Cato Hernández
has scoured through tons of archives to understand how our region became the way it is today.
Published November 29, 2023 5:00 AM
Ramona Boulevard, 100 feet north of the intersection of Mitchell and Echandia Streets, on April 16, 1935.
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Public Domain, USC Libraries Special Collections
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USC Libraries and California Historical Society
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Topline:
Angelenos have a love/hate relationship with the 10 Freeway (and probably any other for that matter), but the 10’s historical feats have left quite a mark on the county. So as repairs continue on the 10, we look into how this route changed driving in L.A.
How did the 10 Freeway start? The routes have gone through many name changes and have fallen under different plans, but the state really got coordinated in the 50s.
But was it the first freeway? Not quite, but it’s sort of its own first. Before the 10 Freeway that we know today existed — with its elevated and structured routes — Ramona Boulevard created buzz as a highway in 1935. This four-mile stretch had some hallmarks of a freeway, which later became the 10, but it lacked a key safety feature.
Read on… to learn about other big firsts on the freeway.
Freeways aren’t that cool — but the 10 gets kind of close because of its curious past.
It’s been in the news after the pallet fire and speedy recovery (although it's still undergoing repairs), but now, let’s look at some of its pivotal growth spurts.
A brief history of the 10 Freeway
While it wasn’t always called the 10, the route has been around for a long time.
In the early 20th century, Los Angeles was experiencing rapid growth. More and more people were buying cars, and there was a hodgepodge of different types of roads, ranging from dirt roads to flashier paved routes where you could drive faster than on other streets.
Travelers could use these roads to get from point A to point B in L.A. a little faster, but it was still slightly chaotic. So by the 1930s, the city began planning for a more organized network of roadways, especially between commerce and urbanized areas.
Today the route of Interstate 10 stretches thousands of miles from Santa Monica all the way to Florida, but before all that concrete was laid out, what would become the 10 Freeway was a much smaller system of highways with different names and destinations.
Is it LA’s first freeway?
The Ramona Freeway was the earlier name for Interstate 10 and went from downtown Los Angeles to the San Bernardino County line. The Macy Street Bridge, shown here in 1943, went above the route.
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Security Pacific National Bank Collection/Los Angles Public Library
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One of those upgraded routes was Ramona Boulevard, which opened in April 1935. It ran for four miles downtown under where the 10 is now, between Aliso Street and Garvey Avenue (ironically likely near where the pallets caught fire).
It created buzz because of its physical innovations — many of which would become central to the definition of a freeway.
Author Paul Haddad wrote that it was a roadway “with all the hallmarks of a freeway: separate grades, sloped embankments, and bridges replacing cross-traffic.”
(The person who coined the term 'freeway' — h/t Edward Bassett — saw it as different from other types of thoroughfares. A freeway wasn't about scenic routes or open access, it was about controlled and quick movement, leading to a free flow of traffic.)
Whether or not it’s the first freeway isn’t an easy answer because Ramona Boulevard started with new nomenclature.
The L.A. Department of Transportation says the state called it an “airline route” because “motorists could ‘fly’ without intersectional conflict at 50 miles per hour.”
But then in 1943, eight years after opening, the county’s regional planning commission referred to this stretch as a freeway “conversion of an existing highway.”
It’s not all semantics, though. The commission did define a freeway as a route:
exclusively for the movement of motor vehicles
separated from other properties by barriers
that prohibits going in and out
with reasonably spaced out entries and exits
with uninterrupted traffic flow that’s divided into two sides
The thing is, Ramona Boulevard had all the above except that last one — the dividing section between the two sides. So, it didn’t pass the “freeway” name test.
But ironically it proved how important a dividing section could be because of the number of accidents that happened without one: during its first 40 months, there were 77 injuries (including deaths) on Ramona Boulevard, according to LADOT history, mostly from head-on and sideswipe collisions.
To make it safer, a city traffic engineer asked the state to approve a “narrow guard rail design with lights atop” that would go in the middle. The interim measure worked, and since then all high-speed state highways use a raised median or barrier in the center.
While Ramona can’t technically claim the “first freeway” title because it didn’t have a divider between sides, we wouldn’t have sussed out what a freeway needs to be without it. A real chicken or the egg situation.
The upshot is that the title of L.A.’s first freeway officially goes to its neighbor, the 110, the Arroyo Seco Parkway which mostly opened in 1940 — Ramona was L.A.’s scrappy trial run.
A growing freeway system
The interchange of the Harbor, San Bernardino, Santa Ana and Hollywood freeways in May 1957.
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Clinton H. Betz
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Los Angeles Photographers Collection/Clinton H. Betz Collection/Los Angles Public Library
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Through the 1940s, '50s, and '60s, coordinated state plans emerged to develop these routes and other thoroughfares, into a network of fast-paced freeways.
There was much back and forth between leaders about what freeway routes would exist, where they’d lead and how they’d be named. But eventually, crews broke ground on the newly named Santa Monica Freeway portion over the L.A. River in 1957. The eastern side near Alhambra, which used to be called Ramona Freeway, was already open and was renamed the San Bernardino Freeway in 1954.
A portion of the freeway was included in the interstate highway system in 1957, earning that recognizable I-10 number. Other sections were included under the 10 moniker later, in an honestly way too confusing way.
Growth came at a cost for those in the freeway’s path. The routes were put close to schools and residences, which Angelenos complained would impact people’s health over time. A west side section of the 10 also displaced thousands of residents, including folks who lived in the now bisected Sugar Hill neighborhood.
Innovations on the 10
Newly installed traffic condition information sign on the Santa Monica Freeway in 1973. This was a test message.
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Security Pacific National Bank Collection/Los Angles Public Library
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The 10 Freeway brought other big innovations to L.A., such as electronic message boards.
Citizens Against the diamond lane picket Gov. Brown's presidential campaign headquarters at 4055 Wilshire Blvd. demanding he review the experiment with an eye toward ending it on May 16, 1976.
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Mike Mullen
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Herald Examiner Collection/Los Angles Public Library
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According to Haddad, the new boards pointed drivers to another innovation: the diamond lane. Essentially a carpool lane, it ended up a flop. Drivers hated it because it took over an existing freeway lane and you could only use it if you had three or more people in your car. The dislike was so strong that the woman behind the lane received “sexist taunts and death threats,” according to Haddad.
Sexism in engineering would have to take another back seat, though. Marilyn Reece, designer of the 10 and 405 interchange, was the first woman engineer registered in California, and Caltrans dedicated this junction to her in 2008.
According to Haddad, the 10 is also the first to use white letters on green signs and turnouts for the California Highway Patrol to clear accidents.
David Wagner
covers housing in Southern California, a place where the lack of affordable housing contributes to homelessness.
Published January 23, 2026 4:23 PM
Apartment complexes in Little Tokyo in Los Angeles on Aug. 7, 2019.
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Anne Wernikoff
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CalMatters
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Topline:
Los Angeles voters could soon get another chance to weigh in on Measure ULA, better known as the city’s “mansion tax.”
The backstory: First approved by voters in November 2022, the measure has taxed real estate selling for more than $5 million. It funds tenant protection programs and affordable housing construction. But economists have found that because the tax also applies to apartments — not just mansions — housing developers are pulling back on building in the city relative to other parts of L.A. County. One UCLA study concluded the city would have more low-income units on balance if the tax did not apply to new apartments.
What’s new: Now, there’s a new effort brewing at City Hall to change how the “mansion tax” works. City Councilmember Nithya Raman, chair of the council’s Housing and Homelessness Committee, introduced a motion Friday to place a new measure on the ballot. It would ask voters to exempt recently constructed apartment buildings from the tax, among other changes.
Read on… to learn why tax supporters are calling the reform effort “irresponsible.”
Los Angeles voters could soon get another chance to weigh in on Measure ULA, better known as the city’s “mansion tax.”
First approved by voters in November 2022, the measure has taxed real estate selling for more than $5 million. It funds tenant protection programs and affordable housing construction.
But economists have found that because the tax also applies to apartments — not just mansions — housing developers are pulling back on building in the city compared to other parts of L.A. County. One UCLA study concluded the city would have more low-income units on balance if the tax did not apply to new apartments.
Now, there’s a new effort brewing at City Hall to change how the “mansion tax” works.
City Councilmember Nithya Raman, chair of the council’s Housing and Homelessness Committee, introduced a motion Friday to place a new measure on the June ballot. The ballot measure would ask voters to exempt recently constructed apartment buildings from the tax, among other changes.
“We've seen some real pressures on the market as a result of ULA,” Raman told LAist. “It was sold to voters and talked about as a mansion tax. I don't think it was intended to slow the construction of new apartments in a city with an acknowledged and widespread housing crisis.”
Supporters of the tax say it’s working as intended. They dispute claims that ULA is responsible for slower housing growth in the city.
No council votes have yet been taken.
Local reform effort follows failed state bill
Supporters say the tax has funded eviction defense and rent relief programs. It has also produced the city’s largest-ever pot of money for low-income housing development, though less than 200 apartments have been completed and leased so far.
Joe Donlin, director of the group United to House L.A., called the latest reform effort “irresponsible.”
The proposed tax exemption for apartments built within the last 15 years would be “a tax break for developers and billionaires,” Donlin said.
“That would be giving money away from ULA programs that are protecting renters, that are keeping people from falling into homelessness, and building affordable housing,” he said.
Raman’s motion would also cancel the tax on homeowners affected by the Palisades Fire. Another change would restructure certain financing terms in order to attract traditional lenders to participate in ULA-funded affordable housing projects.
Many of the changes are similar to those proposed by state lawmakers in a bill that failed to advance at the tail end of last year’s legislative session in Sacramento.
Dueling effort at repeal is underway
But those who support reform say without some changes, the tax could soon be thrown out entirely. The Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association is collecting signatures for a separate ballot measure that would overturn not just Measure ULA, but similar taxes across the state.
Mott Smith, a reform proponent and the co-author of a UCLA study that found the tax had sharply reduced high-end real estate sales, said this is shaping up to be a tough political fight.
“I commend Councilmember Raman for doing her best to turn Measure ULA into something that might actually work before it goes away,” Smith said.
Some L.A. council members have already signaled opposition to the push for reform.
Alejandra Alarcon, a spokesperson for Councilmember Ysabel Jurado, said in a statement to LAist that Jurado opposes the motion as written.
“Voters overwhelmingly supported ULA to help build and sustain diverse communities,” the statement read. “Any changes to the measure should be made with community advocates at the table, not without them.”
What’s next?
The new City Council effort has a long way to go before any changes are made to the tax.
If a majority of the council approves it for the June ballot, a majority of local voters would need to sign off on changing a measure that received nearly 58% support from voters back in November 2022.
Robert Garrova
explores the weird and secret bits of SoCal that would excite even the most jaded Angelenos. He also covers mental health.
Published January 23, 2026 3:00 PM
A computer rendering of the Inspiration' space shuttle mockup in its new Downey home
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Courtesy Columbia Memorial Space Center
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Topline:
On Saturday the Columbia Memorial Space Center in Downey will honor the 40th anniversary of the loss of the Space Shuttle Challenger as well as other pioneering missions.
The backstory: The event will honor Christa McAuliffe, the first teacher ever selected to go to space as well as other pioneering women astronauts. McAuliffe and her six fellow crew members were lost when Space Shuttle Challenger exploded a little over a minute after liftoff on Jan. 28, 1986.
What to expect: The free event will include hands-on activities – such as air rocket building –and a panel discussion with engineers who worked on the Challenger mission. A local retired teacher who was trained on the same curriculum that McAuliffe would have delivered from the shuttle will also give a talk about how she’s kept the legacy of the lost mission alive.
How to attend: The Astronaut Commemoration Day event will be at the Columbia Memorial Space Center at 12400 Columbia Way in Downey from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
If you're enjoying this article, you'll love our daily newsletter, The LA Report. Each weekday, catch up on the 5 most pressing stories to start your morning in 3 minutes or less.
Why now: Jackie laid the first egg of the season around 4:30 p.m. Friday, according to organization records, as more than 14,000 people watched on the livestream.
The backstory: Jackie also laid the first egg of the season around this time last year, with the second and third a few days later.
Southern California's famous bald eagle couple, known as Jackie and Shadow, appear to have something new to take care of, as seen on the popular YouTube livestream run by Friends of Big Bear Valley that has captivated thousands of people.
Jackie laid the first egg of the season around 4:30 p.m. Friday in the nest overlooking Big Bear Lake, according to organization records, as more than 14,000 people watched the livestream.
In recent months, the birds were seen working on their "nestorations"— bringing in fresh sticks and fluff furnishings to the top of the Jeffrey pine tree they’ve claimed as their home, according to the nonprofit.
Last year, Jackie laid the first egg of that season around the same time, following up with a second and third a few days later.
Fans are once again eagerly watching the eagles for signs of more eggs in the clutch, which refers to the eggs laid in each nesting attempt, usually three days apart.
Jenny Voisard, the organization’s media and website manager, told LAist the Big Bear bald eagle fan community grew when the couple successfully raised two bald eagle chicks, Sunny and Gizmo, last season.
“The building of the nest, the bonding, the flirting, the mating, the bickering, the moving the sticks around, defending against intruders, you know, that's all been new for a lot of people,” she said.
“People are all kind of like nervous aunties and uncles,” she continued. “So we just try to keep everybody calm.”
As always, Jackie and Shadow are in charge. Fans will have to wait and see what this season will bring, Voisard said.
What to watch for
Friends of Big Bear Valley has been keeping track of the nesting season milestones, including a new daily record of at least 28 sticks delivered to the nest in November. The eagles’ previous single-day stick record was 25, according to the organization.
Other milestones include Shadow dropping off the first fluff in December, and the first mating a few weeks later.
“Pancaking” is a term Friends of Big Bear Valley uses to describe when the eagles lay flat in their nest bowl, before the eggs have arrived, for increasingly longer stretches of time.
The organization said Jackie had her longest “pancake session” of the season so far this week, laying in the nest for a little more than a half hour.
“That activity is a sign that we're getting closer to egg-laying,” Voisard said. “[Jackie’s] doing a few things, she's making the shape and she's testing it out.”
Jackie will likely also eat more fish from the nest so she has enough energy for the egg-laying process, Voisard said. Last January, the eagles brought two fish to the nest in the hours before the first egg was laid and three fish a day earlier, according to Friends of Big Bear Valley records.
When eggs are imminent, she said Jackie will “pancake” on the nest for long periods of time before rousing and puffing up her feathers. Then, Jackie typically makes a high-pitched, whistling tea kettle noise as she has contractions, according to the organization.
On Friday, Jackie made the tea kettle noise about three minutes before the first egg was laid, according to Friends of Big Bear Valley records.
“She looks almost royal, because all of her feathers are out and it's just — I cry,” Voisard said with a laugh. “It's usually pretty amazing.”
The eagles know best
While there are signs of new life coming to the nest, every season is different for Jackie and Shadow, and Friends of Big Bear Valley is encouraging people to be patient.
It was unseasonably warm in the area this past fall, and last season was the first time Jackie and Shadow successfully raised two chicks to fly away from the nest instead of just one. The organization has said both factors could delay this season’s egg-laying timeline.
“I'm sure [two] was a lot more work than with just one,” Sandy Steers, executive director of the organization, told LAist previously. “So I think that had something to do with them needing a longer break.”
Voisard said while we can’t predict what’s going to happen this year, fans don’t have to watch in fear or let human emotions get in the way of enjoying the eagle experience.
“We feel all of the feels with Jackie and Shadow … happiness, laughter, we get worried, we feel joy, we felt sorrow,” she said. “It's all OK, and Jackie and Shadow move forward, no matter what.”
Jackie and Shadow in Big Bear's famous bald eagle nest on Friday, Jan. 23, 2026.
Protestors demonstrate against ICE in downtown Los Angeles.
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Julia Barajas
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LAist
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Topline:
Los Angeles joins Minneapolis today for a walkout at some schools and workplaces to protest immigration enforcement operations. Both cities have seen protests following recent shootings by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.
Why it matters: The protest is part of a nationwide call to action that asks for an economic boycott.
The scene in LA: Around a couple hundred people took part in the demonstration at La Placita Olvera, including a lot of students from local high schools. Protesters described feelings of anger toward ICE agents as well as wanting to represent family members and friends who felt too scared to join.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
Several hundred people gathered at La Placita Olvera in downtown Los Angeles this afternoon, in solidarity with protesters nationwide who are calling for immigration agents to get out of their communities.
The eclectic crowd of Angelenos included high school and college students; veterans; clergy members; unions; local politicians; and parents who took the day off from work.
At a rally in the historic center, several people held up signs calling for “Justice for Renee Nicole Good,” the woman shot and killed by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent in Minneapolis earlier this month. Other protesters carried signs bearing the names and faces of those who’ve died in immigrant detention centers during the Trump administration’s mass deportation effort. One protester held up a sign that simply read: “Due Process. Google it.”
Impact on families
Centro CSO, a local grassroots organization, made sure students participating in the protest made it safely from school to La Placita Olvera.
“We were getting messages from parents asking if we can help their children get safe passage to get here, because the organization that set this up, [they] were calling for students to walk out, but [they] weren't really providing any guidance or protection,” said Verita Topete, co-chair of the group’s immigration committee.
Students see immigration enforcement activity taking place locally and in other states, and they want to get politically involved, Topete added.
Students from Roosevelt and Mendez high schools joined the march. Both campuses are on the eastside of town, where raids have been rampant.
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Julia Barajas
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LAist
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That was the case for eleventh grader Jazz, who said she walked out of school on Friday to speak up for those who can’t.
“My mom is very brave. Ever since I was little, my mom has never once backed down from a fight,” Jazz said. “And to see her hide away for the first time in her life really spoke to me. It made me really upset.”
Laura Pastor, a freshman at Cal State L.A., said she’s been inspired by anti-ICE activism across the country, especially among students.
“I'm holding a sign that says ‘Justice for Renee Nicole Good,’” Pastor said. “Not only did she represent an American citizen, but a white American citizen. That means that anybody could be a target now, and I think more people are starting to see that.”
Good’s death and those of people held in detention centers moved Pastor and others at the event to call for changes to enforcement policy.
For some, the demonstration on Friday was a family affair. Tina Ponce joined the call to action along with her 17-year-old daughter, Loki.
“Everything that's going on, it's too close to home. It feels like my ancestors went through this, and it's just a repeat,” Ponce said. “We have to do better.”
What’s the point of protest?
Following the rally at La Placita Olvera, the protesters marched to the Metropolitan Detention Center, where immigrant detainees are often taken for initial processing. There, organizers asked everyone to face northeast, toward Minnesota. Then, as some of them kneeled, they sang “Hold On” in unison.
Raúl García, an elementary school teacher in East L.A., said he knows a single protest won’t change the nation’s immigration policy — but he did not find it futile.
Laura Pastor, a freshman at Cal State L.A., made time to participate in the protest before heading to her internship.
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Julia Barajas
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LAist
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He said he recently asked his students to write about what they’re afraid of. When he gathered their response, one student wrote: “I’m scared ICE will take my mom.”
“Then I saw multiple entries [with] similar sentiments,” he added. “I was heartbroken.”
For García, it was enough to meet like-minded people and continue organizing.
