Chicano Park Preservation Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, located in the Barrio Logan community of San Diego, Chicano Park is a 7.4-acre parcel known for its display of nearly 50 vibrant murals depicting the history, culture, and its civil rights movement.

Residents secured the creation of the park in 1970 by protesting the construction of a parking lot on the vacant land the city previously promised for the development of the community park. After successfully taking over the land, artists painted dozens of vibrant murals on the pillars and ramps of the San Diego-Coronado Bay Bridge located in the park, creating the largest concentration of these murals in the world.

H.R. 3711 authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to evaluate the national significance of the park, determine the suitability and feasibility of designating it as a national historic landmark or affiliated area of the National Park Service through a special resource study. The bill prohibits the Secretary from considering any options that result in the Federal acquisition of the park. I urge adoption of this bill, H.R. 3711.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

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