LONG BEACH, CA — Long Beach City College on Thursday held a ribbon-cutting for the Jenni Rivera Performing Arts Center, a new $102 million facility named after the late Latin music icon, who’s an alumnus of the school.
Rivera, known as “la Diva de la Banda,” was born and raised in Long Beach and was one of the first women in the Latin music industry to sing narcocorridos, a subgenre whose lyrics are generally folk tales about drug trafficking.
She died in a December, 2012 plane crash near Monterrey, Mexico at the age of 43.
Construction of the facility began in July, 2023 and opened for classes in the spring, 2026 semester.
The state-of-the-art complex now serves as the home for City College’s performing arts, music, dance, and radio/TV/broadcasting programs.
The 67,331-square-foot facility includes:
A 263-seat auditoriumDance and rehersal studiosBroadcast studios, editing bays and practice roomsAdvanced audiovisual systemsAn outdoor performance stage
“The Jenni Rivera Performing Arts Center represents possibility for every student who walks through its doors,” LBCC Superintendent-President Mike Munoz said. “Seeing Jenni Rivera’s name on this center reinforces what we want every student to understand: their goals are achievable, no matter where they start.”