Hazard Park is a city park in

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. The park was named after Henry T. Hazard, the 20th mayor of Los Angeles. The park is abutted by County+USC Medical Center and the

Francisco Bravo Medical Magnet High School Francisco Bravo Medical Magnet High School is a magnet public high school in the Los Angeles Unified School District with a focus on serving students who plan to study in the healthcare field. It is located near the LAC+USC Medical Center, in the ...

History

Named after Henry T. Hazard A 2000-seat terraced

grandstand A grandstand is a normally permanent structure for seating spectators. This includes both auto racing and horse racing. The grandstand is in essence like a single section of a stadium, but differs from a stadium in that it does not wrap a ...

opened in 1911 in the park, as did "the largest and best fitted playgrounds", divided into sections for boys and for girls. Beginning in 1962, a 1000-bed

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(VA) hospital was planned to replace the park. The VA had proposed exchanging of park land for the at the VA property near Westwood. This proposal was met with opposition organized through the Save Hazard Park Association, which called the action "

Robin Hood Robin Hood is a legendary heroic outlaw originally depicted in English folklore and subsequently featured in literature and film. According to legend, he was a highly skilled archer and swordsman. In some versions of the legend, he is depic ...

ism in reverse", since parkland in a poor Latino community would be exchanged for parkland in wealthier West Los Angeles. In 1966, the City Parks Commission voted in favor of the exchange, with general manager of the Recreation and Parks Department calling it a "good deal for the city". In the same year, Mayor

Sam Yorty Samuel William Yorty (October 1, 1909 – June 5, 1998) was an American radio host, attorney, and politician from Los Angeles, California. He served as a member of the United States House of Representatives and the California State Assembly, ...

and the city council approved the exchange. The Association brought an injunction against the city, but it was denied in 1968. By 1969, Yorty ceded to the protest, asking the city council to repeal the plan. The ''

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'' said "the council and the mayor moved correctly, if belatedly", calling it a victory for the Association. In May 1970, a celebration occurred at the park to celebrate the dropping of the

eminent domain Eminent domain (United States, Philippines), land acquisition (India, Malaysia, Singapore), compulsory purchase/acquisition (Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, United Kingdom), resumption (Hong Kong, Uganda), resumption/compulsory acquisition (Austr ...

suit. The celebration included local artist

Leo Politi Atiglio Leoni Politi (November 21, 1908 – March 26, 1996) was an American artist and author who wrote and illustrated some 20 children's books, as well as ''Bunker Hill, Los Angeles'' (1964), intended for adults. His works often celebrated cu ...

, who had painted murals at the park during the protests. In 2000, supporters lobbied for the inclusion of an adjacent section of wetlands to be included in the park. The efforts were led by the Save Hazard Park Association, which renamed to Friends of Hazard Park and Hazard Park Wetlands.

References

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External links

Hazard Recreation Center
at the City of Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks Parks in Los Angeles Boyle Heights, Los Angeles