Los Angeles Philharmonic Association Names Hollywood Bowl Main Entrance in Honor of Zev Yaroslavsky

The Los Angeles Philharmonic Association has named the Hollywood Bowl Main Gate in honor of Los Angeles County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky, in recognition of his unwavering support of the arts in Los Angeles.

As Third District County Supervisor, Yaroslavsky has helped to modernize the Hollywood Bowl, improving the overall experience for the millions of people who visit the iconic venue. Yaroslavsky has provided County funds to help renovate the Bowl's shell, bench seating in the theater, restrooms, large LED screens, park furnishings and lighting, and the picnic areas located throughout the Bowl grounds. Yaroslavsky was the leading proponent of the 1996 park and open-space funding measure Proposition A, which provided funding for infrastructure improvements at the Bowl, including accessible seating and elevators.

A longstanding supporter of the Los Angeles Philharmonic Association, Yaroslavsky was instrumental in the development and building of the LA Phil's winter home, Walt Disney Concert Hall. Diane B. Paul, Board Chair of the Los Angeles Philharmonic Association, comments, "As Supervisor Yaroslavsky prepares to step down, those of us at the LA Phil and in the larger arts community pay tribute to his enduring commitment to the cultural life of the County. Zev is a true champion for the arts and has played a central role in the renovation of the Hollywood Bowl and the development of Walt Disney Concert Hall. We could think of no more fitting tribute to his legacy than naming the Bowl's Main Gate - a gate through which more than a million people pass each year - in his honor."

Yaroslavsky is now one of two Supervisors for whom a part of the Hollywood Bowl is named. The Bowl's museum was renamed the Edmund D. Edelman Hollywood Bowl Museum in 1997 in honor of Yaroslavsky's predecessor.

"Some of my fondest memories are of visiting the Hollywood Bowl as a child with my parents," Yaroslavsky said. "Representing the Bowl for the past 20 years as County Supervisor for the area has been both a privilege, and a sacred trust," he continued, "so this is really a very, very special honor for me. I'm deeply grateful for this recognition."

Zev Yaroslavsky was first elected to the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors in 1994, representing the western part of the County and a constituency of two million people, after serving 19 years on the Los Angeles City Council. He was re-elected four times, most recently in 2010. Yaroslavsky is a longtime leader on fiscal, health care, transportation, cultural and environmental matters. He authored the 1996 Proposition A parks and open space acquisition and preservation measure, as well as the 2002 Proposition B trauma tax, credited with stabilizing the County's emergency health care network. He is considered the County's fiscal watchdog, insisting that it live within its means. He was the driving force behind the Orange Line busway across the San Fernando Valley, an integral part of the region's public transit network. He led the effort in 2004 to rebuild and modernize the Hollywood Bowl, and he was instrumental in the successful completion of Walt Disney Concert Hall, which opened in 2003. He has also helped fund major investments in the L.A. County Museum of Art and the County's Museum of Natural History.

Nestled snugly in the Hollywood Hills, the Hollywood Bowl is the largest natural amphitheater in the United States. Seating nearly 18,000 patrons, the Bowl has been the summer home of the Los Angeles Philharmonic since its official opening in 1922; outdoor concert performances each summer feature classical, jazz, and world music presented by the Los Angeles Philharmonic Association. To this day, $1 buys a seat at the top of the Bowl for many of the Los Angeles Philharmonic's concerts. The Bowl's summer music festivals have become as much a part of a Southern California summer as beaches and barbecues, the Dodgers and Disneyland. The Bowl grounds themselves - one of Los Angeles County's most renowned parks - are open year-round for visitors to enjoy free of charge.

Photo Credit: Timothy Norris

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