I like seeing the old things, too. Even down in Oxnard farms are giving way to housing developments. I'm sure they'll be 3,500 square foot cookie cutter McMansions standing cheek-by-jowl with only room for a queen palm in the yard, not a real shade tree.
It is rare that we go over the Sepulveda Pass for entertainment. The traffic is so bad. We tend to go to the west but even going that way is bad on a weekday. The freeway itself isn't bad but getting on is a long wait. There are way too many people in southern CA. Of course, as a non-native, I'm part of the problem, I guess.