South Los Angeles in Los Angeles County, California — The American West (Pacific Coastal)

Tom Labonge

1953 - 2021

— "Mr. Los Angeles" —

Tom Labonge Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Craig Baker, October 2, 2023

1. Tom Labonge Marker

Inscription. Tom Labonge was a native Angeleno who championed our city, its history, and its monuments, among them the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and all that transpired within its turnstiles. A Los Angeles City Councilmember from 2001-2015 and Coliseum Commissioner from 2002-2015, his association with the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum dates back to the early 1970s when he was a camera assistant for NFL films during Los Angeles Rams home games. His irrepressible love for L.A. spanned throughout his nearly 40 years as a dedicated public servant. His legacy includes major improvements at Griffith Observatory, the Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical Gardens and the Los Angeles River. His crowning achievement was the acquisition of Cahuenga Peak which saved the land around the Hollywood Sign from development. He also worked tirelessly developing the Los Angeles Sister Cities peole-to-people international cultural program that encompasses cities around the world. Tom treated anyone he encountered with equal friendliness and respect, whether a city sanitation worker, a foreign dignitary or fellow hiker, his signature gift was a loaf

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of pumpkin bread made by cloistered Dominican nuns at the Monastery of the Angels in Hollywood. His signature sign-off was "Enjoy and love Los Angeles." No one loved Los Angeles more than Tom Labonge, truly an angel in the City of Angels.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Government & Politics.

Location. 34° 0.846′ N, 118° 17.178′ W. Marker is in Los Angeles, California, in Los Angeles County. It is in South Los Angeles. It can be reached from Figueroa Street south of Exposition Boulevard, on the right when traveling south. Located at the Memorial Court of Honor within the Peristyle arches of the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Exposition Park. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 3911 S Figueroa St, Los Angeles CA 90037, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the Transverse Ranges.

It is also on the American Pacific Coast.

Globally, it is in North America,

on the Ring of Fire,

on the Pacific Rim,

in the Western Hemisphere,

in the Western World,

and in the Anglosphere.

Historically,

Photographed by Craig Baker, October 2, 2023

2. Tom Labonge Marker

it finds itself in what was once New Spain

and also Mexico’s Alta California.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Nelson Mandela (here, next to this marker); His Holiness Pope John Paul II (here, next to this marker); Lest We Forget (here, next to this marker); Los Angeles Coliseum Mercy Bowl (here, next to this marker); W.R."Bill" Schroeder (a few steps from this marker); John F. Kennedy (a few steps from this marker); Kenneth F. Hahn (a few steps from this marker); Peter Ueberroth (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Los Angeles.

Additional commentary.
1. Community Events
In the 1990s, Tom Labonge was Assistant to Mayor Richard Riordan, and we rode together during the mayor’s community bicycle rides, including one that began here in Exposition Park. Tom’s son rode on a child’s seat on the back of his bike, sleeping through most of the ride. Years later, during Councilmember Labonge’s community bicycle rides, I rode with Tom’s son when he was a young adult.

— Submitted December 16, 2023, by Craig Baker of Sylmar, California.

Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Peristyle image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Craig Baker, October 2, 2023

3. Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Peristyle

Credits. This page was last revised on December 17, 2023. It was originally submitted on December 16, 2023, by Craig Baker of Sylmar, California. This page has been viewed 211 times since then and 9 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on December 16, 2023, by Craig Baker of Sylmar, California.