The Brief

A series of brazen train robberies have been carried out across the Western United States, resulting in the theft of millions of dollars worth of Nike merchandise.

While the thieves are not galloping away on horseback, the crime sprees evoke memories of the notorious train robberies from the Old West.

In one criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Arizona, 11 people have been charged in connection with a theft that took place on Jan. 13. Authorities say train burglaries have increased over the past two years, specifically targeting BNSF (Burlington Northern Santa Fe) Railway trains.

The latest wave of robberies was first reported by the Los Angeles Times. The Times reports that there have been at least 10 robberies since last March, during which thieves have stolen approximately $2 million worth of Nike merchandise.

These heists are believed to be connected to an international crime syndicate based in the Mexican state of Sinaloa, the complaint says. Authorities in that case say the thieves target high-value containers on eastbound trains traveling throughout California and Arizona.

The criminal complaint further describes the thieves' modus operandi.

Once aboard the trains, the robbers use bolt cutters and saws to break open container locks and go to work, stealing electronics, footwear and other valuable items.

In the January heist in Perrin, Ariz., thieves targeted a BNSF train transporting Nike products. The perpetrators cut the train's braking system air hose, which triggered a dangerous, automatic emergency stop.

Once the train was halted, the burglars unloaded thousands of pairs of valuable unreleased Nike Air Jordan sneakers, hiding them in nearby bushes until they could be retrieved.

Unbeknownst to the thieves, some of the containers were equipped with tracking devices.

Law enforcement officers eventually apprehended the suspected criminals in two separate vehicles filled with hundreds of cases of the stolen goods.

The shoes, which are not set to be released to the public until March 14, are expected to retail for $225 per pair.

Court documents reveal that of the 11 people arrested in connection with this case, nine were living in the United States without legal status, primarily from Sinaloa, where authorities say the crime ring is headquartered. One suspect is a U.S. citizen, while another has been undergoing asylum proceedings since May 2024.

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Zero percent containment — that's the word from the LA Fire Department early Saturday morning for the fire that broke out Friday evening on a cargo ship docked at the Port of Los Angeles.

But there are positive news.

LAFD captain Adam VenGerpen told LAist that the cargo ship — "ONE Henry Hudson" — has been moved to open waters, less than a mile from the port, where fireboats are working to contain the blaze.

In addition, a shelter-in-place order for residents in San Pedro and Wilmington has been lifted, according to VenGerpen.

Authorities say all crew members on the ship are accounted for with no injuries reported.

At one point, more than 180 firefighters were fighting the fire, which was reported at 6:38 p.m. by crew onboard as an "electrical fire" that started below deck. An explosion was reported but authorities about an hour later.

A number of cargo bays contained some hazardous materials, VenGerpen said.

He said a number of containers are believed to be damaged — but the exact number won't be available until the fire is fully contained.

"Many of these cargo containers are stacked one on top of another, and they were not able to get cranes in there to start removing these," he said.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Demolition is underway in parts of Valley Plaza, a shopping center in North Hollywood. The razing comes after years of vacancy and a vote to declare six of its dilapidated buildings a public nuisance. But did you know that this was once one of the most important shopping centers on the West Coast?

Valley Plaza may look like an ordinary strip mall that kicked the can due to the rise of online retail, but it’s actually a shell of what it once was. We’ll explore its past and wax nostalgic about its heyday with tales from Angelenos.

The novelty of Valley Plaza

The plaza first opened in 1951 at the corner of Laurel Canyon and Victory boulevards, and with it, the San Fernando Valley began a new era. Post-war, the suburbs were rapidly growing, and this center was right in the middle of all the action.

The shopping experience we know today — where you can go to one large location and find every store you need — was just starting to take shape. When developer Bob Symonds designed Valley Plaza as an open-air shopping center, it was believed to be one of the first of its kind in the United States, especially one to do so at such a scale.

His “ultra-modern” plaza got national attention for a few reasons. For one, Symonds is credited as a pioneer in Southern California for recognizing the potential of putting retail hubs next to freeways. Most developers still focused on boulevards. He also put hundreds of parking spots in front of the mall, rather than in the back, which was the normal practice. The “mammoth” shopping area, as it was hailed, was ultimately special because it brought together a huge range of stores.

I put out a call on social media for people to send me their memories.

“I remember how excited we were to have real stores near us,” wrote Pat DeCurtins, who lived in North Hollywood between the ‘40s and ‘60s. “We no longer had to order all our clothes from Spiegels Catalogue. We could buy clothes in a REAL store.”

A flooded intersection next to Valley Plaza in 1962.

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Gordon Dean

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Valley Times Collection/Los Angeles Public Library

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One of those was Sears, which opened its largest location at the time in the U.S. at Valley Plaza (it apparently smelled like popcorn, too). Sears joining was the key to getting other companies onboard. Thrifty also opened a store, signing the longest lease in its history at the time for 25 years.

Symonds was known for courting big companies and curating the plaza’s stores to blend the essential, mundane and desirable. It had mom-and-pop shops, innovative self-service grocery stores, a theater, an ice skating rink and restaurants like the Hawaiian spot Kel Luau.

“My little son and I would go to this tropical style restaurant in Valley Plaza mall across from the ice skating arena,” wrote Cassandra Adams. “We would have blue drinks from a glass shell with two long straws. They would put a sugar cube floating on top and light it on fire. It was really fun!”

Valley Plaza’s downward spiral

Valley Plaza was a roaring success for a while. It brought in $100 million in annual sales in its first five years and was a big employment boost for the community. The plaza would later expand to cover more than 1 million square feet, ranking it as one of the largest in the nation.

A group of store managers pose in front of new Valley Plaza signage with developer Bob Symonds and honorary Valley Plaza mayor Anita Gordon in April 1957.

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Valley Times Collection/Los Angeles Public Library

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It even had the tallest building in the San Fernando Valley with the Los Angeles Federal Savings and Loan Tower, now known as Valley Plaza Tower. Built in 1960, the 165-foot-tall building was one of the first skyscrapers constructed after the repeal of the city of L.A.’s building height limit a few years prior.

In the decades after, Valley Plaza slowly declined. The area’s demographics shifted, meaning shopping habits changed, and vacant spots in the center weren’t replaced with similar quality stores. The plaza’s future was also hard to plan because it had dozens of owners at one point, ranging from corporations to a 90-year-old widow, according to UCLA research.

But one event may have sealed its fate: the Northridge Earthquake of 1994. According to an L.A. City Council motion, many of the buildings were red-tagged, and tenants who didn’t have the capital for repairs got evicted.

Since then, Valley Plaza has been a thorn in L.A.’s side. While some of it has been redeveloped, numerous plans for the center have failed. Owners haven’t fixed the broken-down lots. L.A. leaders even explored the possibility of using eminent domain to take it over.

It’s not known yet what will happen to Valley Plaza once demolition is completed, but some say it will be sorely missed.

“So many memories,” wrote Rhonda Theodoulou, who had her ninth birthday there. “It’s been a shame what that area has looked like for many years. I hope it’s developed into a newer thriving area again.”

Five businesses at one of Altadena’s community hubs are celebrating their reopening today with a celebration after damage from the January fires.

The L.A. fires have displaced thousands of people, from residents to business owners, and destroyed a number of homes and businesses.

The five businesses at Mariposa Junction — located at the intersection of Lake Avenue and Mariposa Street — considered closing but have reopened to help their neighborhood rebuild.

“We’re just hoping that the people who are in the neighborhood will remember to come shop local and that hopefully some of the people, people who are displaced but close by will remember to come up and patronize the businesses as well,” said Caroline Britton, owner of Carciofi Design, one of the shops that's reopening.

Retro fashion boutique Sidecca, Betsy Restaurant, Ms. Dragon Print & Copy and McGinty's Gallery are also part of the reopening celebration.

The January fires were the most destructive in L.A. County history, killing at least 30 people and destroying more than 16,000 structures.

The one-year anniversary is approaching as efforts to rebuild are ongoing.

It will take years for residential and business areas to return to their vibrancy before the fires, if at all. That’s why these business owners want to celebrate this accomplishment.

Details

Mariposa Junction Grand Reopening
Saturday
10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
2455 Lake Ave., Altadena
More details about the opening are here

Michael Gates, a former deputy assistant attorney general, produced a letter Friday that he said confirmed he was not fired for cause, but rather resigned from the Civil Rights Division of the federal Department of Justice.

The Orange County Register last week reported that Gates had been fired for cause, citing an anonymous DOJ source who said Gates repeatedly referred to women colleagues by derogatory and demeaning names and had complained about the department employing a pregnant woman. The Register also published a government employment form, which was undated, that they said showed that Gates was fired for cause.

Gates told LAist the allegations were “100% fabrication.” Then on Friday, he shared a screenshot of a Nov. 21 letter from John Buchko, director of operational management at the DOJ, stating that the department “has accepted your voluntary resignation” and “will remove from your personnel record any previous reference to your termination.”

LAist reached out to Natalie Baldassarre, a DOJ spokesperson, to confirm the letter, sharing that screenshot. She responded by email: “No comment on personnel matters.”

Michael Gates provided this letter. A spokesperson for the department said they would not comment on personnel matters.

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Courtesy Michael Gates

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Back to Huntington Beach

Gates told LAist earlier this month that he was resigning from his job with the federal government because he missed Huntington Beach and his family. On Friday, the Huntington Beach City Council confirmed Gates has been hired back as chief assistant city attorney. He starts Monday.

Gates is both loved and loathed in politically contentious Huntington Beach. He has been an outspoken supporter of President Donald Trump and his policies and a continuous thorn in the side of Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat who is one of the most prominent critics of the president.

Gates was first elected city attorney in 2014 and has won re-election twice since then, with wide margins. Huntington Beach is among a minority of cities in California that elects rather than appoints a city attorney.

Gates' track record

As city attorney, Gates sued the state over housing mandates and the right to implement voter ID. He also marshalled the city into the center of culture war battles. While he was city attorney, his office sued California over the state’s sanctuary law, as well as a law prohibiting schools from requiring teachers to inform parents of a child’s request to change pronouns or otherwise “out” them as LGBTQ.

Many Huntington Beach residents support his work. But Gates has also faced heavy criticism and legal penalties, for some of his actions. In 2021, the city paid out $2.5 million total in a settlement with one former and one current employee who alleged age discrimination while working at the city under Gates. The city did not concede to any wrongdoing under the settlement.

And last year, Gates helped broker a controversial settlement over the pandemic-era cancelation of the city’s annual airshow, which will cost Huntington Beach taxpayers millions over the coming years.

What’s next?

Gates told LAist he’s looking forward to, once again, heading up the city’s litigation, including a scheduled trial against an effort to force Huntington Beach to adopt by-district elections. He said he plans to run again for city attorney in next year’s election.