Cato Hernández
scours 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.
Officials have issued evacuation orders and warnings for residents near the Max Fire, which broke out late Monday afternoon.
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Courtesy Cal Fire
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Topline:
A fire near Stevenson Ranch Monday afternoon prompted evacuation orders and warnings before firefighters were able to stop its forward progress hours later at 6:25 p.m. The Max Fire, which was reported at about 4:20 p.m., has so far burned 45 acres, according to the L.A. County Fire Department.
What we know so far: The fire is located just west of the 5 Freeway in Pico Canyon Park, near Stevenson Ranch Parkway, according to Cal Fire.
Read on ... for more on evacuation orders and warnings.
This is a developing story and will be updated. For the most up-to-date information about the fire you can check:
A fire near Stevenson Ranch Monday afternoon prompted evacuation orders and warnings before firefighters were able to stop its forward progress hours later at 6:25 p.m. The Max Fire, which was reported at about 4:20 p.m., has so far burned 45 acres, according to the L.A. County Fire Department.
The fire is located just west of the 5 Freeway in Pico Canyon Park, near Stevenson Ranch Parkway, according to Cal Fire.
Mandatory evacuation orders were issued for parts of the communities of Southern Oaks and Sunset Pointe, including the Laing-Brookefield Open Space. Parts of Valencia and Newhall are under evacuation warnings.
The basics
Acreage: 45 acres as of 6:25 p.m. Monday.
Containment: 0%
Structures destroyed: None reported.
Deaths: None
Injuries: 0
Personnel working on fire: Not immediately available
Live maps show multiple aircraft over the fire
Evacuation map and orders
Mandatory evacuation orders have been issued for:
STV-PICO
And warnings have been issued for zones:
SCL-DELPRADO
SCL-MEADOWS
STV-CONSTITUTION
STV-E109
STV-POEEvacuation warnings
Authorities say those who require additional time to evacuate and those with pets and livestock should leave immediately.
What we know so far
The Max Fire broke out about 4:20 p.m. west of Stevenson Ranch. It's currently 0% contained.
It's among several fires in recent days, including the Hazel Fire near Lancaster, which burned 66 acres Monday before the L.A. County Fire Department said crews had stopped forward progress of the fire. Evacuation warnings for nearby residents are still in place for that fire. LAist media partner CBS LA reports aerial footage showed a few structures on fire.
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By Christopher Weber and Konstantin Toropin | The Associated Press
Published June 15, 2026 5:11 PM
A United States Air Force B-52 Stratofortress crashed shortly after takeoff.
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Courtesy CBS LA
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Topline:
A B-52 bomber crashed today and burst into flames, killing all eight people aboard, shortly after takeoff at a U.S. Air Force base in Southern California’s Mojave Desert, military officials said.
What we know: Aerial footage showed virtually nothing left of the aircraft that went down around 11:20 a.m. during a routine test mission at the base, which is north of Los Angeles. After reviewing footage of the crash, it was determined that no one could have survived, Col. James Hayes, the Deputy Commander at Edwards Air Force Base, said at a news conference.
About the victims: “We lost eight great Americans,” Hayes said, adding that officials were working to notify their families. On board was a mix of military service members and government and civilian contractors, Hayes said.
A B-52 bomber crashed Monday and burst into flames, killing all eight people aboard, shortly after takeoff at a U.S. Air Force base in Southern California’s Mojave Desert, military officials said.
Aerial footage showed virtually nothing left of the aircraft that went down around 11:20 a.m. during a routine test mission at the base, which is north of Los Angeles. Black smoke rose from a large swath of charred desert near what appeared to be a runway on the base, with emergency vehicles nearby.
After reviewing footage of the crash, it was determined that no one could have survived, Col. James Hayes, the Deputy Commander at Edwards Air Force Base, said at a news conference.
“We lost eight great Americans,” Hayes said, adding that officials were working to notify their families.
On board was a mix of military service members and government and civilian contractors, Hayes said.
It was not immediately clear what caused the crash, and it could take up to six months to complete an investigation, Hayes said, but shared that the B-52 was supporting the “radar modernization program.”
In 2025, a B-52 flew to Edwards with a new, modernized radar system. A test team planned to conduct ground and flight test activities on the aircraft throughout 2026 to feed a production decision, the air force said in a 2025 news release. The modern Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar system replaced the aircraft’s antiquated radar for efficacy.
Edwards Air Force Base is home to a large portion of the U.S. Air Force’s aircraft test and development efforts and is about 100 miles (161 km) north of Los Angeles. The 412th Test Wing, which runs the base, also conducts developmental testing of all Air Force aircraft, weapons systems, software and components before purchase by the service as well as throughout their lifespan.
The vast desert base is also where Air Force test pilot Chuck Yeager reached a speed of Mach 1.05 and broke the sound barrier in 1947.
The airfield was closed most of Monday and all inbound aircraft were being diverted, but it reopened by late afternoon. Non-commercial visitor passes for the base were suspended as emergency crews doused the flames.
It’s too soon to say what might have happened.
The way the B-52 crashed so quickly after takeoff without getting very high or going far makes aviation safety expert Jeff Guzzetti suspect some kind of flight control malfunction.
It’s possible the controls were rigged wrong after maintenance, he said, or a catastrophic engine problem or a failure of a piece of equipment that was being tested.
“I think it was definitely a controllability issue. Now, whether that was tied to an engine failure, a flight control failure, or some new testing device failure, I’m not sure,” said Guzzetti, who used to investigate crashes for both the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board.
Although the Air Force has been flying B-52 bombers for more than 70 years, testing out new equipment on a plane can create new challenges.
“A flight test is always riskier than normal operations, so that’s why you have specially trained test pilots, and you should have other safety protocols,” Guzzetti said.
___
Toropin reported from Washington D.C. AP Transportation Writer Josh Funk contributed to this story from Omaha, Nebraska and AP reporter Hallie Golden contributed from Seattle.
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Erin Stone
covers climate and environmental issues in Southern California.
Published June 15, 2026 3:35 PM
Several historic cabins in Crystal Cove State Park, like this one, suffered damage and flooding during heavy surf and high tides.
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Erin Stone
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LAist
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Topline:
Heavy surf, high tides and rip currents have done some damage to the Southern California coast, with potentially dangerous conditions expected to last at least until Thursday.
Why it matters: A young girl was recently swept into the ocean and killed, and some coastline infrastructure has been damaged.
Keep reading...for more on the recent heavy surf and high tides.
Heavy surf, high tides and rip currents have done some damage to the Southern California coast, with potentially dangerous conditions expected to last at least until Thursday.
The conditions already have had devastating consequences. Just last week in Laguna Beach, a 5-year-old girl drowned after she was swept into the ocean by powerful surf. Authorities said they were able to rescue her mother and brother, who were caught in the same swell.
In Crystal Cove State Park, tides over 7 feet and heavy surf damaged part of a historic cabin, and nearly flooded another. A lifeguard tower was nearly pulled into the water.
Heavy surf and high tides pulled sand from beneath a cabin at Crystal Cove Historic District.
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Erin Stone
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LAist
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'Biggest waves I've ever seen'
“ At the peak of it, just the biggest waves I've ever seen here in my experience as a lifeguard,” said Jake Beckley, who’s been a Crystal Cove lifeguard for six years. “We've lost pretty much the entire beach at certain points.”
The tide reached as high as The Beachcomber restaurant at one point, and pulled chunks of a historic seawall from beneath a cabin nearby.
About Crystal Cove
In the 1910s, the area became popular with both beachgoers and Hollywood movie makers who used it as a filming location. From there, it grew into a bustling community for summer visitors, and later residents. In 1979, it became a California State Park.
Sandra and Rigo Garcia of San Dimas have been visiting Crystal Cove to stay in those historic cabins since the late 1990s. They’ve seen the beach change over the decades.
Sandra and Rigo Garcia have been coming to Crystal Cove for decades and have seen the beach change.
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Erin Stone
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LAist
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“The tide is just so high that it took all the sand, and we're just like, ‘Oh, where's my beach?’” Sandra Garcia said as they sat under an umbrella on the sand of a small road.
Rigo Garcia pointed to the patch of sand in front of them.
“This spot was always the greatest spot, because I would come early in the morning, set up the easy-ups and chairs, and we always had plenty of real estate,” he said. “The kids would be able to swim maybe 10, 15 yards while they're out there. But now it's so dangerous…too many rocks.”
How we got here
A strong southern swell, combined with high tides, has led to the coastal erosion and flooding. The highest tides of the year, however, usually come in the winter, but over the last week some beaches have seen record high tides for this time of year, according to the National Weather Service.
“As sea levels rise, things like this are gonna become more common."
— Riley Pratt, environmental scientist
Riley Pratt, an environmental scientist with California State Parks Orange County District, said these events are a window into the future — as pollution in our atmosphere heats up the planet and melts glaciers, sea levels rise.
“As sea levels rise, things like this are gonna become more common, and their impact is going to be proportionally greater because the baseline is shifting,” he said. “That's going to change what is this just annual cycle into something that's new and that we haven't seen before.”
But for now, the beach is crowded, the sun is shining, and summertime is in the air. And for the Garcias and their fellow beachgoers, there’s no time like the present.
“Earth changes, so you have to go with it,” said Sandra Garcia. “Even though it has changed so much, we still can enjoy it… and be thankful that we have this paradise here.”
What's next
In Orange County, the National Weather Service warns that dangerous surf conditions, including rip currents, are expected to continue through Friday evening.
This creates dangerous conditions for swimming. Anyone caught in a rip current is advised to swim parallel to the shore to clear it. And, as the NWS says, "always swim near a lifeguard."
In L.A. County, conditions are expected to continue through Wednesday night, including coastal flooding, high tides and rip currents.
Southerly swell combined w/increased tides will bring dangerous rip currents & elevated surf from Pt. Conception southward today into early this coming week. Remain off rocks & jetties, always keep an eye on the ocean, and follow local lifeguard advice before swimming. pic.twitter.com/WNBxUK2igi
David Wagner
covers housing in Southern California, a place where the lack of affordable housing contributes to homelessness.
Published June 15, 2026 3:31 PM
Small aircraft are parked just off the runway at Santa Monica Airport.
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David Wagner/LAist
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Topline:
Voters in Santa Monica will not see a measure on the November ballot aiming to allow 3,000 affordable housing units on one-quarter of the land for the city’s soon-to-close airport.
The backstory: Proponents have been gathering signatures for a measure that would ask the city’s voters to set aside a quarter of Santa Monica Airport’s land for income-restricted housing. The airport is set to close at the end of 2028. Santa Monica voters have already supported turning it into a large park. But some say the city needs to create more opportunities for low- and moderate-income workers to live near their jobs.
What’s new: Supporters of the housing initiative had until mid-June to submit 7,038 signatures in order to qualify for the November 2026 ballot. They now say they will not meet that deadline. “Community volunteers are continuing to gather signatures,” said Rachele Smith, a spokesperson for the hospitality workers union Unite Here Local 11. Smith said proponents now aim to submit enough signatures by Aug. 12 to qualify for the ballot in November 2028.
Park planning moves forward: In 2014, more than 60% of Santa Monica voters supported Measure LC, which prohibited using airport land for any development purpose other than parks and recreation. However, Measure LC left open the possibility of altering course through another public vote. The City Council recently accepted $10.5 million in county and state funding for park planning. Supporters of the housing measure want to keep 75% of the airport’s land dedicated to the creation of a park, with the rest available for housing development.
What’s next: Whether housing supporters will be able to qualify for the 2028 ballot remains to be seen. Ann Bowman, a Santa Monica Great Park Coalition board member, said park supporters “are very excited” by recent developments. “This land must not be privatized as it's been by a small aviation clique for the past 70-plus years,” Bowman said.
