plane crash that became known as “The Day the Music Died.”
Marilyn Monroe was and remains one of the most famous models and actresses in American culture. She attended Van Nuys High School and was discovered by an army photographer while she was working at the Radioplane Munitions Factory during World War II. Her films grossed the equivalent of $2 billion, before like Valens she passed away way too soon.
Both artists represent the work ethic and creative spirit that defines the San Fernando Valley. If passed into law, the post office on 6531 Van Nuys Boulevard will be named after Marilyn Monroe, and the post office on 13507 Van Nuys Boulevard in Pacoima will be named after Richie Valens.”
