2. L. Ron Hubbard Way
Is there a more disliked figure to have an L.A. street named after him than L. Ron Hubbard, the science fiction author and founder of the Church of Scientology?
The single-block street in East Hollywood, site of the church's headquarters, was named for Hubbard in 1996. According to the L.A. Times, City Council president John Ferraro backed the move, as did the vast majority of people who showed up to give public comment. Councilwoman Ruth Galanter was among the three no votes, saying at the time: "I believe that L. Ron Hubbard was a manipulative [and] dishonest [man]. ... He's a cult leader. We don't name streets after cult leaders."
Councilman Richard Alatorre defended Hubbard, who'd been dead for a decade: "I'm not here to try and fight or to try and defend or condemn any one person. ... The fact of the matter is, this is the leader of this church that has been a long-standing member of the community. They are involved in positive work — they have a lot of members."
And Councilman Richard Alarcon said: "We have, literally, thousands and thousands of streets named for people, most of whom I have no idea who they are."
4. Hoover Street
A number of U.S. presidents have streets in L.A. named after them — Washington, Adams, Jefferson, Lincoln and so on. But Herbert Hoover is not one of them. Rather, Hoover Street is named for Dr. Leonce Huber, "a Swiss who served as a French military surgeon under Napoleon Bonaparte," according to the L.A. Times, which reported:
After arriving in Los Angeles in 1849 with his wife and three children, he changed the spelling of his name from Huber to Hoover and became a pioneering vintner, growing high-quality wine grapes near what is now the town of Cudahy. Hoover died in 1862; 30 years later, Hoover Street was named in his honor.7. Astronaut Ellison S. Onizuka Street
But there is an even littler street with an even longer name. This half-block diagonal thing, running southeast from First Street in Little Tokyo, was named after Ellison Onizuka. Yes, he was an astronaut — the first Asian-American in space, killed aboard the Challenger explosion in 1986. A year later, the city decided to rename Weller Street after Onizuka, who, like Kosciuszko, never lived in L.A.
Tiny streets honoring better-known celebs include Chick Hearn Court, the two-block street on which Staples Center sits, and Johnnie Cochran Vista, the 2½ blocks on which Johnnie Cochran Middle School sits.
Complete list (LAWeekly.com)
