Sixth District Long Beach Councilmember Dee Andrews will present an agenda item at the Tuesday, Oct. 14 City Council meeting requesting that a park in his district be named in honor of Latina singing star Jenni Rivera.
Born and raised in Long Beach, Rivera was an alumna of Long Beach Polytechnic High School. Andrews inducted Rivera into the Poly Walk Hall of Fame on July 26, 2012 for her career achievements and charitable work.
“Jenni was an inspiration to us all,” Andrews said. “Her star on the Poly Walk of Fame reminds us to keep reaching for our dreams no matter what are circumstances or surroundings maybe. By honoring Jenni Rivera with a Memorial Park, the City of Long Beach will be paying tribute to a great citizen of our city who was a remarkable entertainer, inspirational leader and an amazing ambassador of all of Long Beach.”
Rivera was a Mexican-American, Latin Grammy-nominated singer, songwriter, actress, television producer and entrepreneur known for her work within the banda, norteña and mariachi music genres. She began recording music in 1998, and her 10th studio album, Jenni, became her first number-one record on the Billboard Top Latin Albums chart in the United States. She was named the Top Latin Artist of 2013 by Billboard Magazine. Her long career included such honors as 20 million albums sold, making her the highest earning Banda singer of all time.
On Dec. 9, 2012, after performing to a sold-out crowd of 17,000 fans in Monterrey, Mexico, Rivera, along with six others, perished in a plane crash. She was buried Dec. 31, 2012 at All Souls Cemetery in Long Beach.
Source: Andrews’s office
