President Barack H. Obama Highway Gets Its Signs
Signs have gone up naming a section of a Los Angeles-area freeway as the President Barack H. Obama Highway. (AP Photo/John Antczak)
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The signs are up, and it's official: You can now take a drive on the President Barack H. Obama Highway.
Signs were posted Thursday, renaming a section of a Los Angeles-area freeway after the 44th president of the United States, The Associated Press reported. The signs were installed along a stretch of State Route 134 that runs from the Eagle Rock area of Los Angeles to Interstate 210 in Pasadena.
State lawmakers passed the measure last year in recognition of Obama's "more than two decades of dedicated public service to the citizens of the United States and the State of California," according to the resolution.
Former President Barack Obama attended Occidental College in Eagle Rock from 1979 to 1981 and lived in Pasadena. State Sen. Anthony J. Portantino, whose district includes the area, introduced the resolution in 2017. It met overwhelming support.
At the time of the resolution's passing, Portantino said he was grateful that residents in his district suggested the idea.
"[Obama's] attendance at Occidental College influenced his political trajectory and led him to become one of the most revered and respected presidents in American history," a statement from Portantino's office on the renaming reads.
The measure says "it is fitting" to designate the portion of the road in Obama's honor.
"His story is the American story – values from the heartland, a middle-class upbringing in a strong family, hard work and education as the means of getting ahead, and the conviction that a life so blessed should be lived in service to others," the measure states.
My reaction exactly.