The wartime race to produce synthetic rubber left a toxic legacy in the South Bay
Japan’s surprise attack on Pearl Harbor in Hawaii on Dec. 7, 1941, was not an isolated act of war. Instead, it was just one part of a series of coordinated military attacks on Western colonies and outposts in the Far East on that day. Japanese forces also attacked Indochina as Southeast Asia then was known.…
Gardena stood alone after South Bay cities battled over legalized gambling
Claude Rains said it to Humphrey Bogart, owner of Rick’s Cafe Americain in the 1942 film classic “Casablanca”: “I’m shocked! Shocked to find that gambling is going on in here.” Nowadays, he could only say that in the South Bay in one of the two legal poker clubs left in Gardena, Larry Flynt’s Hustler Casino…
Riviera Village Shopping Center arose as a result of the Hollywood Riviera housing development
The Riviera Village Shopping Center in Redondo Beach got its official name during the 1950s, but the open-air South Redondo retail area near the beach had been around for decades by then. It developed not unlike Westwood Village did, and at about the same time. Westwood Village and UCLA both opened in 1929, with the…
South Bay History blog is on hiatus
The South Bay History blog will be on hiatus for the next three weeks due to my undergoing minor surgery. If recovery goes smoothly, I hope to return on October 9, 2026. Thanks for reading, Sam Gnerre
Air raid wardens bolstered civil defense effort on the home front during World War II
The idea of the United States having to create an infrastructure to defend itself from possible aerial attacks on its homeland did not become a front-burner issue until the mid-1930s. Several factors brought the possibility to the forefront. Most prominent was the development of larger, longer-range aircraft capable of executing bombing strikes from long distances,…
A.K. Warren Water Resource Facility a vital link in L.A. County’s sewage treatment system
The roots of the A.K. Warren Water Resources Facility run much deeper than its sleek buildings might suggest. The modern-looking, low-slung complex situated just east of the 110 Freeway on South Figueroa St. in Carson plays a key role in Los Angeles County’s sewage treatment and remediation system. Its namesake, Albert Kendall Warren, was a…
Torrance’s first mayor helped lead the city through its incorporation process in 1921
George Alphy Proctor’s name doesn’t have the same familiar ring as that of Jared Sydney Torrance, wealthy founder of the city of Torrance. But every burgeoning community needs enthusiastic boosters like Proctor to help get it up and running in its early days. Proctor was born in Vale, Iowa, on June 16, 1880, to John…
Clifton-by-the-Sea took the long way in becoming part of Redondo Beach
In late 1905, railroad magnate and entrepreneur Henry Huntington bought 1,010 acres of land south of Redondo Beach known as the Downey Ranch. The property once was owned by John Downey, California’s governor from 1860-1862. The Pacific Electric Railway owner planned to end his Redondo Beach Red Car line there at what he envisioned to…
Seadromes: Ocean landing strips for airplanes seemed like a good idea for a time
The dawn of the aviation age opened up a world of possibilities for the passenger transportation industry. The first American commercial airline flight in a fixed-wing plane took place on New Year’s Day in Miami in 1914. Though excitement about aviation quickly reached a fever pitch, the early generation of airplanes had severe limitations when…
The popular Pacific Electric Red Car line made getting to San Pedro easy for all
By the 1920s, it became possible to hop aboard a commuter train at 6th and Main streets in downtown Los Angeles, ride it to Los Angeles Harbor, switch to the Catalina Island Terminal line in Wilmington, and, at that terminal, catch a ride aboard a steamship over to the Island, all without using a car.…
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