Leslie N. Shaw is appointed Postmaster General of Los Angeles and becomes the first African-American appointed as such to a major American city. Aerospace ranks for the first time in Los Angeles as the leading industry. The Baldwin Hills Dam disaster occurs. The Vincent Thomas Bridge opens, connecting San Pedro with Terminal Island. The Music Center for the Performing Arts opens.
Buses become the only mode of rapid transit adopted.
The Bracero Program, an effort begun in 1942 to bring in laborers from Mexico, ends. The Los Angeles County Museum of Art opens. The Los Angeles Dodgers win yet another World Series. Rioting again erupts in the troubled Watts District. The Los Angeles Zoo opens.