Named for James Ralph Toberman (1836-1911), who served 6 one-year terms as mayor of Los Angeles in 1873-1874 and 1879-1882. The Virginia-born Toberman grew up in Carrollton, MO after the death of his mother. He had moved to Sacramento by 1860 to work as a bookkeeper and came to L.A. in 1864 upon his appointment as assistant county tax assessor. He also served a term on City Council in 1870. When he wasn’t working in the public sector, Toberman was primarily an insurance man. He and his wife Emma (1848-1909) had two kids: Ralph (1868-1924) and Homer (1872-1901). A nephew, Charles E. Toberman (1880-1981), was a major builder in early Hollywood, where his uncle and aunt spent their golden years. The Tobermans founded the Homer Toberman Deaconess Home in 1903 in memory of their late son; it still exists as the Toberman Neighborhood Center, which supports at-risk youth. Toberman Street was named in 1875. Although Toberman was subdividing his own modest acreage on Pico that year, his namesake street originally stretched between Washington and Adams.
Find it on the map:
