Once the 1400 block of N. Berendo Street, L. Ron Hubbard Way is situated just a stone’s throw away from three major hospitals—Kaiser Permanente Medical Center, Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center and the landmark Children’s Hospital Los Angeles—and connects Sunset Boulevard with Fountain Avenue, two of the city’s oldest and busiest roads.
For nearly three decades, L. Ron Hubbard Way has been home to the Pacifica Bridge, so named for the three major Scientology Churches and auxiliary buildings filling this full city block—Churches serving the greater Los Angeles area and the entirety of North America. The services provided here allow a parishioner to travel from the lowest to some of the highest levels of the Bridge to Total Freedom.
It is the Church of Scientology of Los Angeles in particular—the world’s first Scientology Church, founded in 1954 and located here at Sunset Boulevard since 1977—that has presided over L. Ron Hubbard Way, making it a central hub for both Scientology and cooperative community activities spanning the Los Angeles basin and fulfilling L. Ron Hubbard’s dream that the people in this city—Scientologists working hand-in-hand with their neighbors—would create not only a sense of community, but a model for all communities to follow.
On April 5, 1997, L. Ron Hubbard Way was dedicated in the presence of more than 7,000 attendees including officials representing the city council, mayor and the governor of California.
“I just fell in love with this beautiful street.”
Recognizing this event as an example of what can be achieved “when so many citizens and employees of the City of Los Angeles join together in a shoulder-to-shoulder effort,” was Mayor Richard Riordan’s representative for Hollywood, Chelsea Cochrane. Ms. Cochrane also delivered the mayor’s official congratulations, stating, “The work on this street and its beauty have been inspired by the Church’s Founder, author and humanitarian L. Ron Hubbard. His humanitarian works are contributing greatly to helping eradicate illiteracy, drug abuse and criminality in the city of Los Angeles.”
In partnership with charities, nonprofits, and civic and cultural groups throughout Los Angeles, L. Ron Hubbard Way has played a key role as both a venue and a symbol of the meaningful impact that the Church of Scientology continues to make on the city’s diverse community. In this role, L. Ron Hubbard Way has served as both a bridge between individuals from diverse cultures and religious beliefs, and an inner network for social bonding among specific community groups who are invited to use it as a venue for special events and holidays aimed at developing connections based on reciprocity and trust.
On a recent July day, hundreds of attendees from LA’s Honduran community gathered on L. Ron Hubbard Way for a joyous two-day event—something of a cross between a fair, fiesta and an occasion for social and business networking. Many were dressed in traditional Honduran costumes and spoke Spanish. Besides food vendors, the street was lined with artists and entrepreneurs offering everything from clothing and jewelry to gourmet Honduran coffee. Live music filled the air.
The event was organized by Expo Hondureña USA, a group that describes itself as the “largest showcase of Honduran entrepreneurs” in the US. The organization specializes in hosting live events for the Honduran community and for “everyone who wants to know about our culture, folklore and gastronomy,” as Martin Ortiz, one of the group’s chief organizers, put it.
“We bring in a lot of resources for them so that they can have a better future and better life,” explained Ortiz, referring to his community members. “Today was a powerful and colorful event—everyone was smiling,” he said, proudly adding: “Basically, it was Honduran Day in Hollywood.”
Ortiz heard about L. Ron Hubbard Way years ago while “doing a lot of events with the Church in other venues,” he recalls. “I just fell in love with this beautiful street, with its beautiful bricks.
“I love to work with the Church of Scientology because they help us with different types of resources that we sometimes don’t have,” Ortiz added. “To do events here at this venue is really easy and the Church of Scientology makes it even easier for us.”
Nowhere else in Los Angeles would it be possible to put on “a spectacular event where I could host up to 5,000 people in a safe, family-friendly environment,” Ortiz pointed out. “It is really important.”
Also in July, L. Ron Hubbard Way served as the venue for a celebration of Eid al-Adha, one of the two major Islamic festivals that is observed by Muslims around the world. The event was attended by members of LA’s 3,000-strong Muslim-majority Bangladeshi community, many of whom live or do business in Little Bangladesh, an enclave that sits between Hollywood and Koreatown. The celebration was an opportunity to share special meals with family and friends while shopping and listening to live performances of traditional and contemporary music and song.
“I found L. Ron Hubbard Way a long time ago when the Muslim community was scared” in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the US, said Majib Siddiquee, president of Little Bangladesh Improvement, who has helped organize numerous street fairs and events in collaboration with the Church of Scientology.
“Our job is to make sure that the quality of life of our community is better and that we can bring resources for them so they can have a better life,” said Siddiquee, describing his organization’s mission, which coincides with the work of the Church of Scientology.
“The Bangladeshi community is a culturally vibrant community and without a place like this we cannot go on,” Siddiquee explained, adding: “We need this kind of venue.”
Another reason why Siddiquee and his constituents find L. Ron Hubbard Way such an attractive venue is because it offers “sinless activities—so you don’t go for drugs or any evil kind of ‘fun,’” as he put it. The issue is important, he added, “not just for the Bangladeshi community but for the US community as a whole.”
In addition to events sponsored by other religious and cultural organizations, the Church of Scientology itself hosts a wide array of events throughout the year to which people of all cultures and denominations are welcome—potentially millions, given that Los Angeles County is home to immigrants from some 140 countries who speak at least 80 languages, making the region one of the most multicultural in the world.
Since its founding, the Church of Scientology has valued—and worked to preserve—the languages, religions and cultural heritage of Southern California’s communities. Nowhere is that celebration of diversity better reflected than on L. Ron Hubbard Way.
The Church’s special events there range from Día de los Muertos to the Fourth of July, Easter to Eid al-Fitr (at the end of Islam’s holiest month of Ramadan) and Thanksgiving to the Candy Cane Lane festival—which includes ice skating, real snow and visits from Santa. The Church also hosts open house events year round; ethnic, art and cultural fairs; and a constant parade of community forums to discuss humanitarian and social improvement issues impacting Angelenos of all descriptions.
Taken together, the special events on L. Ron Hubbard Way are in a league of their own—unparalleled in their scope and influence in the way they expand people’s awareness of their mutual humanity, connectivity, and civic and religious participation.
“This is the promenade of the city,” Siddiquee
aptly put it, echoing a sentiment widespread among Angelenos. “The environment
is excellent. The staff is very cordial and welcoming. My attendees are always
excited to come here.”
