Englander park could get new name
As ex-councilman heads to prison, site might not pay tribute to family
It’s been more than two years since former Los Angeles Councilman Mitchell Englander suggested naming a sprawling park in Porter Ranch after members of his family.
Now, as the disgraced politician is set to start his prison sentence June 1, the city is reviewing different naming options for the 50-acre park.
“There is no set timeline, but we plan on having something in place when the park is opened to the public,” wrote a spokeswoman for Councilman John Lee, who now represents Englander’s district, in an email.
When Englander announced in 2018 about his plans to open the park, he said the facility would offer modern amenities and panoramic views of the San Fernando Valley and Santa Susana Mountains.
Designed with drought-tolerant plants, basketball and tennis courts, the park would feature a splash pad and children’s playground. Several picnic areas, walking and equestrian trails would surround the facility. A pavilion would host arts events and bear Englander’s name. As for the park,
it would be called after his late mother and sister, Linda and Natalie Bloom.
A few months after Englander stepped down, Councilman Greig Smith, who temporarily filled the District 12 seat, introduced a motion, suggesting to “honor the request of a loyal steward” of the 12th district and name the facility at 11900 North Mason Ave. Bloom Park.
While the news about the park was met with enthusiasm by residents, the idea of naming the park after the former councilman was met with criticism.
Jay Beeber of the North Hills West Neighborhood Council said during a 2019 meeting it was inappropriate for a councilman to name the park.
The city acquired the Porter Ranch Sesnon property in 1993 as a part of a multiparcel property exchange with the Porter Ranch Development Co. owned by luxury home developer Toll Brothers.
As soon as the park broke ground in early 2018, the Board of Recreation and Park Commissioners received a request from Toll Brothers to name the facility Bloom Park.
Frank Su, Toll Brothers’ Division vice president, wrote in a letter in October 2018 to the Department of Recreation and Parks that he wanted to join “the community’s wishes to honor the man who worked with us and truly helped make this park a reality: Los Angeles City Council member Mitchell Englander.”
Su declined a request to be interviewed for this story.
In 2018, Englander wrote in a letter filed with the board that he was “truly grateful to support Bloom Park’s Englander Pavilion” and was “honored that the community would recognize his family in such an incredible way.”
Then, in December 2018, Englander abruptly stepped down after federal investigators began questioning him about taking thousands of dollars in cash from a businessman during a 2017 trip to Las Vegas.
As the councilman’s name appeared in headlines, residents wondered whether the park should have the name of a politician undergoing an FBI investigation.
Meanwhile, members of the Porter Ranch neighborhood council land use committee said Englander never reached out to them about his plans to name the park after his relatives and never had conducted community outreach.
When the neighborhood council asked residents what name they would prefer, suggestions poured in, with some offering to name it The Valley View or Top of the Valley Park. Soon, the Porter Ranch Neighborhood Council wrote a letter to the recreation and park board suggesting the facility be named Porter Ranch Community Park.
A San Fernando Valley Native American tribe, known as the Fernandeño Tataviam Band of Mission Indians, sent a letter to the city’s Department of Recreation and Parks, saying they also wanted to be part of the naming process. Tribal President Rudy J. Ortega wrote in the letter the facility was in the tribe’s traditional territory and needed to be named Sesevenga Community Park, which means “the place of the sycamorewoods” in the tribe’s language.
More than two years after the former councilman broke ground on the park, it’s still under construction.
Neither the Department of Recreation and Parks nor Lee’s office clarified when the park is expected to open. It’s unclear what names the city is considering for the park and whether the pavilion will keep Englander’s name.