Ten years ago, the original Taco Bell building in Downey was moved across multiple cities to the fast food chain’s headquarters in Irvine. Ten years later, it’s still sitting there.
Why now: It’s the 63rd birthday of Taco Bell’s founding this week.
Read on … to hear what, if anything, Taco Bell has planned for “Numero Uno.”
Los Angeles has an obsession with moving ginormous things across the city — we love the pure spectacle of it.
There was Levitated Mass, aka the huge boulder at LACMA, that undertook an 11-night journey on surface streets to arrive at the museum in 2012. Later that year, the space shuttle Endeavour did something similar, albeit for a much shorter but no less challenging 12 miles between LAX and the California Science Center.
In November 2015, yet another oversized object snail-crawled across town. This time, the first-ever Taco Bell — a 400-square-foot rectangle with Spanish Colonial Revival arches and tiled roof. In just one night, it traveled through nine cities from its original Downey location to the fast food giant's corporate headquarters in Irvine.
Taco Bell hinted at a grand relaunch, or a sort of memorialization. But 10 years later, in the week of the chain’s 63rd birthday, "Numero Uno" is still there — in the corner of said parking lot under a blue tarp.
The "bell" in Taco Bell is Glen Bell, a serial restaurateur and native Southern Californian who first made a go at it with a hot dog stand in San Bernardino in 1948. Four years later, having sold the stand, he upgraded to selling hot dogs and burgers at another San Bernardino location — across the street from a Mexican restaurant that sold, among other things, hard-shell tacos.
From there Bell's subsequent ventures would focus on the taco — culminating in the founding of Taco Bell at 7112 Firestone Blvd. in Downey on March 21, 1962.
"It's a little shoebox-sized space. It's super small. It's just got a couple little bathrooms in the back, and that's about it," Downey resident George Redfox said. "It was a really cool little building."
Redfox is a founder of the local historical preservation group the Downey Conservancy. Although he never went to that Taco Bell, he said he did go to Taco Raul before it. In 1986, Taco Bell closed the so-called "Numero Uno" location. After housing a number of other restaurants, the building shut down for good and had sat vacant since the end of 2014.
That's when it was slated for demolition. And that's when Redfox and his fellow preservationists stepped in and alerted Taco Bell. The corporation began a media blitz to "Save Taco Bell Numero Uno."
“This is arguably the most important restaurant in our company’s history,” said Brian Niccol, then-chief executive officer of Taco Bell Corp. in a statement at the time. “To think a business like ours, that spans 6,000 restaurants around the globe, started with a walk-up window no bigger than a two-car garage is truly inspirational. When we heard about the chance of it being demolished, we had to step in. We owe that to our fans, we owe that to Glen Bell.”
At 10:30 p.m. on Nov. 19, 2015, the Numero Uno move began. The building arrived early the next morning at the corporate campus in Irvine. The preservation campaign and the move ginned up a tremendous amount of fanfare, with local and national coverage.
"It's very on brand," said Sam Oches, editor in chief of Nation's Restaurant News, a trade publication based in New York. "Taco Bell is a party of one in the restaurant industry as far as what they can get away with."
Oches said the taco chain has cultivated and sustained an image of irreverence and fun with "strokes of marketing genius," like offering a free taco to everyone in the U.S. if parts of a decommissioned space station breaking up in Earth's atmosphere landed on a Taco Bell target floating in the south Pacific Ocean.
"Even though Taco Bell is 60 plus years old, they feel so young and fresh because they're really of this moment where all the young people are on social media and that's what's driving our discourse," Oches added.
So yeah, moving an old building 45 miles across L.A. sounds just about right.
The plan, the company said a decade ago, was to keep the building at its headquarters until "its future use is determined" — a decision that would be made with feedback from fans and the public.
Ten years later, the historic building is still sitting there — with a tarp thrown over it to fend off the elements. The company did dust off the old Numero Uno for a photo op to celebrate the chain's 60th birthday a couple years ago.
But those future plans — they're still in development.
"We love Numero Uno," Taco Bell said in a statement to LAist. "We don’t have any plans to share at the moment for what’s next, but we’ll be sure to bring you along when we do."
Redfox, the Downey preservationist, has ideas.
"For me I'd like to see it placed somewhere in the city. ... Yeah, I would like to see it back here" in Downey, he said.
But he's still grateful that Taco Bell saved Numero Uno from the wrecking ball. After all, Downey plays an important part in the history of American fast food.
"We got the first Taco Bell. We have one of the first McDonald's — number three, actually," Redfox said. "We've also got one of the original Denny's restaurants. A lot of fast food kind of started around this area."
Topline:
Evacuation orders and warnings in both L.A. and Kern counties are in effect for the Ridge Fire, near the L.A.-Kern county line.
What we know so far: The fire started at 3:02 p.m. near Gorman School Road in Gorman, according to Cal Fire and grew to 1,000 acres in two hours. Both northbound and southbound lanes of the 5 Freeway were briefly shutdown.
Read on ... for more on evacuations and weather conditions.
This is a developing story and will be updated. For the most up-to-date information about the fire you can check:
The 5 Freeway has reopened after a brush fire in Gorman near the L.A.-Kern county line shut down both northbound and southbound lanes at around 5 p.m.
Evacuation orders and warnings in both L.A. and Kern counties are in effect for the Ridge Fire, which started at 3:02 p.m. near Gorman School Road in Gorman, according to Cal Fire.
The fire quickly grew to 1,000 acres in less than two hours.
It was 0% contained as of 9 p.m. Friday.
A Wildfire Smoke Advisory has been issued by South Coast AQMD through 2 p.m. on Saturday for areas around Gorman.
Evacuation orders have been issued by the Los Angeles County Fire Department for the following areas:
Authorities say those who require additional time to evacuate and those with pets and livestock should leave immediately.
KRN-545 (Kern County)
Check out LAist's wildfire recovery guide
If you have to evacuate:
Navigating fire conditions:
How to help yourself and others:
How to start the recovery process:
What to do for your kids:
Prepare for the next disaster:
Topline:
A federal court struck down the Trump administration's latest attempt to shift federal homelessness funding away from permanent housing. The decision could change the pace of a separate legal battle between the L.A. region's lead homelessness agency and the federal government.
The ruling: U.S. District Judge Mary McElroy in Rhode Island found Friday that the Department of Housing and Urban Development violated federal law by issuing new requirements for federal homelessness grants without first seeking public comment.
Why it matters: As a result, the judge threw out the department’s 2026 funding notice for its main federal grant application as a result. That notice officially set the terms and conditions for how communities like L.A. can apply for federal grants.
The background: It's the second time McElroy has struck down HUD's grant regulations on the same grounds. Friday's decision means HUD will have to issue new guidelines for its annual homelessness grant funding competition.
A federal court struck down the Trump administration's latest attempt to shift federal homelessness funding away from permanent housing. The decision could change the pace of a separate legal battle between the L.A. region's lead homelessness agency and the federal government.
U.S. District Judge Mary McElroy in Rhode Island found Friday that the Department of Housing and Urban Development violated federal law by issuing new requirements for federal homelessness grants without first seeking public comment.
As a result, the judge threw out the department’s 2026 funding notice for its main federal grant application as a result. That notice officially set the terms and conditions for how communities like L.A. can apply for federal grants.
It's the second time McElroy has struck down HUD's grant regulations on the same grounds. Friday's decision means HUD will have to issue new guidelines for its annual homelessness grant funding competition.
"The court ruled that HUD violated the law when it attempted to shift Congress's priorities away from housing first and towards its own priorities of interim shelter and services," said Shayla Myers, an attorney with the Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles.
The L.A. region was already in the process of preparing its application for federal grants based on regulations that were thrown out Friday. The deadline to submit was just weeks away.
The regulations would have directed a significant portion of funding away from permanent housing and toward transitional housing and treatment programs, prompting California and nearly two dozen other states to sue.
The Rhode Island decision could also change the pace of a separate legal battle between LAHSA and the federal government. The federal government suspended LAHSA from federal grant activity in June, putting $240 million in funding for the region in limbo.
Judge David O. Carter presided over a federal hearing this week, where LAHSA is looking to overturn the suspension. Carter is expected to decide early next week whether to temporarily block the suspension while the case proceeds to trial next year.
Top line:
Malaysian food takes on a variety of different food cultures from across Southeast Asia, which why local chef Johnny Lee wanted to learn more about it, leading to the Malaysian-fusion restaurant Rasarumah.
About the chef: Lee grew up in Los Angeles and went into the service industry following the 2008 recession. Since then, he opened Pearl River Deli, where he became well known for his Hainan chicken recipe. When that closed, he helped open Rasarumah.
Read on... to learn about the food we tried and how to have the best experience at Rasarumah.
Chef Johnny Lee stepped away from the food business for a short time after feeling burned out. With additional support from Last World Hospitality, Lee regained the energy to help build Rasarumah, a fusion restaurant influenced by Malaysian cuisine.
Lee grew up watching Japan's version of Iron Chef, but didn't see it as an option.
That changed after he graduated from college during the 2008 as he found work at restaurants, falling in love with the fast pace and hands-on work.
He sat down with Austin Cross, who hosts AirTalk every Friday, to explain what makes his Southeast Asian fusion cuisine stand out.
Lee grew up in a Cantonese-Chinese family, having grown his knowledge of Southeast Asian cuisine through his work at Pearl River Deli, his Cantonese restaurant that's now closed.
One of the reasons he was interested in veering into Malaysian food?
"It's an extremely diverse group," Lee said.
Lee recommends starting with a tiki drink and their pu pu platter, which gives you a little bit of everything.
Next, try one of their cold salads to lighten things up. And for the finale, the Rendang.
Topline:
Sunday will mark the 8th annual Mundo Maya Day at MacArthur Park. The celebration returns for the first time since the summer of 2024 after planners postponed the event for a year due to immigration enforcement concerns.
Celebrating Maya culture: The event will celebrate Maya culture and indigeneity through a Maya ceremony, a game of Maya ball, food, and marimba. The event will also feature dances from Chiapas, Yucatan, and Guatemala. The event will go from 5 – 8 p.m. and will include a backpack giveaway.
Why it matters: A census study conducted by the local indigenous woman-led nonprofit organization CIELO (Comunidades Indígenas en Liderazgo) showed roughly 24,000 residents of Mayan descent lived in Los Angeles. The regions of Pico Union, Koreatown, and Westlake consist of a highly diverse indigenous population ranging from Zapotec, K’iche’, Chinanteco, Mixe and many more groups according to CIELO. Last year's event was postponed due to immigration enforcement concerns.
This story first appeared on The LA Local.
Sara Mijares moved to Los Angeles from Yucatan, Mexico when she was 15 years old. She had left her home behind but not her culture.
Thousands of miles away from her hometown of Muna, she’s preserving the Maya culture she grew up with for the indigenous community in Los Angeles.
Sunday will mark the 8th annual Mundo Maya Day at MacArthur Park. The celebration returns for the first time since the summer of 2024 after planners postponed the event for a year due to immigration enforcement concerns. Mundo Maya Day is being held in partnership with MAC·LA, formerly Levitt Pavilion, who are currently curating the summer concert series at MacArthur Park.
The event will celebrate Maya culture and indigeneity through a Maya ceremony, a game of Maya ball, food, and marimba. The event will also feature dances from Chiapas, Yucatan, and Guatemala. The event will go from 5 – 8 p.m. and will include a backpack giveaway.
“MacArthur Park is the heart of the Maya immigrant community,” said Mijares. “When we come here, we don’t leave our culture behind. It comes with us.”
The area has seen more activity this summer with World Cup watch parties and the summer concert series hosted by MAC LA, formerly known as Levitt Pavilion.
She remembers going to MacArthur Park as a child with her father and seeing groups of Maya Yucatecos from Yucatan. She remembers how beautiful and safe the park felt, the community environment that reminded her of home.
It was this feeling she wanted to bring back to the community when she had the idea for the Mundo Maya Day. Around 900 guests attended the first official celebration at MacArthur Park in 2018.
A census study conducted by the local indigenous woman-led nonprofit organization CIELO (Comunidades Indígenas en Liderazgo) showed roughly 24,000 residents of Mayan descent lived in Los Angeles.
The CIELO Organization says, “The ‘Maya’ category aggregates all Mayan groups. However, this is an umbrella term that includes communities from Guatemala and Mexico that often have different and distinct languages, cultures, and traditions.”
The regions of Pico Union, Koreatown, and Westlake consist of a highly diverse indigenous population ranging from Zapotec, K’iche’, Chinanteco, Mixe and many more groups according to CIELO.
The celebration will also add a final-hour dedication to Yucatan and honor Armando Manzanero, a Mayan Grammy winner who died in 2020.
Mijares admits there is always a concern with the risks of immigration enforcement, but is confident families will feel safe at this year’s event. The celebration will have security guards present throughout the event.
During this time last summer, federal agents arrested over 4,000 people, according to a report by the Department of Economic Opportunity. By the end of 2025, that grew to over 14,000 people, who were mostly residents without a criminal record, according to researchers from UCLA and UC Berkeley.
In June, Immigration and Customs Enforcement recorded 43,138 arrests across the nation, the highest monthly total of the current administration. Immigration enforcement in Los Angeles has been much more subtle in its execution in comparison to last year but enforcement numbers continue to increase in the city.
Still, Mundo Maya organizers felt like they could not deprive their community of the event.
“At some point in life we need to decide if we let fear control us or not. So we have to take that step and say we’re here,” said Mijares.
She hopes that for at least the three hours they can bring life, music, and healing to the community. She welcomes anyone interested in learning about Maya and indigenous cultures to show up.
“We want people to feel proud of who you are and where you come from. Feel proud of who we are here, the backbone of the country.”
Organizers recommend several ways to get to the event:
Via the train: The Metro B Line to the MacArthur Park / Westlake Station
Via the bus: Metro bus lines 18, 20, 51, 351, 603, 720
Parking: Athena Parking at 611 S. Carondelet St.
Attendees are welcome to bring their own picnics, blankets and lawn chairs.
