WHEREAS, Fernando Valenzuela was born on November 1, 1960, in Etchohuaquila, a small town within the municipality of Navojoa, Sonora, Mexico; and

WHEREAS, Valenzuela was the youngest of 12 children born to Avelino and María Valenzuela, who were humble farmers who worked the land with the help of their children and were of Mayo indigenous ancestry; and

WHEREAS, In 1981, Valenzuela married Linda Burgos, a schoolteacher from Mexico. Early in his career, Valenzuela and his family spent off-seasons between the Mexican cities of Etchohuaquila and Mérida. The couple had four children: Fernando Jr., Ricardo, Linda, and Maria Fernanda. Fernando Jr. eventually played in the San Diego Padres and Chicago White Sox organizations; and

WHEREAS, The Los Angeles Dodgers always seemed to know before anyone else that baseball was meant as a multicultural game. Yet, for more than two decades, the Dodgers lacked a star to whom the city’s large Mexican and Mexican-American communities could relate. For Mexicans and Mexican Americans, Fernando Valenzuela was a beacon of hope, inspiration, and pride; and

WHEREAS, That all changed in 1981, when Valenzuela took the mound on opening day, throwing a five-hit shutout against the Houston Astros in route to an 8-0 start to the season. The 20-year-old rookie lefthander from a small Mexican town became a sensation for his baseball prowess and his quirks: the hair, the windup, and the screwball. More importantly, he inspired the local Latino community, many of whom had never before rooted for the team. Finally, they had a hero who looked just like them. The phenomenon was called “Fernandomania,” and it reverberated both inside Dodger Stadium on the nights he pitched and all over Los Angeles; and

WHEREAS, Valenzuela’s story as a Mexican-born phenomenon for the Los Angeles Dodgers transcended sports, becoming a symbol of hope and pride within the Latino community. Fernandomania reflected Valenzuela’s impact and legacy as an athlete who opened doors for ballplayers around the globe. Valenzuela is almost single-handedly responsible for the love the Dodgers receive from the Latino community, helping to mend the team’s frosty relationship with those who had never forgotten that the team built Dodger Stadium on land that had been vacated by primarily Latino families in Chavez Ravine in the 1950s. After multiple Latino families were forcibly removed from their homes in order to make room for construction, many Latinos would not set foot in the stadium. Valenzuela’s success helped changed that; and

WHEREAS, The Dodgers, longing for a star to connect with the Latino population in Los Angeles, finally found one in Valenzuela, whose impact would transform what had been predominantly a white fanbase. The city’s Mexican community began to flock to Dodger Stadium during his starts. The Dodgers, who had become the first franchise to draw 3 million fans in 1978, averaged 48,430 fans during Valenzuela’s home starts and 42,523 overall during the strike-interrupted 1981 season, which was the highest average attendance in Dodger Stadium history to that point. That year, Valenzuela became the first in baseball history to win Rookie of the Year and a Cy Young Award as baseball’s top pitcher in the same season; and

WHEREAS, After retiring from Major League Baseball in 1997, the pitching legend eventually found his way into the broadcasting booth at Dodger Stadium in 2003, and spent the rest of his life giving analysis in Spanish to a whole new generation of fans; and

WHEREAS, Valenzuela became a United States citizen on July 22, 2015, at a ceremony in downtown Los Angeles. Following Valenzuela’s naturalization, President Obama appointed him a special ambassador for citizenship and naturalization, promoting the rights, responsibilities, and opportunities of citizenship among eligible lawful permanent residents; and

WHEREAS, The Fernando Valenzuela Foundation was perhaps his most well-known charitable initiative. The foundation aimed to improve the lives of children and families in need, focusing on education, health, and sports. The foundation worked to provide resources and opportunities for young people, especially in his home country of Mexico; and

WHEREAS, Valenzuela was a supporter of various hospital efforts, including those dedicated to children’s healthcare and fundraising events benefiting pediatric care. In 2014, he surprised patients at the Children's Hospital Los Angeles by distributing toys and taking photos with their families. He said he wanted to visit the children because it was almost Christmas and he thought they might like Dodger gifts; and

WHEREAS, In the Los Angeles area, Valenzuela supported initiatives of the Los Angeles Latino Chamber of Commerce aimed at helping Latino-owned businesses and economic empowerment in the Latino community; and

WHEREAS, In 2015, Valenzuela visited Estrada Courts, a low-income housing complex in Los Angeles, to hand out holiday gifts to 100 children; and

WHEREAS, As a former Dodgers player, Valenzuela was also involved in the Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation, which worked to improve the lives of underserved youth and families in Los Angeles by providing resources in areas such as education, health, and recreation. Valenzuela visited the Long Beach Convention Center shelter for migrant children in 2021. He connected with the children by sharing his immigrant experience and playing Wiffle ball with them. Speaking in Spanish, Valenzuela offered comfort and encouragement, making the children feel seen and valued during a challenging time; and

WHEREAS, Valenzuela’s nickname, “El Toro,” symbolized strength, determination, and an indomitable spirit, qualities that Valenzuela displayed every time he played as a pitcher or a batter. That’s why fans voted for the Mexican player to have this nickname, which stayed with him for the rest of his life; and

WHEREAS, Fernando Valenzuela died in a Los Angeles hospital on October 22, 2024, at the age of 63, three days before the 2024 World Series began between the Dodgers and the New York Yankees; therefore, be it