SYLMAR : Bid to Name Road for McMurray on Hold

A proposal to name a Sylmar street in honor of longtime community activist Erla Gale McMurray has been put on hold by Los Angeles Councilman Richard Alarcon.

The idea was put on the back burner after few people attended a community meeting sponsored by Alarcon to discuss the idea Tuesday night, said Alarcon’s press secretary, Arturo Gonzalez.

However, some Sylmar business leaders said they had not been notified of the meeting and would have attended had they known of it. Gwen Larson, past president of the Sylmar Chamber of Commerce, said she intended to call Alarcon’s office to ask him to reconsider.

“I think Alarcon’s aide just didn’t get the word out,” Larson said.

John Marlette, last year’s chamber president, said he told Alarcon in a meeting last week that he would prefer that the recreation center at Sylmar Park--rather than the street--be named after McMurray, who died at 71 earlier this year.

Other good bets would be the swimming pool or a baseball field, Marlette said. The park is “where she made a major contribution to the community,” he said.

McMurray was best known for her interest in children, including troubled and underprivileged youths. She coached basketball and served on the basketball and baseball boards, which oversee those sports’ leagues in Sylmar.

In addition, McMurray was the driving force behind the Sylmar chamber parade, the community theater and local holiday celebrations.

The street that would have been named after McMurray is a new road near the Sylmar-San Fernando Metrolink station.