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How vanity license pl8s reflect LA’s culture of showmanship

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In LA, exhibitionists are everywhere.

So are their vanity license plates.

Every day, across the City of Angels, motorists sit in traffic and mull over the messages: “WYA OMW,” “2 NRVUS,” “1RNG 2RL,” “CHZ PL8,” “2BCONTD.”

Thanks to the exhibitionists, any parking lot can serve as an adventure in wordplay.

It’s a puzzle, a respite, a bright spot on congested LA streets.

Some plates are clever, some explanatory and still others are baffling non sequiturs. They all say something about this megalopolis and the people who call it home.

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Cars have long been vehicles for Angeleno self-expression, ever since the automobile’s rise to popularity in the 1920s and the explosion of car ownership that came with post-World War II prosperity and suburbanization.

Whether it was buying a Cadillac with fins or customizing your car to be a lowrider, what you drove became as personal as your signature, an extension of the clothes you chose to wear on your back.

California introduced personalized vanity plates in 1970, allowing for a whole new world of personalization — and showmanship.

Despite California’s........

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