Rancho Los Amigos amphitheater named after disability advocate

Carlos Benavides speaks at a naming ceremony Wednesday at Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center. (Photo by Alex Dominguez)

DOWNEY — Disability advocate Carlos Benavides was celebrated Wednesday morning with the unveiling of a plaque marking the renaming of the Rancho Los Amigos Rehabilitation Center Amphitheater in his honor.

Through his work between several service committees and commissions (including serving on the Los Angeles County Commission on Disabilities since 2014, and as its president for the past five years), Benavides has become the face of local advocacy for those who face crippling physical disabilities, especially at Rancho Los Amigos, within Downey, and across Los Angeles County.

“Carlos is no stranger to the county of Los Angeles. He was serving the county of Los Angeles before I started serving the county of Los Angeles,” said LA County Supervisor Janice Hahn. “When I joined the board of supervisors in 2016, Carlos had already been appointed to the commission on disabilities by my predecessor Don Knabe…”

She continued,

“When we talk about the County of Los Angeles, we talk about the County as serving the needs of our most vulnerable residents. We are a safety net; we are there to keep people from falling through the cracks of society. Those living with disabilities are at the top of my mind when we think about that population. With Carlos’s voice, and through his years of leadership with his colleagues on the commission, he never let us forget this community; he never let us forget this population.”

Aries Limbaga, CEO of Rancho Los Amigos, likened Benavides’s impact on others to the amphitheater’s place on the Rancho campus

“Since it’s been established in 2019, this amphitheater has celebrated life on so many different levels…The amphitheater has been at the center for so many life-affirming moments, which is exactly how I would describe Carlos, and his commitment, passion, and ‘get-er-done energy’ that comes for advocating for individuals with disabilities,” said Limbaga. “He is often at the center of a discussion, a vision, a project, or a movement, and for that we are extremely grateful for.”

He added that the amphitheater “symbolizes the impact of the performing arts on the recovery of persons with disabilities.

“The performing arts helps with emotional expression, with movement, a sense of control, a sense of achievement, and most importantly, the social connection that we all bring together today.”

Mayor Claudia M. Frometa said that Benavides’s “continuous, fierce advocacy for people with disabilities is unlike any other.”

 “Your impact on this community and surrounding communities is heartfelt,” said Frometa. “Not only have you contributed on the arts and culture of this nationally renowned rehabilitation center, but the mental and emotional health and impact that your advocacy, and your work has had in patients and people with disabilities is great. Your legacy here will continue.” 

Benavides said he was “truly humbled,” and gave thanks to his wife Rita, Hahn, Limbaga, and all those in attendance.

Ultimately though, he gave credit to the staff at Rancho.

“You are the ones who continue to enable miracles here at Rancho,” said Benavides. “Our patients are so fortunate to be the recipients of your clinical expertise; Your innate ability to always whisper the phrase, ‘You can do it,’ when it’s most needed.”