Automobile Club of Southern California
Encyclopedia
The Automobile Club of Southern California is the Southern California
affiliate of the American Automobile Association
(AAA) federation of motor club
s. The Auto Club was founded on December 13, 1900, in Los Angeles
as one of the nation's first motor clubs dedicated to improving roads, proposing traffic laws, and improvement of overall driving conditions.
The Auto Club was an early advocate for the construction of the Ridge Route
, the first highway through the Tehachapi Mountains
and San Gabriel Mountains
, which directly linked Los Angeles to Bakersfield
and the Central Valley. The completion of the Ridge Route literally saved the State of California from being split into two separate states at the mountains.
Starting around 1910, the Auto Club sent teams of cartographers to survey the state's roads for the production of maps and to create a uniform signing system. The Auto Club posted thousands of porcelain-on-steel traffic sign
s throughout the state and continued to do so until the State of California took over the task in the mid-1950s. The signs were produced by a local company that manufactured porcelain-on-steel bathtubs. A few of these signs remain in service today, though they are extremely rare.
The 1920s also saw the construction of the Auto Club's main office on the corner of Figueroa Street
and Adams Boulevard in downtown Los Angeles
. Designed by architect Sumner P. Hunt
and built in the Spanish Colonial Revival style, the building now serves as the Los Angeles
district office. The club's headquarters are still in Los Angeles but its administrative offices are in Costa Mesa
.
From 1934 through 1941 the building's courtyard served as the site of the Auto Club's annual "Outing Show," which promoted motor vacations and camping. These events were halted after the start of the war and were never revived. During the course of the war, the Auto Club played a leadership role in scrap rubber and metal drives and printed numerous posters for the war effort, including the "Give Them a Lift" campaign, which encouraged motorists to give rides to hitchhiking servicemen.
or "AAA." The Auto Club is still a membership organization, and free services to members include maps, travel planning, emergency roadside service, and DMV services. Members also receive Westways, a bi-monthly magazine devoted to travel and automotive subjects. District offices stretch from Chula Vista
, near the international border with Mexico
, to the small town of Bishop
, in California's eastern Sierra mountains.
, now called AAA Northern California, Nevada & Utah, provides services to ACSC members who travel north.
AAA Northern California and ACSC are both members of the AAA federation of motor clubs. While membership is not interchangeable among AAA clubs, each club provides certain services to all AAA members on a reciprocal basis, notably roadside assistance.
In recent years, the Auto Club has returned to its roots with involvement in auto racing, sponsoring the annual Auto Club 500
NASCAR
race (Fontana) and NHRA
Auto Club Finals (Pomona). The tracks where both events are held (Auto Club Speedway and Auto Club Raceway at Pomona, respectively), along with a drag strip in Bakersfield (Auto Club Famoso Raceway), all have naming rights held by the Auto Club.
The Auto Club also sponsors the NHRA
funny car
team John Force Racing
and its driver Robert Hight.
The Auto Club sponsors driver Kurt Busch
in the Penske Racing No. 22 Dodge at selected races on the NASCAR Sprint Cup series.
Southern California
Southern California is a megaregion, or megapolitan area, in the southern area of the U.S. state of California. Large urban areas include Greater Los Angeles and Greater San Diego. The urban area stretches along the coast from Ventura through the Southland and Inland Empire to San Diego...
affiliate of the American Automobile Association
American Automobile Association
AAA , formerly known as the American Automobile Association, is a federation of 51 independently operated motor clubs throughout North America. AAA is a not-for-profit member service organization with more than 51 million members. AAA provides services to its members such as travel, automotive,...
(AAA) federation of motor club
Motor club
Motor clubs are organizations, either for-profit or non-profit, which motorists can join to enjoy certain benefits provided by the club relating to driving a vehicle. There is typically an annual membership fee to join...
s. The Auto Club was founded on December 13, 1900, in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
as one of the nation's first motor clubs dedicated to improving roads, proposing traffic laws, and improvement of overall driving conditions.
Early years
Ridge Route
The Ridge Route, officially the Castaic-Tejon Route, was a two-lane highway running between Los Angeles and Kern counties, California. Opened in 1915 and paved with concrete between 1917 and 1921, the road was the first paved highway directly linking the Los Angeles Basin with the San Joaquin...
, the first highway through the Tehachapi Mountains
Tehachapi Mountains
The Tehachapi Mountains , regionally also called The Tehachapis, are a mountain range in the Transverse Ranges system of California in the Western United States...
and San Gabriel Mountains
San Gabriel Mountains
The San Gabriel Mountains Range is located in northern Los Angeles County and western San Bernardino County, California, United States. The mountain range lies between the Los Angeles Basin and the Mojave Desert, with Interstate 5 to the west and Interstate 15 to the east...
, which directly linked Los Angeles to Bakersfield
Bakersfield, California
Bakersfield is a city near the southern end of the San Joaquin Valley in Kern County, California. It is roughly equidistant between Fresno and Los Angeles, to the north and south respectively....
and the Central Valley. The completion of the Ridge Route literally saved the State of California from being split into two separate states at the mountains.
Starting around 1910, the Auto Club sent teams of cartographers to survey the state's roads for the production of maps and to create a uniform signing system. The Auto Club posted thousands of porcelain-on-steel traffic sign
Traffic sign
Traffic signs or road signs are signs erected at the side of roads to provide information to road users. With traffic volumes increasing over the last eight decades, many countries have adopted pictorial signs or otherwise simplified and standardized their signs to facilitate international travel...
s throughout the state and continued to do so until the State of California took over the task in the mid-1950s. The signs were produced by a local company that manufactured porcelain-on-steel bathtubs. A few of these signs remain in service today, though they are extremely rare.
The 1920s also saw the construction of the Auto Club's main office on the corner of Figueroa Street
Figueroa Street
Figueroa Street is a street in Los Angeles County, California named for General José Figueroa , governor of Alta California from 1833 to 1835, who oversaw the secularization of the missions of California...
and Adams Boulevard in downtown Los Angeles
Downtown Los Angeles
Downtown Los Angeles is the central business district of Los Angeles, California, United States, located close to the geographic center of the metropolitan area...
. Designed by architect Sumner P. Hunt
Sumner Hunt
Sumner P. Hunt was an architect in Los Angeles from the 1890s to the 1930s.-Practice:In partnership with architect Silas Reese Burns he designed such regional landmarks as the original building of the Southwest Museum, the Casa de Rosas, Ebell of Los Angeles, the Bradbury Building, the Los Angeles...
and built in the Spanish Colonial Revival style, the building now serves as the Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
district office. The club's headquarters are still in Los Angeles but its administrative offices are in Costa Mesa
Costa Mesa, California
Costa Mesa is a city in Orange County, California. The population was 109,960 at the 2010 census. Since its incorporation in 1953, the city has grown from a semi-rural farming community of 16,840 to a primarily suburban and "edge" city with an economy based on retail, commerce, and light...
.
From 1934 through 1941 the building's courtyard served as the site of the Auto Club's annual "Outing Show," which promoted motor vacations and camping. These events were halted after the start of the war and were never revived. During the course of the war, the Auto Club played a leadership role in scrap rubber and metal drives and printed numerous posters for the war effort, including the "Give Them a Lift" campaign, which encouraged motorists to give rides to hitchhiking servicemen.
Recent years
Today, the Automobile Club of Southern California's affiliated insurance company, one of California's largest insurers, provides coverage for homes, recreational vehicles and watercraft as well as cars and trucks. It is the largest affiliate of the American Automobile AssociationAmerican Automobile Association
AAA , formerly known as the American Automobile Association, is a federation of 51 independently operated motor clubs throughout North America. AAA is a not-for-profit member service organization with more than 51 million members. AAA provides services to its members such as travel, automotive,...
or "AAA." The Auto Club is still a membership organization, and free services to members include maps, travel planning, emergency roadside service, and DMV services. Members also receive Westways, a bi-monthly magazine devoted to travel and automotive subjects. District offices stretch from Chula Vista
Chula Vista, California
Chula Vista is the second largest city in the San Diego metropolitan area, the seventh largest city in Southern California, the fourteenth largest city in the State of California, and the seventy seventh largest city in the U.S....
, near the international border with Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, to the small town of Bishop
Bishop, California
Bishop is a city in Inyo County, California, United States. Though Bishop is the only city and the largest populated place in Inyo County, the county seat is Independence. Bishop is located near the northern end of the Owens Valley, at an elevation of 4147 feet . The population was 3,879 at the...
, in California's eastern Sierra mountains.
AAA expansion program
In 1995, the Auto Club began an expansion program that involved the purchase of or affiliation with several other AAA motor clubs across the country. To date, these include AAA Hawaii, AAA New Mexico, AAA Texas, AAA Northern New England (serving New Hampshire, Vermont, and Maine), AAA Missouri (serving Louisiana, Arkansas, Mississippi, Missouri, and portions of Illinois and Indiana), and AAA Alabama.Other affiliated programs
From Central California northward, the California State Automobile AssociationCalifornia State Automobile Association
AAA Northern California, Nevada and Utah , formerly known as the California State Automobile Association , is one of the largest motor clubs in the American Automobile Association National Federation...
, now called AAA Northern California, Nevada & Utah, provides services to ACSC members who travel north.
AAA Northern California and ACSC are both members of the AAA federation of motor clubs. While membership is not interchangeable among AAA clubs, each club provides certain services to all AAA members on a reciprocal basis, notably roadside assistance.
In recent years, the Auto Club has returned to its roots with involvement in auto racing, sponsoring the annual Auto Club 500
Auto Club 500
The Auto Club 400 is a long NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stock car race held at the Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California. Prior to 2005, the race was held in late April or early May, and until 2010, the race was run at a length of 500 miles. When the NASCAR Realignment of 2005 was made, the race...
NASCAR
NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing is a family-owned and -operated business venture that sanctions and governs multiple auto racing sports events. It was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1947–48. As of 2009, the CEO for the company is Brian France, grandson of the late Bill France Sr...
race (Fontana) and NHRA
National Hot Rod Association
The National Hot Rod Association is a drag racing governing body, which sets rules in drag racing and host events all over the United States and Canada...
Auto Club Finals (Pomona). The tracks where both events are held (Auto Club Speedway and Auto Club Raceway at Pomona, respectively), along with a drag strip in Bakersfield (Auto Club Famoso Raceway), all have naming rights held by the Auto Club.
The Auto Club also sponsors the NHRA
National Hot Rod Association
The National Hot Rod Association is a drag racing governing body, which sets rules in drag racing and host events all over the United States and Canada...
funny car
Funny Car
Funny Car is a drag racing car class. In the United States, other "professional" classes are Top Fuel, Pro Stock, and Pro Stock Motorcycle. Funny cars have forward-mounted engines and carbon fiber automotive bodies over the chassis, giving them an appearance vaguely approximating manufacturers'...
team John Force Racing
John Force Racing
John Force Racing is an NHRA drag racing team. In over 30 years of competition, John Force Racing has won 17 Funny Car championships. The current line-up of drivers includes John Force, Mike Neff, and Robert Hight. John Force Racing has had Castrol as their main sponsor for more than 30 years...
and its driver Robert Hight.
The Auto Club sponsors driver Kurt Busch
Kurt Busch
Kurt Thomas Busch is an American NASCAR and NHRA driver. He drives the No. 22 Shell Oil Company/Pennzoil Dodge Charger in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, and will race on an "opportunity permitting" basis in the Pro Stock division of NHRA...
in the Penske Racing No. 22 Dodge at selected races on the NASCAR Sprint Cup series.
See also
- John W. BaumgartnerJohn W. BaumgartnerJohn Walter Baumgartner was a civil engineer who was a member of the Los Angeles, California, City Council from 1933 to 1945.-Biography:...
, Los Angeles City Council member, 1933–35, opposed Auto Club signs on city streets