Category Archives: City Hall

September 28, 1938: Los Angeles Mayor Begins City Hall Cleanup

Posted on September 28, 2026 by lmharnisch

September 28, 1938: Mayor Fletcher Bowron begins a cleanup of City Hall, asking for the resignations of 117 members of 22 city commissions. Germany issues a new ultimatum on Czechoslovakia, King George VI places Britain under a state of emergency, and Hank Greenberg hits his 57th home run. Continue reading →

Posted in 1938, @news, City Hall, Downtown, Front Pages, Politics, Sports | Comments Off on September 28, 1938: Los Angeles Mayor Begins City Hall Cleanup

September 28, 1907: L.A. Motorcycle Club Backs Ban on Loud Pipes

Posted on September 28, 2026 by lmharnisch

September 28, 1907: Members of the Los Angeles Motorcycle Club have written to officials in support of a measure banning loud exhaust pipes on motorcycles. Continue reading →

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Los Angeles City Hall, September 11, 2011

Posted on September 11, 2026 by lmharnisch

September 11, 2011: On the 10th anniversary of 9/11 a huge flag hangs on the side of Los Angeles City Hall. Continue reading →

Posted in City Hall, Downtown, Photography | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

September 3, 1943: Los Angeles Tattoo Shops

Posted on September 3, 2026 by lmharnisch

September 2, 1943: One of my favorite finds from the city archives — a visit to Los Angeles’ tattoo shops. Continue reading →

Posted in 1943, Art & Artists, City Hall, Crime and Courts, Downtown, Libraries, Photography, World War II | Comments Off on September 3, 1943: Los Angeles Tattoo Shops

July 28, 1907: L.A. Seeks to Clear Books of Old Laws on Bear Baiting, Quail Hunting by Streetcar Conductors

Posted on July 28, 2026 by lmharnisch

July 28, 1907: Los Angeles seeks to rid itself of outdated laws like hunting rabbits on Spring Street or conductors abandoning their streetcars to go quail hunting at the end of the line. Continue reading →

Posted in 1907, Animals, City Hall, Crime and Courts, LAPD, Streetcars, Transportation | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

July 27, 1907: Mayor Harper Calls for More LAPD Officers, New Library, More Schools

Posted on July 27, 2026 by lmharnisch

July 27, 1907: Mayor Harper lists his 20 recommendations, including the Owens River aqueduct, more LAPD officers, a public library, more schools and ‘purification’ of billboards. Continue reading →

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May 30, 1907: Hop Chung, Chinese Laundryman, Presses Zoning Case in Court

Posted on May 30, 2026 by lmharnisch

May 30, 1907: Hop Chung is arrested for opening a laundry in an area designated residential, but because he isn’t a U.S. citizen, he takes the case to federal court claiming there is no such thing as what we now know as zoning. Continue reading →

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May 9, 1959: Family Evicted From Chavez Ravine

Posted on May 9, 2026 by lmharnisch

May 9, 1959: In an encore post, a brief look at the eviction of the Arechiga family from their home in Chavez Ravine. Continue reading →

Posted in City Hall, Dodgers, Downtown, Environment | Comments Off on May 9, 1959: Family Evicted From Chavez Ravine

May 7, 1938: Remembering Jack Parsons

Posted on May 7, 2026 by lmharnisch

May 7, 1938: Jack Parsons displays his re-creation of the pipe bomb used in the Harry Raymond bombing. In 1952, Parsons was fatally injured by an explosion in his garage. Continue reading →

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May 1, 1907: Runaway Horses and a Fleeing Motorcyclist on the Dangerous Streets of L.A.

Posted on May 1, 2026 by lmharnisch

May 1, 1907: Miss Gertrude Young, who lives at No. 525 Wall St., was knocked down by a motorcycle yesterday as she stepped from a streetcar at 7th and Hope streets. The rider of the machine hastened away. Miss Young was taken to the Clara Barton Hospital. Continue reading →

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April 2, 1908: Great White Fleet Out of Tunes, Seeks Songs in the Key of Sea

Posted on April 2, 2026 by lmharnisch

April 2, 1908: Sailors of the Great White Fleet are tired of the same old songs and want something new to sing, maybe “I’m Afraid to Go Home in the Dark.” Continue reading →

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March 30, 1938: Times Opposes U.S. Haven for Jewish Refugees Fleeing Hitler

Posted on March 30, 2026 by lmharnisch

March 30, 1938: Los Angeles Times opposes U.S. haven for Jewish refugees fleeing Hitler. Continue reading →

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March 25, 1907: Young Bike Messengers a Key Part of L.A. Drug, Sex Trade

Posted on March 25, 2026 by lmharnisch

March 25, 1907: Young bike messengers perform an essential service in Los Angeles’ vice trade, providing information on where to buy drugs and where to find women of easy—if any—virtue. Continue reading →

Posted in 1907, 2006, Black Dahlia, Books and Authors, City Hall, Crime and Courts, Food and Drink, LAPD, Streetcars | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on March 25, 1907: Young Bike Messengers a Key Part of L.A. Drug, Sex Trade

March 22, 1908: Plans for a New Hall of Records

Posted on March 22, 2026 by lmharnisch

March 22, 1908: Los Angeles plans a new Hall of Records. Continue reading →

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March 15, 1907: In Which We Begin

Posted on March 15, 2026 by lmharnisch

March 16, 1907: The first post of the 1907 blog that I began March 15, 2006. Twenty years ago! Continue reading →

Posted in 1907, 1908, 1911, 1914, Black Dahlia, Books and Authors, City Hall, Freeways, LAPD, Streetcars, Theaters | Comments Off on March 15, 1907: In Which We Begin

Feb. 26, 1938: ‘Snow White’ Inspires ‘Dopey’ Dance

Posted on February 26, 2026 by lmharnisch

February 26, 1938: ‘Snow White’ inspires the ballroom craze: The ‘Dopey’ Dance! Continue reading →

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February 5, 2009: Burbank Time Capsule Revisited

Posted on February 5, 2026 by lmharnisch

February 5, 2009: Burbank opens its 1959 time capsule to discover black and white photos of the city as it was then, plus local newspapers. Continue reading →

Posted in @news, Architecture, City Hall, Education, Environment, Film, Freeways, Real Estate, San Fernando Valley, Science, Transportation | Comments Off on February 5, 2009: Burbank Time Capsule Revisited

Black L.A., January 9, 1947: LAPD Detectives Cleared of Brutality Against Drunk Woman

Posted on January 9, 2026 by lmharnisch

January 9, 1947: Two officers are exonerated in the beating of Edythe Galloway. a story from the Los Angeles Sentinel and Police Commission minutes. Continue reading →

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January 5, 1959: LAPD Suspends Officer for – Uh-Oh

Posted on January 5, 2026 by lmharnisch

January 5, 1959: The LAPD suspends Officer Charles Wolf for 15 days for — no, he didn’t! (Yes, he did). Continue reading →

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January 4, 1907: The Mayor Departs From His Prepared Remarks

Posted on January 4, 2026 by lmharnisch

January 4, 1907: Mayor-elect Arthur C. Harper lays aside his prepared speech and tells an audience that he would look at every department in city government and that he had complete faith in the Owens River project. Continue reading →

Posted in 1907, Black Dahlia, Books and Authors, City Hall, LAPD, Streetcars | Comments Off on January 4, 1907: The Mayor Departs From His Prepared Remarks