Plans to Name Park for Beilenson Proceed

City park officials will soon consider a proposal by Rep. Brad Sherman (D-Sherman Oaks) to rename Lake Balboa Park in honor of his predecessor in the 24th Congressional District, former Democratic Rep. Anthony C. Beilenson.

Beilenson, who stepped down in 1996, was instrumental in securing congressional funding for the lake and a host of other amenities, including hiking trails, picnic areas and landscaping, said Lake Balboa Park Superintendent James Ward.

“He was even involved in the designing of the park,” Ward said. “It was a very personal project for him.”

The 160-acre park, with its 26-acre, 72-million-gallon lake, was completed in 1992. It has since become a popular spot for walkers, bikers, boaters and fishermen.

Sherman said Friday that renaming the park in honor of Beilenson would be “a fitting statement of our appreciation for his good work.”

“Former congressman Anthony C. Beilenson spent many years in Congress working to create Lake Balboa Park and the nearby wildlife area,” Sherman said in a statement. “[Beilenson] obtained more than $18 million for the establishment of these public areas, and he personally oversaw the planning and development improvements at these sites.”

Al Carmichael, a planning officer with the city’s Department of Recreation and Parks, said that he was preparing a report on the proposal for the Board of Recreation and Parks.

The board could decide the matter as early as next month, he said.

A handful of residents turned out for a community meeting at the Balboa Recreation Center this week to discuss the name change.

While one or two expressed some reservations, Carmichael said it was extremely likely that the change would be approved.

“Renaming the park is a done deal,” Carmichael said. “It’s now just a matter of, are they going to rename the lake too?”

Ward said that it is not uncommon for the city to change the names of parks, something that requires little more than putting up new signs.

“There is sort of a history of people in the community knowing it as Lake Balboa Park,” Ward said. “I figure it will probably take five years or so for it to become known by its new name.”