Good morning, and welcome to the Essential California newsletter. It’s Friday, April 15. I’m Robert J. Lopez, writing from Petaluma in Sonoma County.
For several decades beginning in the late 1800s, Mexican and Mexican American laborers were instrumental in building rail lines in Los Angeles and across the West. Known as traqueros, these workers performed the back-breaking task of laying the track and rails essential to our supply chain infrastructure.
To commemorate their accomplishments, the Los Angeles City Council has approved the process of installing a monument that would be prominently displayed in Venice’s Windward Circle near the beach and boardwalk.
“We have the opportunity to celebrate the Traqueros and the broader Mexican-American community on the Westside of Los Angeles,” said a motion presented last year by Councilmember Mike Bonin, who represents the area, and seconded by Councilmember Kevin de León.
I recently spoke to members of the Venice Mexican American Traqueros Monument Committee at Oakwood Park, not far from where the monument will be located. They stressed the importance of acknowledging the contributions of the laborers whose hard work is intertwined with the development of Los Angeles.
“This is a part of history that is not in our history books and not taught in schools,” said Laura Ceballos, 51, who was raised in Venice and is active in the local Latino community. “It’s very important to educate the community and leave something for our children and grandchildren.”
The bronze sculpture, designed by accomplished Mexican artist Jorge Marín, will depict a traquero on the railroad as he grasps his daughter’s hand, with his son on his shoulders and his wife at his side.
The monument is supported by organizations and people including the Mexican Consulate and labor icon Dolores Huerta, co-founder with César Chávez of the United Farm Workers.
The City Council directed officials from several departments to work together on ways to install the monument, which supporters hope will be in place by 2024.
For longtime Venice resident Joe Preciado, 73, the monument is personal.
His grandfather came to the United States from Guanajuato, Mexico, in the 1890s and helped build rail lines in Oklahoma. He met his wife there at a traquero camp, where women would cook and bring baskets of tacos and other food for the laborers.
“This means a lot to me,” Preciado said. “Latinos contributed to this country and they need to be recognized.”
And now, here’s what’s happening across California:
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California pauses plans to require COVID-19 vaccinations for schoolchildren. Gov. Gavin Newsom announced the mandate for immunization upon full federal approval of the shots, which would have gone into effect by July 1, will be pushed back to at least July 1, 2023, because the FDA has not yet fully approved the vaccine for children. The announcement came hours after state Sen. Richard Pan (D-Sacramento) said he would pull a bill that would have added COVID-19 vaccines to California’s list of required inoculations for attending K-12 schools. Los Angeles Times
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Read More: Essential California: A Venice monument to Mexican American railroad workers