South Pasadena Public Library Salutes the Heroic 'No on 710' Freeway Fighters on June 7

by Steve Fjeldsted, Library Director

Los Angeles County is known for many things, not the least of which are its innumerable congested freeways that have been continuously constructed since the 1930s. The county’s tangled web of asphalt and concrete -always under construction in one way or another-- has never solved the region’s gnarled traffic situation for very long, if at all. In the past, too many government officials have too often believed that adding more freeways would be the solution to the problem. The addition of a freeway has traditionally been considered an enhancement to a community’s quality of life and more important than neighborhoods, trees, architecture, and even the air it breathes.

Typically, a concerned group of private citizens bands together to fight a freeway no matter where it’s proposed. But all too often the group is worn down and ultimately defeated and the freeway plows through the town. A glance of an LA freeway map quickly gives an idea of just how often this has occurred. A shining example of a freeway fight that succeeded is the 35-year effort to quash the Beverly Hills Freeway that was first proposed in the 1940s. Another is South Pasadena’s epic war on the 710 Interchange which began in 1949, a staggering seven decades ago, making it easily the longest running successful freeway fight in LA history.

South Pasadena’s visionary ‘No on 710’ Freeway Fighters are not even the small city’s first grassroots group to fight a freeway. That honor belongs to the group that unsuccessfully opposed the Arroyo Seco Parkway in the 1930s. The parkway’s proponents purported that the proposed roadway’s path was sensitive to environmental concerns, even though it ran alongside a major watershed. Its detractors claimed it would ruin neighborhoods and lower property values. But for better or worse, the Arroyo Seco Parkway was built and the twisting roadway, with its narrow lanes, tight onramps, and shortages of escape shoulders, has carried millions of vehicles between Los Angeles and Pasadena ever since.

Although the opponents of the Arroyo Seco Parkway did not succeed, South Pasadena’s fearless underdogs, the ‘No on 710’ Freeway Fighters have continually thwarted the 710 Interchange. If constructed, the massive project would wipe out significant portions of South Pasadena historic homes and innumerable trees while connecting the 10 and 210 Freeways in a large transportation corridor leading from Long Beach to the San Gabriel Valley and vice versa.

On Wednesday, May 22, 2019 the California State Senate passed Senate Bill 7, putting a “formal legislative end” to the 710 Freeway extension by prohibiting the construction of a freeway tunnel between the 10 and 210 Freeways. The bill passed by a 38-0 vote and now moves to the Assembly. If it passes there, it could be signed by the governor this year. Despite their many victories while facing David vs. Goliath odds, the heroic Freeway Fighters have yet to be honored with a large public celebration in their hometown. 

A free, public event showcasing the words and images of many of the Freeway Fighters will be presented in the Library Community Room on Friday, June 7 at 7 p.m. The event will feature the screening of nine “digital stories,” each 3 minutes or so each in length. They tell of their involvement in the resistance movement to protect South Pasadena from a freeway that threatened to barrel its way through the very center of the small city. Because of the Freeway Fighters’ dedication, South Pasadena has preserved a way of life that is quickly disappearing or has been long gone elsewhere in the LA Basin.

The Library event will feature opening remarks by Mayor Marina Khubesrian, MD and Councilmember Richard D. Schneider, MD, who both have played important roles in the movement. It will also feature songs written and performed by singer/songwriter Brad Colerick, whose latest album “Nine Ten Thirty” is named after the city’s zip code, and a relevant poem read by South Pasadena Poet Laureate Ron Koertge.

Author and Journalist Chip Jacobs, who has written about the Freeway Fight for the Los Angeles Times and the Pasadena Weekly will offer a brief overview of the longstanding struggle, as will author and Journalist Frank Girardot, who previously served as Editor of the Pasadena Star-News. Also showcased during the Library event will be a previously unseen film montage of the Freeway Fight with clips from key points in its his history. It was shot by documentary filmmaker John McDonald and received able editing assistance by Joanne Nuckols. 

The Library event’s digital storytellers participated in a 2-day ‘California Listens’ Digital Storytelling Workshop last summer. The workshop, made possible by a grant from the California State Library, was attended by Freeway Fighters who developed their own uniquely personal productions that utilize video, music, narration, and photos. The videos they created will also become part of a statewide archive of stories about various aspects of life in the Golden State. They will also be made available later via Library’s homepage on the City of South Pasadena website. 

The event for all ages is presented by the City of South Pasadena/South Pasadena Public Library, the Friends of the South Pasadena Public Library, and the South Pasadena Preservation Foundation. Special thanks to Rick Thomas, 210eastsound, Henk Friezer, The Quarterly, California Listens, Ron Koertge, The California State Library, The StoryCenter, Joe Lambert, John McDonald, Brad Colerick, Chip Jacobs, Occidental College, Frank Girardot, Joanne Nuckols, Clarice & Harry Knapp, Sam Burgess, Glen Duncan, Mark Gallatin, Dr. Bill Sherman, and all Freeway Fighters past and present.

The Community Room is located at 1115 El Centro Street and no tickets or reservations are necessary. Doors will open at 6:30 p.m.

www.southpasadenaca.gov/library