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.”

Starting Jan. 1, Californians will pay a new fee every time they buy a product with a non-removable battery — whether it's a power tool, a PlayStation, or even a singing greeting card.

The 1.5% surcharge, capped at $15, expands a recycling program that's been quietly collecting old computer monitors and TVs for two decades. The change is a result of Senate Bill 1215, authored by former state Sen. Josh Newman, a Democrat who represented parts of Los Angeles and San Bernardino. It was signed into law in 2022.

Consumers will pay the fee when buying any product with an embedded battery whether it’s rechargeable or not. Many of these products, experts said, end up in the trash. In its most recent analysis, the California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery estimates about 7,300 tons of batteries go to landfills illegally or by accident.

California pioneered electronic waste fees with computer monitors and TVs in 2003. The fee worked, keeping hazardous screens out of landfills and building better systems for proper disposal. But over the last 20 years, electronic waste has continued to evolve.

Powerful lithium batteries have become cheaper and more accessible as demand for technology has increased. They now power everyday products, from cellphones and AirPods to power tools and toys.

“These things are everywhere. They’re ubiquitous,” said Joe La Mariana, executive director of RethinkWaste, which manages waste services for 12 San Mateo County cities – a co-sponsor of the legislation.

They’re also, under some circumstances, a risk. Under harsh conditions at recycling and waste facilities, lithium-ion batteries can burst into flames and even explode.

“Paying a small check‑stand fee to fund proper collection is far cheaper than million‑dollar fires, higher insurance premiums, and rate hikes passed back to communities,” said Doug Kobold, executive director of the California Product Stewardship Council, which co-sponsored the legislation.

A growing problem 

In 2016, in the San Mateo County city of San Carlos, a lithium-ion battery sparked a major fire at the Shoreway Environmental Center recycling facility. It caused a four-month plant shutdown and $8.5 million in damage. RethinkWaste, a regional waste management agency, oversees that facility. As a result of the fire, its insurance premium rose from $180,000 to $3.2 million annually, La Mariana said; ratepayers ultimately bore that cost.

That fire catalyzed the waste management agency to seek solutions to the growing battery fire problem.

“Being a publicly owned facility, every bit of that property is owned and paid for by our 430,000 ratepayers,” La Mariana said. “So we have a fiduciary responsibility to maintain the integrity of these assets. But also, on a human level, we have a very high responsibility for the safety of our colleagues and our co-workers.”

Battery fires in waste and recycling facilities are an everyday hazard. Experts say they’re underreported, likely because facilities fear oversight or increases in insurance premiums.

And batteries can catch fire anywhere. Earlier this year, two girls were hospitalized after an electric scooter caught fire in a Los Angeles apartment building. According to the Federal Aviation Administration, there are nearly two battery fires on U.S. flights every week.

Clean energy shift brings battery hazards

The fee consumers will pay in the new year is just one piece of the state’s evolving response to the emerging risk of lithium-ion batteries.

Single-use plastic vapes are exempt from the new law because the Department of Toxic Substances Control raised concerns about collection and recycling systems handling nicotine, a hazardous substance, said Nick Lapis, an advocate with Californians Against Waste, which co-sponsored the legislation. They’re also the fastest growing source of lithium-ion battery waste.

“If you imagine somebody’s a pack a day smoker, that means every single day they’re throwing out a device with a lithium-ion battery,” Lapis said.

Last year, assemblymembers Jacqui Irwin and Lori Wilson introduced Assembly Bill 762, a law that would ban single-use plastic vapes entirely. Lapis says he expects the Legislature to address the risk of vapes this year.

Large-scale lithium-ion batteries present great danger of a different kind.

During the Los Angeles fires, dangerous lithium-ion batteries, including from electric vehicles, were left behind — resulting in a major cleanup operation by the Environmental Protection Agency.

And almost a year ago, a fire burned at a battery storage site in Moss Landing for two days, requiring more than 1,000 people to be evacuated. Monterey County neighbors to the facility have complained of feeling sick since the fire, and a recent study detected toxic metals in nearby marshes.

In 2024, Newsom established a collaborative of state agencies, including the California Air Resources Board and the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, to look into safety solutions for battery storage technologies. New CalFire regulations for battery storage systems will take effect this year.

Finding ways to properly dispose of batteries and their lithium in the waste stream is critical as the state transitions away from fossil fuels, said Meg Slattery, a scientist for Earthjustice.

“The next question becomes … where are we sourcing materials, and thinking through what happens to this when we're not using it anymore, which I think we're not traditionally great at thinking about as a society,” she said.

This article was originally published on CalMatters and was republished under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives license.

I knew it was a gamble taking my mutt, Ace, to herd sheep. He had a little Australian cattle dog in him, but that was it in terms of traditional herding breeds.

Still, one of my neighbors had told me about this place that lets urban dogs test out their sheepherding instincts. I thought Ace’s habit of running at me full steam at the park, then swerving at the last minute, might stem from a deep-seeded urge to mind the flock. So I decided to give it a shot.

Jerry Stewart of Easy’s Place herding greeted us as we pulled up next to the sheep corral on a ranch at the base of the Box Springs Mountains in Riverside. With his cowboy hat and shepherd staff, you’d never know this 76-year-old is a former surfer from Huntington Beach. Unless, of course, you recognize him from an episode of the Dog Whisperer with Cesar Millan or one of his other media appearances over the years.

Stewart has been training dogs for 36 years, mostly on a patch of land next to the 710 Freeway in Long Beach. But in October, he was abruptly told he could no longer lease the land.

The author tries to get her dog, Ace, to take an interest in the sheep.

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Joshua Letona

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LAist

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Now, he’s trying to keep his business going in a new location that while much more peaceful, is not as convenient for him and most of his clients.

“I’m retired so I don't need the money,” Stewart said. But he also doesn’t want to lose money training other people’s dogs.

Herding instinct

Stewart holds classes twice, sometimes three times a week. Many of the dogs and their owners are there to let loose behavior that can be destructive at home or annoying at the dog park. But Stewart also trains dogs and their owners for herding competitions, known as trials. (Yep, that’s a thing, and extensively documented on YouTube. You’re welcome.)

The American Kennel Club lists 33 herding breeds that “share an instinctual ability to control the movement of other animals.” These include Australian and German shepherds, as the name suggests, as well as border collies and corgis.

The main motivation for Stewart’s business, he told me, is to help city dogs with herding instincts live their best lives.

“In the backyard, they have nothing to do but chase a bird’s shadow when it flies overhead,” he said. “They get a little neurotic.”

Stewart has a well-worn answer for people wondering whether their pet would like herding: “The dog will tell us.”

Jerry Stewart and his sheep in Moreno Valley.

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Joshua Letona

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LAist

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My not-so-herder dog

Ace was clearly nervous when I took him out of the car and headed toward the corral. He sniffed the air apprehensively. There were the nearby sheep, of course, but also horses and wild donkeys — all unfamiliar smells for my suburban, condo-bound dog.

We let him loose in the corral and he immediately scoped out the perimeter, which Stewart said was normal. We then led him toward the sheep. He seemed mildly interested, and even caused the small herd to move to another corner of the corral.

But Ace soon turned and headed straight for the exit. Round 1 was over. We tried again later with not much more luck. Ace seemed very relieved when I let him jump back in the car.

“If it's not there, you ain't doing nothing,” Stewart said of a dog’s herding instinct, or lack thereof. “It ain't happening.”

Stewart's seasoned herding dog, Sunny.

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Jill Replogle

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LAist

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The herders

A couple of other dogs at the class couldn’t have seemed happier to be herding. Tir, a 16-year-old blind border collie, is so fragile that her owner  Kimberly Schreyer had to lift her out of the car.

Kimberly Schreyer brings her 16-year-old border collie, Tir, to herd sheep weekly.

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Jill Replogle

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LAist

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But once in the corral, Tir raced around like a pup, keeping the flock in constant motion. “ She's just so happy,” Schreyer said of the dog’s weekly herding sessions.

Kathleen Wang’s 7-year-old Australian cattle dog, Wally, had been off the herding scene for a few months. But he seemed to jump right back in, easily guiding the flock through a set of barriers, which gets you points at competitions.

“ He's learning the commands and stuff, so I'm pretty proud of him,” Wang said.

She doesn’t plan to compete with Wally, but Wang said herding gives him an outlet for behavior that is less welcome elsewhere.

“At the dog park, he would herd the little white Maltese poodles, like push them into the corner,” Wang said. “And he would be reactive towards other dogs because he wants to control the movement. But coming here, this lets him get his instincts out.”

It’s been a tough year in these parts. Many communities affected by the Palisades and Eaton fires are still reeling, whether directly as homeowners continue to rebuild, relocate and remediate, or indirectly, as communities fight insurance logistics, navigate political processes and recover from mental health implications and job losses. Despite these challenges, the resilience of our city is astounding — and that is worth celebrating, even when it’s bittersweet.

Across the region, events marking the one-year anniversary begin in early January and continue throughout the month. Many organizers have told LAist they would love to have volunteers to help out, so reach out directly to organizers if you are interested in doing more than just attending. All events are free unless otherwise noted.

Events

With Us: Walk with fire survivors through sight, sound and story

Sunday, Jan. 4, 12 to 4 p.m., through Jan. 7, noon to 7:30 p.m.
City Market Social House
1145 S. San Pedro St., downtown L.A.
MORE INFO

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Department of Angels

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Continuing to tell survivors’ stories is key to recovery. That’s the thinking behind the project With Us, an audio and visual storytelling installation focused on “remembrance and recovery.” The event, put on by Department of Angels and Extreme Weather Survivors, aims to bring the community together at City Market Social House on Jan. 4; the art will be available to check out through Jan. 7.

Altadena Candlelight Vigil

Wednesday, Jan. 7, 6 p.m. 
5400 N. Lake Ave., Altadena
MORE INFO

Join local leaders for a candlelight vigil marking one year since the Eaton Fire. The community will “gather in solidarity as we look toward healing, rebuilding, and a brighter tomorrow.”

A Concert for Altadena 

Wednesday, Jan. 7, 6:30 p.m. 
Pasadena Civic Auditorium 
COST: $150; MORE INFO

Indie band Dawes has been one of the most visible survivors and supporters of the Eaton Fire community since the 2025 wildfires. They are putting their notoriety to good use and planning A Concert for Altadena, happening Jan. 7 and featuring some major musical talent, including Jackson Browne, Mandy Moore, Ozomatli, Jenny Lewis, Lord Huron, Rufus Wainwright and many more. Hosted by John C. Reilly, the show benefits the Altadena Builds Back Foundation, which is spearheading long-term recovery and rebuilding efforts.

Songs of Remembrance: A Memorial Service of Hope and Renewal

Wednesday, Jan. 7, 7:30 p.m.
Lake Avenue Church
393 North Lake Ave., Pasadena
MORE INFO

Best-selling Christian author and speaker Philip Yancey will speak at a special community memorial service led by Lake Avenue Church’s Chamber Orchestra and members of the Sanctuary Choir, featuring sacred hymns, choral anthems and classical works that invite reflection, comfort and renewed hope. “This will be a meaningful opportunity to come together and find something redemptive in the midst of tragedy,” said Yancey. “Ironically, it’s often tragedy that brings people together.”

Eaton Fire anniversary community art gathering

Wednesday, Jan. 7, 3 to 5 p.m.
John Muir High School 
1905 Lincoln Ave., Pasadena
MORE INFO

Artist Cynthia Lake, Side Street Projects and the John Muir High School Alumni Association will come together to make art and share stories on a day of remembrance honoring the first anniversary of the Eaton Fire. The afternoon includes art activities, music, resources, performances and more, plus Lake will launch her "Eaton Fire Bowl Series," giving away free handmade ceramic bowls to people affected by the fire — each piece a symbol of hope and comfort.

Community Prayer Services and Concerts of Remembrance, Healing and Renewal 

Wednesday, Jan. 7, 1 p.m. and 7 p.m. 
St. Matthew's Episcopal Church
1031 Bienveneda Ave., Pacific Palisades
OPEN TO ALL, SUGGESTED DONATION $45; MORE INFO

Grammy-winning violinist Anne Akiko Meyers joins members of the Los Angeles Master Chorale, conducted by Grant Gershon, with music by Bach, Morten Lauridsen and Eric Whitacre. Each concert will be preceded by a prayer service at 12 p.m. and 6 p.m. Donations will benefit Chamber Music Palisades, Palisades Symphony and Chorale, St. Matthew’s Music Guild and Theatre Palisades.

Power Up Altadena!

Sunday, Jan. 11, 11 a.m.

Zorthian Ranch 

3990 N. Fair Oaks Ave., Altadena 

MORE INFO

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Dena United

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Dena United is hosting this all-day festival at Altadena’s historic Zorthian Ranch to celebrate the community’s diverse culture and commemorate one year since the devastating Eaton Fire. Expect to see a wide range of performances from acts including Bobby Bradford, Dwight Trible, Baba Onochie Chukwurah & the Rhythms of the Village Family Band, the Pan Afrikan Peoples Arkestra, Earthseed Band and the Whispering Giants with MCs Medusa and Myka 9.

Writers Bloc presents: Firestorm author Jacob Soboroff

Tuesday, Jan. 13, 7:30 p.m. 

Writers Guild Theater

135 S. Doheny Drive, Beverly Hills

COST: $25; MORE INFO

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Writers Bloc

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Palisades native and MSNBC reporter Jacob Soboroff has a new book out in January on the L.A. fires, Firestorm. He’ll be in conversation with Mariana van Zeller at Writers Bloc to discuss.

L.A. Fires One-Year Reflection: Workers in Action

Thursday, Jan. 15, 4 to 6 p.m.

UCLA James Lawson Jr. Worker Justice Center

675 S. Park View St., MacArthur Park

MORE INFO

Construction workers begin to rebuild a business destroyed by the Palisades Fire on May 07, 2025.

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Justin Sullivan

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Getty Images

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The UCLA Labor Center will host a panel discussion at the Lawson Worker Justice Center (adjacent to MacArthur Park), focused on impacts on and protections for workers. Please RSVP; space is limited.

Out of the Ashes: Benefit Concert and Hero Award

Saturday, Jan. 17 
Private residence, Malibu 
COST: $750; MORE INFO

Hosted by Mission Project CEO Erik Rock, the event features a performance from Grammy winner Andy Grammer. Expect other big-name speakers and guests to participate too.