This one’s a total mystery, I’m afraid. It was named in 1923 on a tract with unknown owners (only a bank was listed as mortgagee, which was normal back then) and there was no one in Los Angeles at the time who had the very rare surname of Wortser. There was a George Wortser who resided at Soldiers’ Home in West L.A. (see Veteran Avenue) until his death in 1921, and he left a widow who lived in South L.A., but it’s extremely doubtful that either inspired this street. So unless it was a misspelling of the more common surname Worster or a bit of inscrutable wordplay, my best guess is that Wortser was either an out-of-state investor or some developer’s relative, such as a wife’s maiden name. Sweetzer Avenue and Talmadge Street are good examples of the latter.
Find it on the map:
