The past five years have seen considerable progress in self-amplifiedspontaneous emission free-electron laser (SASE FEL) physics, as well as the enabling technology for such FELs, the generation of high brightness electron beams. 

In this talk, we review this progress from the vantage point of experimental results obtained at UCLA, or by collaborations with strong UCLA collaboration.
After introducing the demands of SASE FEL on electron beam quality, we discuss notable measurements of high brightness beams at the UCLA rf photoinjectors Neptune and PEGASUS. New results in subpicosecond bunch length determination, and emittance growth during chicane compression are emphasized. 

We then review the main achievements of the UCLA  high gain SASE FEL programarising from collaborative experiments. We trace these results from the firstobservation of high gain at Los Alamos to recently observed saturation in the VISA FEL at Brookhaven. Insights into the physics of gain mechanisms gleaned from experience in these experiments are discussed.