City of Los Angeles
Flag of Los Angeles, California
Flag of Los Angeles, California
"Fiesta Flag"
UseOther Small vexillological symbol or pictogram in black and white showing the different uses of the flag
AdoptedJuly 22, 1931
DesignA vertical tricolor with green (left), gold (center) and red (right), each with zig-zagged edges, and the city seal in the center
Designed byRoy E. Silent and E.S. Jones

The city flag of Los Angeles consists of a background of three notched stripes of green, gold and red. The flag was designed by Roy E. Silent and E.S. Jones in 1931 for the Los Angeles sesquicentennial from 1781.

Design and symbolism

The three colors on the flag represent olive trees (green), orange groves (gold) and vineyards (red).[1] They also symbolize the history of the city, with gold and red representing Spain, the country who first colonized the city and green and red representing Mexico, who took over when New Spain achieved independence.[2] The city seal is shown in the center of the flag. Surrounding the shield are representations of three major Californian crops: grapes, olives, and oranges. The seal contains a heraldic shield quartered showing:

  1. an approximation of the shield shown on the Great Seal of the United States, though the blue chief features thirteen stars;
  2. an approximation of the flag of California;
  3. an approximation of the coat of arms of Mexico;
  4. a tower and lion of the Kingdom of Castile and the Kingdom of León, representing the arms of Spain.

The flag evokes mixed reactions, with some disliking the design, and some praising it. Many of the staff at LAist/KPCC criticized it in 2019. Ted Kaye, an author of "Good" Flag, "Bad" Flag, a booklet endorsed by the North American Vexillological Association, described Los Angeles' flag as a "failed image" that fails to spark pride and unity in the city. He criticized its use of the city seal while praising the serrated green, gold, and red stripes.[3]

History

The flag of Los Angeles mounted outside the historic Eugene Biscailuz Building

The flag, designed by Roy E. Silent and E.S. Jones, was presented to the city by the La Fiesta Association for the city's sesquicentennial anniversary. The seal on the flag was officially adopted on March 27, 1905.[2]

The flag received brief international prominence when, during the closing of the 1980 Moscow Olympics, it was raised instead of the United States flag as a symbol of the next Olympic host.[4] The move was done upon the request of the United States government, which asked the International Olympic Committee to not use the American flag because the U.S. had boycotted the Moscow Olympics.[5]

A Los Angeles flag was taken to space in 1984 by Sally Ride, on the Space Shuttle Challenger. It is on display in the Los Angeles City Hall.[6]

In a 2004 North American Vexillological Association survey, the design ranked 33rd out of 150 American city flags.[7]

See also

References

  1. ^ "The Official Flag of Los Angeles". City of Los Angeles. Retrieved 24 April 2020.
  2. ^ a b Purcell, John M. American City Flags (PDF). pp. 194–95. Retrieved 24 April 2020.
  3. ^ Fonseca, Ryan (July 22, 2019). "Is LA's Flag Good Or Garbage?". LAist. Retrieved 25 April 2020.
  4. ^ Whitney, Craig R. (1 August 1980). "Los Angeles Flag to Fly At Moscow". The New York Times. Vol. 129, no. 44662.
  5. ^ Whitney, Craig R. (18 July 1980). "White House Protests Plan to Use U.S. Flag At Moscow Olympics". The New York Times. Vol. 129, no. 44648.
  6. ^ Patten, Frederick. "Vexi-Tidbets" (PDF). NAVA News. No. July/August 1992. Retrieved 24 April 2020.
  7. ^ "2004 American City Flags Survey". North American Vexillological Association. Retrieved 24 April 2020.

External links

City of Los Angeles
Flags of cities in the United States
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