Will Krekorian Help Conan O'Brien Get a Van Nuys Street Named After Him?

It started off as a joke on Conan, but now it looks as if the former Late Night and Tonight Show host Conan O'Brien might get a street named after him in Van Nuys.

As the Contra Costa Times and The Huffington Post reported, O'Brien picked out a dusty, dirty industrial street in a section of Van Nuys called West Raymer Street, which he wanted renamed in his honor as Conan O'Brien Way. Oprah Winfrey recently had a street named after her in Chicago, and O'Brien joked that he is looking for the same.

"I've been here in Los Angeles for 22 months," said O'Brien. "Isn't it time I got a street named after me?"

On his show, O'Brien asked Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa to name the street after him, which currently is lined with an RV with flat tires, junk, railroad tracks and a sign that simply reads "End." O'Brien also offered to spruce up the street by donating $50, a five-gallon tree, an outhouse doorman and a modified sign saying "trem-end-ous."

But getting a street named after you is more difficult than it sounds. In Chicago, all it takes is the power of the mayor. But the mayor of Los Angeles can't simply rename the street, the Contra Costa Times reported, as it requires a vote by the Los Angeles City Council, which might be why Villaraigosa has yet to respond to O'Brien's request.

That's where Krekorian, who represents District 2, which includes West Raymer Street in Van Nuys, stepped in.

On June 16, Krekorian tweeted the following message: Hey @ConanOBrien, you're right - Raymer could use an upgrade. As the rep for Van Nuys, would love to work with you to make it happen.

But this is not just a joke to Krekorian, who also reps North Hollywood, part of Studio City and Valley Village, as he seems dead serious about getting O'Brien involved in cleaning up the area in a meaningful way.

"I don't particularly care to have any part of my district be the butt of jokes," the Contra Costa Times quoted Krekorian as saying. "But I always try to turn lemons into lemonade. What started out as a comedy bit has raised the opportunity to improve a blighted" district in Van Nuys.