The Freeway That Changed LA Driving (And Other Headlines)

Before I start today’s newsletter — I have a quick ask for parents living in L.A.:

Los Angeles is expensive. Child care is expensive. For folks with young kids in L.A., how are you paying for childcare? Have you had to change careers? Dip into savings? My colleague Elly Yu wants to hear from you. You can click here to fill out the form.

Now, back to our regularly scheduled newsletter...

The history of the 10

Last week, I highlighted the safety concerns some people had about the reopened portion of the 10 Freeway after its very speedy repairs, but today, we’re taking a look at its history and how it changed L.A. driving.

I will admit that “freeway history” is not something I would typically look up, but after reading my colleague Caitlin Hernández’s story about it, here are some interesting things I learned about the 10 Freeway:

• What defines a freeway: Edward M. Bassett, who coined the term, saw freeways as a way of controlled and quick movement, not as scenic routes.
• The origins of the 10: One of the routes started on Ramona Boulevard, which opened in April 1935, and ran for 4 miles downtown between Aliso Street and Garvey Avenue (ironically likely near where the pallets caught fire). It was called a parkway and later on an actual freeway. Today, the route stretches from Santa Monica to Florida.
• Some innovative features: Evolving the 10 Freeway brought about other significant innovations, such as electronic message boards and the first use of white letters on green signs and turnouts for the California Highway Patrol to clear accidents.

Read more about the freeway’s history here.

Stay curious, L.A. There’s more news below — just keep reading.

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Wait! One more thing...

California community college kids attending HBCUs

Iris Tabb, director of admissions at Harris-Stowe State University, at the HBCU Caravan event at Los Angeles Valley College.

(

Bonnie Ho

/

LAist

)

It’s Education Wednesday here at LAist, and today, we’re talking about how community college students in California are transferring to Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).

This year, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed AB 1400, which redefined the College Access Tax Credit to provide a one-time award of up to $5,000 to California community college students to use to transfer to HBCUs. While there are no federally designated HBCUs in California, the funding makes it easier for students to transfer to nearly 40 HBCU campuses.

More backstory: Since 2015, upon meeting certain academic requirements, California community college students are guaranteed transfer admission to participating HBCUs.

For students like Jamel White, this type of opportunity is a chance to explore life outside of California and find a sense of home and belonging.

“I want to get out of the state. I've been a California native all my life, so really to explore and to also network with other people — especially like my people, Black people,” White said. He added that at an HBCU he’ll “feel more at home.”

Learn more about it here.

And for more education-related content, you can click here to read all the stories.