The 3 colors represent staples of California agriculture while at the same time mixing in a reference to Los Angeles’ Spanish and Mexican heritage. The green section represents olive trees, the gold represents orange groves and the red represents vineyards. One can also notice the colors from both the Spanish and Mexican flags within this color scheme.
The city’s seal shows the city’s evolution from Spanish rule to the present. From top left-to-right, then bottom left-to-right:
- stars and stripes = United states since 1848
- grizzly bear = flag of the California Republic to which LA belonged 1846-1848
- eagle & serpent = reference to Mexico’s coat of arms to which LA belonged 1822-1846
- Castile & Leon = reference to Spain’s coat of arms to which LA belonged 1542-1821
Surrounding the coat of arms are olives, grapes and oranges as well as a rosary for a nod to LA’s infant years being founded by Spanish missions.