California bill seeks reparations for families whose homes were in way of Dodger Stadium

In the 1950s families in Chavez Ravine lost their homes when L.A. city leaders wanted their land -- now Dodger Stadium.

Assemblymember Wendy Carrillo has introduced a bill seeking reparations for the families who lost their homes decades ago when Los Angeles city leaders pressured them to sell their land – and in some cases forcibly evicted many homeowners – from the area where Dodger Stadium sits today.

The land was originally the site of three predominantly Mexican-American communities known as Palo Verde, La Loma, and Bishop – today’s Chavez Ravine.

In the 1950s, Los Angeles city leaders wanted to build public housing for low-income residents on that land.

According to historic accounts, the families were pressured to sell their property to the city or forced out using  eminent domain. And those who refused to leave were physically removed by law enforcement before their homes were bulldozed.

Those families were promised first dibs on homes in the new housing development. But that housing never materialized. Instead, city leaders changed their minds and ultimately offered the land to then-Dodgers owner Walter O’Malley to lure the team from Brooklyn, New York.

During a news conference Friday, March 22, to announce the introduction of her legislation, Carrillo said Assembly Bill 1950, known as the Chavez Ravine Accountability Act, aims to correct an injustice that’s “lingered in the shadows of Los Angeles’ Eastside history for far too long.”

The bill calls for creating a public database with information about the events involving the city’s land acquisition and for reparations.

Carrillo wants the city to offer city-owned land to the families displaced decades ago — land that is comparable to what they once had. She also wants to see market-rate compensation — adjusted for inflation — to repay what these families lost.

In addition, the bill calls for establishing a permanent memorial to honor the displaced families.

“With this legislation, we are addressing the past, giving voice to this injustice, acknowledging the pain of those displaced, offering reparative measures and ensuring that we honor and remember the legacy of the families and the communities” of Palo Verde, La Loma and Bishop, Carrillo said.

Carol Jacques, 81, was born in Palo Verde. She said people like her grandfather – who arrived in L.A. in 1907 and later bought two lots – ended up in Palo Verde because people of color were prohibited from living in certain parts of L.A. at the time.

The families who moved into the area built their homes and formed a community with a main street, two churches and two schools, she recalled during the press conference.

“We had a community. … We lived the American Dream,” Jacques said.

But, she said, “When they evicted those people, boom! …. It’s like you put a bomb to us and we just disappeared, like, overnight.”

Mayor Karen Bass’ office did not respond to a request for comment about what Bass thinks of Assembly Bill 1950.

A spokesperson for the Dodgers also did not respond to a message seeking comment.

Carrillo said conversations about what the reparations will entail, how much it would cost and who would be responsible are still in their early stages. Right now, she’s focused on educating the public – and lawmakers who will decide whether to pass the bill – about what happened.

She said there have been conversations with the Dodgers but did not elaborate further or discuss the team’s position.

“There are different opinions related to responsibility, what happened between the beginning of … the displacement and the 1950s, versus the resolution and the motions by the Los Angeles City Council to bring in a baseball team,” Carrillo said.

“Some folks place blame, some don’t, and I think part of what we want to create is an opportunity for healing and an opportunity for everyone to come to the table and to really find a pathway forward,” she said.