Garden Grove Unified honors local plaintiffs in Mendez et al v. Westminster with renaming of neighborhood school

Before the school year starts on Monday, Aug. 10, the new Frank and Irene Palomino Elementary School name was unveiled with a community celebration.

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The Garden Grove Unified School District has changed the name of Rosita Elementary School to pay tribute to the Palomino family’s legacy. Members of the family have lived directly across the street for three generations and played a crucial role in the desegregation of the school and others throughout the state.

Frank and Irene Palomino were among the plaintiffs in the 1946 Mendez, et al v. Westminster School District of Orange County, et al case — a landmark civil rights court case that challenged the segregation of Mexican American students into separate schools across Westminster, Garden Grove, Santa Ana and El Modena. The Palominos’ testimonies helped win the case, effectively ending segregation in California public schools — a decision that is said to have laid the foundation for the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Brown v. Board of Education in 1954.

Five families were involved as plaintiffs. The Palomino family has gone largely unrecognized until now, preferring to stay out of the spotlight, said Veronica Martinez, Frank and Irene Palomino’s granddaughter. Martinez said her brother, Andrew Palomino, has played a significant role in preserving their grandparents’ story.

“People often assume that this history was carried down from generation to generation, and that wasn’t the case,” Andrew Palomino said. “(My grandparents) were just very humble when it came to this history, so to see (their accomplishments) recognized all these years later — it’s an incredible honor.”

The Garden Grove Unified school board unanimously approved the name change in June after a two-year-long community engagement process. It is the district’s first school renaming in more than 40 years, and the celebration this week marked almost 80 years since the landmark decision was won.

Trustee Walter Muñeton spearheaded the renaming initiative, underscoring the Palomino family’s longstanding community involvement and advocacy for equal educational opportunities.

“This is not simply a story about history,” Muñeton said. “It is a story about the values that we continue to uphold today — fairness, opportunity, dignity and the belief that every child deserves access to an excellent education, regardless of their background.”

While other schools across California have taken on the names of the other four plaintiffs, including the Mendez, Estrada, Guzman and Ramirez families — of whom the latter three, along with the Palomino family, are collectively known as the “et als” in the case’s name — Muñeton said the Palomino family had yet to receive a civic honor of this scale.

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He said he only learned about the family two years ago after reading a Los Angeles Times column detailing the lack of public recognition for the “et al” families. Muñeton connected with Andrew Palomino soon after to initiate the renaming selection process.

The renaming of Rosita Elementary is an important step in acknowledging the Palominos, Muñeton said, and he hopes their story will gain visibility among students.

“Today is about more than changing a name on a building — it is about ensuring that every student who walks onto this campus learns that ordinary people can accomplish extraordinary things,” Muñeton said.

The Santa Ana City Council has also voted to rename the neighboring park, formerly Rosita Park, after the family.

The school and park carry many fond memories among family members, who all attended Rosita Elementary and other schools in the district, Andrew Palomino said.

Alongside multiple generations of the family, Andrew Palomino said he hopes his family’s legacy will continue to inspire future generations.

“This school has been part of our family history for generations,” he said. “I imagine our grandparents are looking down with amazement.”

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