An HBO Max series about a Las Vegas comic has inspired a marketing campaign in an unusual place: the Cajon Pass.
An official litter removal sign on the 15 Freeway north of the 215 interchange says cleanup is provided by the Little Debbies, the fictional fan club on “Hacks” for lead character Deborah Vance.
Farther north, an electronic billboard featuring star Jean Smart declares: “Divas Don’t Litter.” In smaller letters, the message continues: “Keep the Deborah Vance Highway Beautiful.”
The Deborah Vance Highway! Does our On the Road column know about this?
According to the Hollywood news site The Wrap, the signs are scheduled to remain in place through April 8, 2027, sponsored by the streaming service. Also: “A group of superfans even donned some pink safety vests and leopard print hard hats ahead of the season premiere to pick up trash.”
Oak Hills reader John Evans spotted both signs and snapped a photo of the billboard for me. Evans says that as a fan of “Hacks” and its lead character, the billboard is pretty funny. I’ve never seen the show.
Putting Vance in context for me, Evans explained: “It would be like Norm from ‘Cheers’ having a fan club for freeway litter removal in Redlands.”
A Line (revisited)
All the numbers in Sunday’s column about A Line ridership were accurate, but I confess I misunderstood the context of how Metro presented them to me: Those were daily averages, not monthly totals. (Slaps hand to forehead.) Let me correct that here.
At the four new stations, February saw a combined average of 3,038 riders each day, not over the entire month. Much better, right? That represents an average of 464 per day from Glendora, 461 per day from San Dimas, 287 per day from La Verne and 1,826 per day from Pomona.
Of the four stations, Pomona, as I wrote, is seeing about 60% of the traffic. Every day of the year, not just every month, Pomona levels up.
Sisters in arms
Elisa Cox was appointed Rancho Cucamonga’s city manager last December, after nine years in the executive suite as deputy or assistant city manager. We chatted in the courtyard before the State of the City event two weeks ago.
Cox is, somewhat remarkably, only the fourth chief executive since the city’s founding 49 years ago, after Lauren Wasserman, Jack Lam and John Gillison, in sequence. She’s not only Rancho’s first woman to be city manager, she’s a rare female in that role locally.
Who else is there? Cox cited Tanya Williams in Rialto and Linda Reich in Chino. I brought up Anita D. Scott in Pomona.
“It’s an exclusive fraternity,” I remarked. Almost simultaneously, Cox and I both said: “sorority!”
Woolworth’s in SB
Also in the courtyard that afternoon, I was yakking with one council member, Ryan Hutchison, when a second, Lynne Kennedy, approached me, beaming.
“I’ve been meaning to contact you,” Kennedy announced. “I used to work at the Woolworth’s in San Bernardino!”
In my world, that beats a simple hello any day.
Kennedy elaborated later by email, telling me she worked nights, weekends and summers at the Woolworth store in Central City Mall (later Carousel Mall) in the late 1970s while in college, handling various roles as needed.
“When I covered the candy counter,” Kennedy said, “we were allowed one free scoop of candy or nuts. I always chose candy corn, my favorite.”
Her favorite then, that is. After five years of indulging in candy corn, Kennedy confided, “they are my least-favorite candy. I haven’t eaten them since.”
Mystery solved
Kit Miller of Colton was reading my April 15 column of reader memories about Woolworth when he paused, midway through, to text his sister. Did she remember eating with their grandmother at a lunch counter somewhere in Los Alamitos?
“If so, do you remember what the place was? Was it Woolworth’s?” Miller asked.
Then he resumed reading my column. The very next sentence was this, about Alan Wapner: “As a boy, he frequented the Woolworth in Los Alamitos at Rossmoor Center.”
“Aha!!!” Miller told me by email. “Thank you, David Allen, for bringing a foggy memory back into focus.”
Who needs AI? Apparently I can now answer reader questions in real time.
On the road
My car is back in operation after 24 days in the shop. With parts for a 2015 Fiat impossible to find via normal supply channels, my resourceful mechanic had to visit a pick-a-part yard to find a shifter assembly — from a 2013 Fiat; close enough — to get me behind the wheel again.
It’s like I have a classic car, except without the prestige.
How I got around for more than three weeks without a car is a tale that will be told here soon. In the meantime, my car and I are taking a much-delayed trip to Joshua Tree. See you back here Sunday.
brIEfly
In Rancho Cucamonga, the westside library under construction on Base Line Road will be named for Diane Williams. The former council member was in the audience at the State of the City when the announcement was made during a spotlight on current projects. Mayor Dennis Michael called Williams “a longtime and I almost want to say a forever library supporter.”
David Allen writes Wednesday and Sunday this week. Email dallen@scng.com, phone 909-483-9339, and follow davidallencolumnist on Facebook or Instagram, @davidallen909 on X or @davidallen909.bsky.social on Bluesky.