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LA Metro renames Pershing Square station after Biddy Mason

LA Metro renames Pershing Square station after Biddy Mason

Rule Changes Los Angeles, CA local

Unanimous board vote follows the city council's September renaming of the square, which still faces a legal challenge

October 22nd, 2026: Metro board renames the station

Overview

Updated Oct 25

Metro's board voted unanimously on October 22 to rename the downtown Pershing Square station after Biddy Mason, who was born into slavery and became one of Los Angeles' first Black landowners. The subway stop on the B and D lines will join a stretch of downtown that already includes Biddy Mason Memorial Park, named for her since the 1990s.

The LA City Council voted 11-0 on September 4 to rename the square itself, with four members absent. That change has not taken effect: the Recreation and Parks Commission has not scheduled a hearing. Esotouric, a history tour company, filed a cure and correct demand on October 2 asking the city to void the vote, saying officials skipped required public outreach and relied on a false claim that General John Pershing never visited Los Angeles.

Why it matters

Downtown Metro riders will see a reminder of a formerly enslaved woman's ascent — unless the legal challenge unravels the plan.

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Key Indicators

11-0
City Council vote on Sept. 4 to rename Pershing Square
The 15-member council voted 11-0 with four members absent; the vote is under legal challenge.
1856
Year Biddy Mason won freedom for herself and 13 others
An ally filed the petition; the writ freed 14 people.
1
Legal challenge pending against the renamings
Esotouric filed a cure and correct demand on Oct. 2 asking the city to void the Sept. 4 vote.

Voices

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People Involved

Karen Bass
Karen Bass
Mayor of Los Angeles and Metro Board Chair
Serving as LA's 43rd mayor
 Holly Mitchell
Holly Mitchell
LA County Supervisor and Metro Board member
Represents LA County's 2nd District
 Bridget "Biddy" Mason
Bridget "Biddy" Mason
19th-century philanthropist and landowner; honoree of the renaming
Deceased (1818–1891)
 Jackie Broxton
Jackie Broxton
President and CEO, Biddy Mason Charitable Foundation
Leading advocate for the renaming campaign

Organizations Involved

Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LA Metro)
Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LA Metro)
Transit agency
Voted to rename Pershing Square station after Biddy Mason

The region's transit operator, running Metro Rail and bus systems across Los Angeles County.
Biddy Mason Charitable Foundation
Biddy Mason Charitable Foundation
Nonprofit
Advocating for the renaming and supporting foster youth

A 501(c)(3) nonprofit serving Los Angeles County's current and former foster youth, named in honor of Biddy Mason.
Esotouric
Esotouric
History tour company and preservation group
Challenging the renaming process

A Los Angeles history tour company that filed a cure and correct demand over the renaming.

Timeline

2024 October 2026

4 events Latest: October 22nd, 2026 · 3 weeks ago
Tap a bar to jump to that date

  1. Metro board renames the station

    Latest Government Vote

    Metro's board voted unanimously to rename Pershing Square station after Biddy Mason, following Mayor Karen Bass's motion.

  2. Esotouric files legal challenge

    Legal

    Esotouric filed a cure and correct demand asking the city to void the September 4 vote, citing skipped public outreach and factual errors about Mason's life.

  3. City Council votes to rename the square

    Government Vote

    The LA City Council voted 11-0, with four members absent, to rename Pershing Square to Biddy Mason Square. The Recreation and Parks Commission has not scheduled a hearing on the change, so the park is still called Pershing Square.

  4. Renaming campaign announced

    Announcement

    Then-Councilmember Kevin de León held a press conference announcing the proposal to rename Pershing Square after Biddy Mason.

Scenarios

1

Biddy Mason Station opens despite challenge

Likely Resolves by Q2 2027

Discussed by: LAist, Metro board members, Mayor Bass

Metro implements the board's unanimous decision, updating maps, signage, and scheduling materials to "Biddy Mason Station." The legal challenge to the park renaming proceeds separately but fails to block the station name. The new name appears in Metro's official system, and riders begin using it.

2

Court voids the renamings; station returns to Pershing

Possible Resolves by End of 2027

Discussed by: Esotouric

Esotouric's cure and correct demand leads a court or city body to void the September 4 council vote due to procedural failures and factual errors. Metro, facing similar complaints about its own process, reconsiders the station name and potentially reverts it to Pershing Square.

3

Compromise: renaming proceeds with corrected history

Possible Resolves by End of 2027

Discussed by: Esotouric, Biddy Mason Charitable Foundation

Officials address the factual issues Esotouric raised by adding interpretive elements — signage, educational materials, or a corrected narrative — at the station or the park. The renaming proceeds but with explicit acknowledgment of the disputed dates and claims, preserving Mason's honor while correcting the record.

Historical Context

2 moments from history that rhyme with this story — and how they unfolded.

May 2023

Fort Hood becomes Fort Cavazos (2023)

Congress created the Naming Commission in 2020 to strip Confederate names from military bases. On May 9, 2023, Fort Hood in Texas, named for Confederate General John Bell Hood, became Fort Cavazos, honoring General Richard Cavazos, the first Hispanic four-star general.

Then

The base's new name took effect through a formal ceremony; units and facilities adopted the new designation over the following months.

Now

Established a national precedent for renaming honorific places to reflect a broader set of American stories, while sparking debates about cost and process.

Why this matters now

LA's renaming follows the same pattern of replacing a military honorific with one recognizing a marginalized community's contribution — though the local process has drawn criticism for skipping public input.

June 2020

Edward Colston statue toppled (2020)

On June 7, 2020, during George Floyd protests, demonstrators in Bristol, England, pulled down a statue of Edward Colston, a 17th-century slave trader, and threw it into the harbor. The city later replaced it in March 2021 with 'A Surge of Power,' a sculpture by Marc Quinn depicting a Black woman holding a raised fist.

Then

The statue was recovered from the harbor and later displayed in a museum; the plinth was left empty temporarily.

Now

The event accelerated a global reckoning with public monuments honoring figures tied to slavery and colonialism, prompting cities to re-examine their own memorials.

Why this matters now

LA's renaming reflects the same reckoning, but proceeds through formal government channels rather than direct action — which is exactly why the process dispute matters here.

Sources

(6)
LAist Esotouric Mayor Karen Bass Biddy Mason Charitable Foundation Los Angeles Times City of Los Angeles, Office of the City Clerk