Peoples Guide to Los Angeles

A Peopleand#8217;s Guide to Los Angeles offers an assortment of eye-opening alternatives to L.A.and#8217;s usual tourist destinations. It documents 115 little-known sites in the City of Angels where struggles related to race, class, gender, and sexuality have occurred. They introduce us to people and events usually ignored by mainstream media and, in the process, create a fresh history of Los Angeles. Roughly dividing the city into six regionsand#151;North Los Angeles, the Eastside and San Gabriel Valley, South Los Angeles, Long Beach and the Harbor, the Westside, and the San Fernando Valleyand#151;this illuminating guide shows how power operates in the shaping of places, and how it remains embedded in the landscape.

and#8220;This is not your usual roundup of traditional tourist sites in L.A. but, instead, a unique and vastly informative guide to places of interest and importance in the struggles of race, labor, gender, and the environment.and#8221;

and#8220;High Gas Prices make staycations more inviting, so start planning with and#8216;A Peopleand#8217;s Guide to Los Angeles.and#8221; The focus here is on the people, places, struggles and triumphs that make our area unique.and#8221;

and#8220;A beautiful collection of short essays, maps, stories, photographs, directions and secret histories.and#8221;

and#8220;F**k Rodeo Drive: A People's Guide to Los Angeles is an L.A. Guidebook for the 99 Percent.and#8221;

and#8220;Offering an interesting alternative to the usual tourist guides, A Peopleand#8217;s Guide to Los Angeles is a socio-political look at the West Coastand#8217;s occasionally explosive cultural melting pot that . . . illuminates a few corners that donand#8217;t turn up in the usual tourist guides.and#8221;

and#8220;Imagine Howard Zinn, the late renegade professor who gave us and#8216;A Peopleand#8217;s History of the United States,and#8217; kidnapping Huell Howser and rewriting your Auto Club TourBook. . . . But you donand#8217;t have to agree with the authorsand#8217; politics to be intrigued by their work. Even though Iand#8217;ve been working on an L.A. guidebook myself for the last 18 months, this and#8216;Peopleand#8217;s Guideand#8217; taught me plenty.and#8221;

and#8220;An intriguing and important book of alternative tourism.and#8221;

“A beautiful collection of short essays, maps, stories, photographs, directions and secret histories.” Pasadena Star-News

“An intriguing and important book of alternative tourism.” Andrew Tonkovich - Oc Weekly: Orange County News, Arts and Ent

and#8220;A rare and refreshingly new take on the tourist guidebook. . . . O?ers a more balanced and accurate picture of Los Angeles.and#8221;

"It should become a permanent feature on bookshelves and course syllabi across the region."

and#8220;An indispensable guide for those seeking to understand Los Angeles beyond its well-hyped glitz and glamour.and#8221;

and#8220;The masterfully executed book subverts the typical Los Angeles guidebook. . . . It's an invaluable source of little known or forgotten but very necessary L.A. history.and#8221;

and#8220;Weand#8217;ve found a great summer read thatand#8217;s giving us a new perspective on the city we love. Itand#8217;s got intrigue, actionand#8212;and enough shocking stories for a miniseries. Plus, itand#8217;s all true. . . . Its thoroughly researched, intelligent text is edifying no matter where you stand. And like any good guidebook, there are dining recommendations along the way.and#8221;

"A rich, full, and fascinating alternative tour of Los Angeles that is sure to hold something of interest for just about anyone who is curious about the subterranean history and hidden current life of the city . . . a groundbreaking and important project."

"A Peopleand#8217;s Guide is much more than a guidebook, it is a unique and much-needed peopleand#8217;s history of Los Angeles; an historical document to resist the erasures, and to capture stories, struggles (both historical and ongoing), successes and defeats, that may otherwise be lost or remain inaccessible to those not intimately familiar with and embedded in the region."

and#147;Forget the starsand#8217; map of Hollywood: this is the real trip through an L.A. history of militant strikers, civil rights activists, and unforgettable feminists. A tour de force of imagination and memory.and#8221; and#151;Mike Davis, author of City of Quartz: Excavating the Future in Los Angeles

"A Peopleand#8217;s Guide brings the reader to the Los Angeles I know and love. The amazingly diverse, vibrant, gritty LA filled with history and struggle. Finally, hereand#8217;s a guidebook that takes visitors to the places and people that make me proud to call Los Angeles my home.and#8221; and#151;Madeline Janis, Executive Director, Los Angeles Alliance for a New Economy (LAANE)

Laura Pulido is Professor of American Studies and Ethnicity at the University of Southern California. Among her books is Black, Brown, Yellow, and Left: Radical Activism in Los Angeles (UC Press). Laura Barraclough is Assistant Professor of Sociology at Kalamazoo College and the author of Making the San Fernando Valley: Rural Landscapes, Urban Development, and White Privilege. Wendy Cheng is Assistant Professor of Asian Pacific American Studies and Justice and Social Inquiry at Arizona State University.

List of Maps

An Introduction to A Peopleand#8217;s Guide to Los Angeles

Los Angeles County Map

Chapter One: North Los Angeles

An Introduction to North Los Angeles

Map of North Los Angeles

North Los Angeles Sites

1.1 Biddy Mason Park and#149; 1.2 Black Cat Bar and#149; 1.3 Bus Riders Union and Labor/Community Strategy Center and#149; 1.4 Caballeros de Dimas-Alang and Philippines Review and#149; 1.5 California Club and#149; 1.6 Calle de Los Negros and#149; 1.7 Chavez Ravine and#149; 1.8 Chinatowns and#149; 1.9 ChoSun Galbee Restaurant and#149; 1.10 Downey Block and#149; 1.11 El Congreso del Pueblo de Habla Espaand#241;ola and#149; 1.12 Embassy Hotel and Auditorium and#149; 1.13 Fernandoand#8217;s Hideaway and Sisters of GABRIELA, Awaken! and#149; 1.14 Gay Liberation Front (1969and#150;1972)/Former Home of Morris Kight and#149; 1.15 Gay Womenand#8217;s Service Center and#149; 1.16 If Cafand#233; and Open Door and#149; 1.17 Instituto de Educaciand#243;n Popular del Sur de California (IDEPSCA) and Villa Park and#149; 1.18 Kyoto Grand Hotel and#149; 1.19 L.A. Live and#149; 1.20 La Placita and Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels and#149; 1.21 League of Southern California Japanese Gardeners and#149; 1.22 Los Angeles Police Department Headquarters and Parker Center and#149; 1.23 Los Angeles River Center and Gardens and#149; 1.24 Los Angeles Times Building (Former) and#149; 1.25 Musicians Union Hall (Local 47) and#149; 1.26 Orpheum Theatre, Sleepy Lagoon Murder, and Ventura School for Girls and#149; 1.27 Partido Liberal Mexicano and#149; 1.28 Pershing Square and#149; 1.29 Roosevelt Hoteland#151;the Cinegrill and#149; 1.30 Tropical America Mural and#149; 1.31 Yang-Na

Chapter Two: The Greater Eastside and San Gabriel Valley

An Introduction to the Greater Eastside and San Gabriel Valley

Map of the Greater Eastside and San Gabriel Valley

Greater Eastside and San Gabriel Valley Sites

2.1 Alma Avenueand#151;Residential Discrimination Site and#149; 2.2 Altadena Open Housing Covenant and#149; 2.3 AMVAC Chemical Corporation and#149; 2.4 Atlantic Square and#149; 2.5 Cathay Bank and#149; 2.6 East Los Angeles Prison (Proposed) and Vernon Incinerator (Proposed) and#149; 2.7 El Espectador and#149; 2.8 El Monte Sweatshop and#149; 2.9 Haramokngna American Indian Cultural Center and#149; 2.10 Hicks Camp/Rio Vista Park and#149; 2.11 Lacy Park and#149; 2.12 Llano del Rio and#149; 2.13 Mariachi Plaza and#149; 2.14 Mount Sinai Home Care Agency and#149; 2.15 Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals (Richard Chambers Courthouse) and#149; 2.16 Owen Brownand#8217;s Gravesite and#149; 2.17 Quemetco, Incorporated and#149; 2.18 Ruben Salazar Park and Silver Dollar Cafand#233; and#149; 2.19 San Gabriel Mission and#149; 2.20 Santa Anita Park and Pomona Fairgrounds and#149; 2.21 Self-Help Graphics and Art and#149; 2.22 Upton Sinclairand#8217;s House and#149; 2.23 Whittier State School

Chapter Three: South Los Angeles

An Introduction to South Los Angeles

Map of South Los Angeles

South Los Angeles Sites

3.1 Alameda Boulevard and#149; 3.2 Alondra Park and#149; 3.3 American Indian Movement, Los Angeles Chapter and#149; 3.4 Bicycle Club Casino and#149; 3.5 Black Panther Party Headquarters and#149; 3.6 California Eagle and#149; 3.7 Chucoand#8217;s Justice Center and FREE L.A. High School and#149; 3.8 Compton Communicative Arts Academy and#149; 3.9 Dorothy Ray Healeyand#8217;s House and#149; 3.10 Duke Brothersand#8217; Automotive Shop and#149; 3.11 Dunbar Hotel and#149; 3.12 Eso Won Bookstore and Leimert Park and#149; 3.13 Firestone Tire and Rubber and#149; 3.14 Holiday Bowl and#149; 3.15 Holman United Methodist Church and#149; 3.16 Indian Revival Center and#149; 3.17 Kashu Realty and Thirty-sixth Street Residential Discrimination Site and#149; 3.18 Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and#149; 3.19 Maywood City Hall and#149; 3.20 Mercado La Paloma and#149; 3.21 Peace and Freedom Party, Los Angeles Chapter and#149; 3.22 Southern California Library for Social Studies and Research and#149; 3.23 Trianon Ballroom and#149; 3.24 USC McDonaldand#8217;s Olympic Swim Stadium

Chapter Four: The Harbor and South Bay

An Introduction to the Harbor and South Bay

Map of the Harbor and South Bay

Harbor and South Bay Sites

4.1 Baypoint Avenue Residential Discrimination Site and#149; 4.2 Bixby Park and#149; 4.3 Lakewood City Hall and#149; 4.4 Mark Twain Library and Cambodia Town and#149; 4.5 Miramar Park and#149; 4.6 Port of Los Angeles and Liberty Hill and#149; 4.7 Puvungna and#149; 4.8 Terminal Island and#149; 4.9 White Point Preserve and Education Center and#149; 4.10 Ziba Beauty Center

Chapter Five: The Westside

An Introduction to the Westside

Map of the Westside

Westside Sites

5.1 Ballona Wetlands and#149; 5.2 Campbell Hall, UCLA and#149; 5.3 Century City and#149; 5.4 Federal Buildings and#149; 5.5 Highways Performance Space and#149; 5.6 The Ink Well and#149; 5.7 Los Angeles International Airport and#149; 5.8 Malibu Public Beaches and#149; 5.9 Midnight Special and Sisterhood Bookstores and#149; 5.10 West Hollywood City Hall and#149; 5.11 Workmenand#8217;s Circle/Arbeter Ring

Chapter Six: The San Fernando Valley and North Los Angeles County

An Introduction to the San Fernando Valley and North Los Angeles County

Map of the San Fernando Valley and North Los Angeles County

San Fernando Valley and North Los Angeles County Sites

6.1 BUSTOP and#149; 6.2 Chicana and Chicano Studies and Pan African Studies Departments, California State University, Northridge and#149; 6.3 Everywomanand#8217;s Village and#149; 6.4 General Motors Van Nuys and#149; 6.5 The Great Wall and Social and Public Art Resource Center (SPARC) and#149; 6.6 KPFK Radio Station and Pacifica Archives and#149; 6.7 Lang Station and#149; 6.8 Saint Francis Dam and#149; 6.9 Santa Susana Field Laboratory and#149; 6.10 Simi Valley Courthouse and Site of Rodney King Beating and#149; 6.11 Siutcanga/Village of Los Encinos and#149; 6.12 Tarzana and#149; 6.13 Theodore Payne Foundation for Wildflowers and Native Plants and#149; 6.14 Val Verde Park and#149; 6.15 Wat Thai of Los Angeles

Chapter Seven: Thematic Tours

First Peoples Tour and#149; Radical People-of-Color Movements of the 1960s and '70s Tour and#149; Queer Politics and Culture Tour and#149; Independent and Alternative Media Tour and#149; Economic Restructuring and Globalization Tour and#149; New Organizing Tour and#149; Environmental Justice Tour

Recommended Reading

Acknowledgments

Credits

Index