Juliet from Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet” made this argument to imply that the names of things don’t necessarily affect what they really are. But “SOLA” standing in as a hip moniker for South Los Angeles may not go over as well with Latino residents. Councilman Bernard Parks (Eighth District) wants to incorporate this acronym to replace the negative connotations sometimes associated with South Central (or the newly-minted South Los Angeles) because it could invigorate the maligned area with a new, more gentrified contemporary-sounding name. Trouble is, the term “SOLA” in Spanish could suggest a “woman in sexual need.”
If the new acronym is adopted, don’t expect to see many Latinas wearing it on a T-shirt. At recent meetings at City Hall, some residents of South L.A. contended that Park’s proposal was a sign that Latinos are terribly overlooked—particularly in an area where they are the considerable majority.
Parks defended the proposal as an effort to bring South L.A. into an new era where abbreviated neighborhood names sound cool. NOHO (North Hollywood), WEHO (West Hollywood) and even DTLA (Downtown L.A.) are all the rage among millennials; Parks said it is a natural fit for a city trying daily to become a full-fledged, friendly destination point for travelers, particularly those visiting from within the Pacific Rim.
“If you really search hard, almost any word that you have in English and you translate it into another language could have another meaning,” Parks said. “I think we’re still in America, and we’re speaking English. That’s what we tried to come up with.”
However, Jamie Regalado, a professor emeritus of political science at Cal State L.A., said the name-change idea is an example of how political leaders may sometimes be out of touch with their constituents.
“I think Councilman Parks may have been alone on this,” Regalado said. “I don’t think it’s a wise move, and it’s really not a good word to describe a section of the community where Latinos are in the majority. I don’t think they looked very closely downtown at the meaning of the word.”
Councilman Curren Price (Ninth District) said he has received calls and emails from residents who feared that City Hall was going to attach yet a new label to their community …without any input from stakeholders. Price has since moved to table the measure until more community input could be received.
“It does have some negative connotations; it’s not exactly the powerful acronym that everyone may embrace,” Price said.
In 2003, residents said that [then] South Central Los Angeles had developed a national—if not worldwide—reputation for violence, drugs and gangs. They petitioned the city council to re-name it South L.A. in effort to remove the stigma of rampant crime and poverty. People didn’t get the opportunity for input this time, and some would like to think it over before the name catches on.
“Whether it is South Central L.A. or South L.A., we need to be clear on exactly what we’re doing here in the community,” said Jeff Page, a longtime South L.A. resident. “City Hall should not be in the business of dictating how communities are defined. They need to look at this more closely.”
