PACOIMA, CA – On Friday, May 13, 2022, Pacoima Post Office, located at 13507 Van Nuys Boulevard, will be dedicated to honor late rock & roll legend Ritchie Valens at 10:00 am. “We are very proud to have this facility honor the life and accomplishments of Ritchie Valens,” said Postal Service District Manager Al Santos.

Al Santos will be joined at the ceremony by Congressman Tony Cardenas (CA-29), the Valens family and other dignitaries to unveil the building naming plaque that will be installed in the Post Office lobby.

U.S. Representative Tony Cardenas introduced the legislation signed into law by President Donald Trump (HR 1253) on December 12, 2019, naming the building for Ritchie Valens thereby paying tribute to an icon that continues to inspire musicians many decades after his premature death.

Valens died at the age of 17 on February 3, 1959, in a plane crash that also took the lives of Buddy Holly and J.P. “The Big Bopper” Richardson. He was the subject of the 1987 film La Bamba” and was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2001.

“Ritchie Valens is an example of how even when it seems like there is no path to your dream, you make your own way and build your own path,” Congressman Tony Cardenas said. “Ritchie Valens exemplifies the talent and greatness that exists in this community,’ said Councilwoman Monica Rodriguez at an announcement about the Valens highway renaming ceremony, which runs through Pacoima.

The dedication of this federal building is a beautiful way to honor the legacy of this gifted young man that contributed so much to Latino music, to his community, and to aspiring artists around the world.

###