The Brief

You may have heard that Los Angeles is getting a new area code this year: 738.

It will be an “overlay” around downtown, where 213 and 323 numbers currently get assigned, starting in November, the 12th area code in the region. Expect many to give this new kid on the block a side eye, because, as many Southern Californians know, we rep our area codes hard.

They may just be three numbers, but they're a badge of identity, and say a lot about you.

213? Congrats, you have an OG code and may have lived in L.A. a long time. (Or you just got lucky in the phone store in which case, we salute you). 626? SGV folk, you’re so invested they named a night market after it.

We wanted to know what you thought about your numbers, and you did not disappoint. Here’s what you told us:

The 310 

When Alejandra Alarcon was in middle school in L.A. County, she loved to call her friends a lot on the family’s landline. But around that time, she had to make a transition. The 310 region — which mostly covers west L.A. and the South Bay — was overlaid with a 424 area code, so she had to make sure to start dialing her friends with their full numbers. Then it was time to get her first cell phone — and potentially a 424 number — a moment she keenly remembers.

“I was pretty sure that if I were given a 424 number, I would have told the person, ‘please give me 310.’ Thankfully, I didn't have to do that,” she said. “To me, having a 310 phone number is my way of letting people know I don't just live in the South Bay. I am born and raised in the South Bay.”

(The pool of available phone numbers gets added to all the time, so yes, you can ask for a specific area code!)

Alarcon says she doesn’t know why Angelenos are so passionate about their area codes, but it’s akin to feelings about a sports team for her.

When her cousins moved to Mid-City and got a 323 area code, that number change was also symbolic of contrasting experiences.

“There was something about that that signified you live in Los Angeles, but it's a different Los Angeles.”

The official map of area codes in Southern California.

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Courtesy North American Numbering Plan Administrator

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The string of numbers can represent big things like wealth, environment and culture. It can show an experience that people in other areas might not share, like living in a beach city or up in the desert. But for Alarcon, 310 still shows off her South Bay love better than 424 ever could.

The 818 

Danny Duarte proudly has “818 till I die” in his Instagram bio, which is a nod to late comedian Brody Stevens who included the line in his sets.

“I just want people to know where I'm from,” Duarte said. “It’s a way to keep Brody Stevens’ legacy alive because that was his saying and he was from Reseda.”

The 714 

Daphne Ruiz, who was born and raised in Anaheim, keenly remembers how it felt to hear Gwen Stefani give a shout-out to Harbor Boulevard in her song “Cool” and it’s part of why Ruiz is so proud of the 714.

“Even though in the media you only see the south side depicted — it means a lot to me that I grew up around Mexican and Vietnamese immigrants. I just feel like there’s so much life in North Orange County, in the 714.”

The 909

Area codes can also indicate where you got your phone. Renée Saldaña, who grew up on the border of the San Gabriel and Pomona valleys, handpicked her code at first because she wanted to fit in.

Saldaña and her sisters got their first cell phones around the time that KROQ’s Kevin and Bean show cracked a lot of jokes about the 909 Inland Empire residents.

“My sisters and I really wanted to disassociate ourselves from being anywhere with the 909, even though our home landline was a 909 number,” Saldaña said. “We wanted people to think that we were from like L.A. or at least like the Pasadena area, which was back then, you know, seemingly a lot cooler than the 909.”

Their solution? Drive far away and get a 626 number. They would only get new phones squarely in places like the San Gabriel Valley, Rowland Heights and the City of Industry. But as she’s gotten older, the drive to look cool has changed.

“I care less about the area codes and what county I'm associated with, ironically,” she said. “I live in Eagle Rock now, but I still have a 626 area code. I do still kind of have a heart for 626. I like keeping that area code.”

The 626 

Some codes are far more popular than others. If there were a ranking list of codes, a lot of Southern Californians would go to the mat for 626.

For Brandon Yung, that area code is synonymous with his experience growing up in the San Gabriel Valley.

“It’s something I really identify with,” Yung said. “I had a friend growing up who tattooed 626 on his shoulder and kept it.”

Yung says he’s never changing his phone number, even though he lives in the Bay Area now. “San Gabriel Valley for life. That's what's up.”

The 626 code is an icon in some ways, and Yung says that it’s especially known in Asian communities. It’s slapped on merchandise, there’s the 626 Night Market and a host of other ways those three numbers have been turned into an identity.

But Filbert Aung has a “complicated relationship with claiming 626.” He saw it gain a lot more traction as he got older. When the 626 Night Market first started happening at Santa Anita Park, he remembers feeling good about his home getting representation.

But as it grew in popularity, he began to feel like there was a disconnect between the idea being sold as the 626 and his lived experience.

“Its traction kind of coalesced with this kind of broader online and commercial success, like marketing the 626 as an Asian destination or an Asian mecca,” Aung said.

And marketing isn’t just reaching Angelenos. There’s a 626 Night Market OC now. Aung says it’s like packaging aspects of the 626 — that idea of Asian identity — in the form of a night market and exporting to Orange County.

“I do resonate with it,” Aung says about the area code, “but I think it still prompts the clarification.”

Five news reporters and two members of the military who were invited to an event at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California were briefly detained at gunpoint by security officers who thought they were gate crashers, according to local news reports.

The incident happened Monday ahead of an invitation-only groundbreaking for a new training facility for missile operators at the federal airfield near Santa Barbara, Calif. Reporters from Noozhawk and KEYT were among those detained, and both outlets published articles detailing the detainment.

In a statement to Noozhawk, a Space Launch Delta 30 Public Affairs spokesperson called the incident a breakdown in communication.

“Vandenberg Space Force Base is experiencing an increased number of unauthorized entry attempts,” the statement said. “Every potential unauthorized presence must be treated as a legitimate threat until proven otherwise. While we recognize this may have been unsettling, the security of the base and its personnel is our priority.”

The reporters and military members were part of a convoy being escorted onto the base by uniformed public affairs staff in a government minivan when they were suddenly ordered out of their vehicles with their hands up, according to news reports.

Officers pointed guns, sirens were sounded and barricades went up at the gate entrance, KEYT reported.

The two military members assigned to the base — one enlisted and one a junior officer — were handcuffed and placed in base vehicles, while the civilians were ordered to sit on a curb, Noozhawk reported.

The reporters for outlets also including KSBY-TV and the Santa Maria Times/Lompoc Record were held for more than 30 minutes, causing them to miss the event. All were let go without further incident.

“We respect the military’s need to provide security for the base,” Tom Bolton, Noozhawk’s editor in chief, said in a statement Wednesday. “But clearly what occurred was unfortunate and unnecessary, and potentially dangerous, as firearms were drawn.”

Bolton said he hopes to have a conversation with base leadership later this week to review what happened in the hopes of preventing a similar occurrence in the future.

As severe wildfires burn across the Western U.S., California has adopted the toughest rules in the country to help protect communities from burning. Homeowners in wildfire-prone areas will be required to limit plants within five feet of their house, a protective measure that wildfire experts say can help prevent homes from igniting.
Research shows that dry, dense vegetation around buildings can cause wildfires to spread. In extreme conditions, high winds carry a deluge of tiny, burning embers far beyond the fire itself. When those embers get caught in vegetation, they can ignite, spreading flames to nearby buildings and homes.
Wednesday's vote by the California Board of Forestry and Fire Protection comes after years of debate and delays. The state originally considered rules that would have restricted all vegetation within five feet of a house, aside from well-maintained trees. That generated pushback from some communities, concerned about losing greenery in their gardens and the cost of yard maintenance.
California regulators ultimately struck a compromise about plants allowed within the five-foot zone, known as Zone Zero. Lawns, flowers and non-woody plants up to 18 inches tall will be allowed, unless they are located directly under the roofline of a house. Trees will be allowed, though branches must be trimmed five feet away from a structure. The rules will apply to new construction right away, but will be phased in for existing structures, affecting almost 2 million homes in high-risk areas.

State regulators say the rules reflect the new reality of more extreme wildfires, driven in part by rising temperatures from climate change. More than 57,000 homes and buildings have been destroyed in California in the last decade, according to state regulators.

"California's faced an existential crisis that has affected our health, that has affected our finances related to our ability to buy and sell homes, to insure homes and has put us in a very precarious place," testified Yana Valachovic of the University of California Cooperative Extension at Wednesday's hearing, who also advised the state on the new rules.

Growing tensions across Western states

California's debate reflects growing tensions across the Western U.S. about how communities should prepare for wildfires. Wildfire experts warn even fires that start in open, wildland areas can quickly become urban fires, destroying thousands of homes in neighborhoods that residents never thought were at risk, like in the 2025 Los Angeles fires. This summer, more than 800 homes were destroyed in Spokane, Wash., by three wildfires that burned through dense neighborhoods.
Across several states, homeowners in public meetings have said wildfire regulations threaten private property rights, reduce urban wildlife habitat and require costly maintenance.
"You are about to approve a set of regulations that will cost millions of California homeowners tens of billions of dollars," testified Dave Lefkowitz, president of the Mandeville Canyon Association, a community group in the Los Angeles hills. "The math is insuperable."

Vegetation management rules were recently defeated in both Oregon and Washington after strong public pushback, including misinformation that spread online. Some community groups wanted regulators to wait for more scientific research on wildfire spread.

Research shows plants can increase risk

In experiments, researchers have shown that even green plants can ignite in the dry, windy conditions of an extreme wildfire. Analyses of past California wildfires have also shown that homes with vegetation predominantly within 6 feet of the exterior walls were at higher risk of being lost. Managing vegetation also creates "defensible space" for firefighters, providing better access for defending a structure.

California has long been at the forefront of wildfire policy, pioneering regulations that other states have adopted. For almost 20 years, California's wildfire building codes have required homes to use fire-resistant materials for construction. A handful of other states recently adopted similar codes. Research shows that while there are no guarantees a house will survive a fire, protections are strongest when homeowners address both building materials and vegetation. Even in some of the most severe wildfires in recent years, some homes made it through.
California regulators say the widespread regulations are needed because voluntary measures don't provide enough protection. Communities are safest when all homeowners comply, since one home with dense, dry vegetation can spread fire to its neighbors. Insurance companies in California are also required to provide discounts to homeowners that make their homes more fire-resistant.

New rules depend on inspections

While California's new rules provide more flexibility for homeowners, some wildfire experts say they don't go far enough, given that any combustible material next to a house could pose a risk. The new vegetation rules will be enforced by local fire departments and state agencies that do home inspections every year. Those inspectors will bear the brunt of educating homeowners and ensuring compliance.
"I want the board to understand what this compromise asks of local inspection programs," Todd Lando of the Central Marin Fire Department testified at the hearing. "A clean Zone Zero is a five-minute inspection with one question: Is anything combustible within five feet? Easy for the homeowner to understand and take action on." Lando says the new rules will involve more conditional judgements by inspectors, opening up debate with homeowners that could affect compliance.

California regulators say inspectors will focus on educating homeowners at first, before compliance becomes mandatory. For existing homes, the new vegetation rules will go into effect in 2029 at the earliest.

Copyright 2026 NPR

Clemente Larraín, a doctoral student from Chile, chose his program at UCLA because it offered subsidized childcare on campus. His young daughter was enrolled for free, giving him the peace of mind to focus on his studies.

Now, the university has thrown a wrench in those plans.

In an email to families enrolled in UCLA’s Early Care and Education program, Darnell Hunt, executive vice chancellor and provost, announced two university-run childcare centers will close at the end of the 2026-27 academic year because the university has determined “the program is not sustainable.”

“ For international students, this is the worst news because we don't have networks here," Larraín said. "We don't have family. Some of us have some friends, but not too close to just trusting them to our kids.”

He earns around $3,000 a month working on campus, which he said barely covers his rent, forcing the family to dig into savings. Meanwhile, his wife is waiting for a work permit so she can start to bring in additional income.

Having to find full time care for their daughter is causing immense stress.

“ This obviously changed radically the experience of the graduate students with family at UCLA,” Larraín said.

Limited childcare options for parents

The announcement comes as a changing landscape is making it harder for parents to find childcare across California. A new report by the Center for the Study of Child Care Employment at UC Berkeley found that the rollout of a new grade for 4-year-olds in the state’s public schools is having unintended consequences for childcare businesses. Those businesses have typically cared for children 5 and under but are now losing more children to transitional kindergarten.

Between 2019 and 2025, about 1,100 preschools have closed across California.

Evyn Lê Espiritu Gandhi, an associate professor of Asian American studies at UCLA, has two children enrolled in a UCLA-run childcare center, which she said costs her around $6,000 a month — and that’s at a subsidized rate.

“Having a high-quality, safe, reliable childcare option for my children just allows me to do my job as a UCLA professor, which includes research and publishing, but also teaching and mentorship of undergraduate and graduate students,” Gandhi said. “I'm really not sure how I'll be able to do that job if I don't have adequate childcare next year.”

Gandhi said the only alternative she has for her daughter is Bright Horizons Westwood, which is part of a large chain of childcare facilities across the U.S.

“ But to be honest it doesn't have as good of a kind of teacher-child ratio as [UCLA's Early Care and Education] does, and it has a super long wait list,” she said.

LAist has reached out to the childcare facility to ask about its waitlist, teacher-child ratio and rates.

Earlier this year, Gandhi said, tuition at UCLA’s Early Care and Education program increased by 4%, Gandhi said. At the time, UCLA also announced it would eliminate “all food program services (which includes all meals, baby formula and food, milk and snacks), discontinuing support for diapers and formula, not backfilling vacant positions, and other cost reducing measures.”

After families protested, the university backed down.

‘Disconnected from its mission’

Yvonne Yang, an assistant clinical professor at UCLA in psychiatry, called it "callous and heartless," even "cruel" that the university decided to close down the childcare centers.

“It means to me that the university has completely become disconnected from its mission and basically lost its soul and is focusing only on profits,” said Yang, who is also a physician and researcher at the West Los Angeles VA Medical Center.

Yang said she’s now competing with all the families enrolled in the UCLA program for the limited childcare options available on the west side.

 ”When our kids were young and still breastfeeding, moms are welcome to just walk up to the daycare and to feed our kids during the workday, which is so much better than having to pump,” she said. “It's just a way of maintaining that connection with your kids so early in that transition.”

Having the childcare center on campus allowed her to integrate having a family life and being a professor, she said.