The area became the backbone of California's international trade economy and developed into a major thoroughfare and warehousing district for goods coming out of the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach.

WSJ: Road Project Tests Power of Stimulus

Due to the lack of backbone of successive governments this hasn't been done and hence the geographical disease area is now much of the west of England and Wales, so an effective cull would now have to be incredibly widespread.

BBC: Viewpoints: The badger cull