Two months ago, Los Angeles City Councilman Bernard C. Parks pitched “SOLA” as a hip-sounding nickname for South Los Angeles. He said other communities had been reinvigorated with “contemporary names.”
But there was just un problema: In Spanish, “sola” means a woman who is alone. Or lonely. A woman wearing a “hip” SOLA shirt might actually appear to be looking for love.
At meetings at Los Angeles City Hall this week, some residents of South L.A. said the SOLA proposal was a sign that Latinos — who are now the majority in once predominantly black neighborhoods — were overlooked.