From 1947 to 1955, the college shared its campus with California State University, Los Angeles (Cal State LA), then known as Los Angeles State College of Applied Arts and Sciences (LASCAAS), before the university moved to its present campus of 175 acres (71 ha) in the northeastern section of the City of Los Angeles, 5 miles (8 km) east of the Civic Center.

When the Pacific Electric Interurban Railroad connected downtown Los Angeles and Hollywood in 1909, the area began to develop rapidly.

On September 9, 1929, the campus opened its doors as Los Angeles Junior College with over 1,300 students and 54 teachers.

He hired administrators to help him formally organize the colleges, then found a site within Los Angeles city limits for a permanent campus for Cal State LA.

In December 2019, the school decided to reinstate its athletics program and, after a delay caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, on August 27, 2021, the Los Angeles City Cubs, then a member of the South Coast Conference, played their first intercollegiate sporting event since 2009.