A ghost gun is displayed before the start of an event about gun violence at the White House on April 11, 2022.
(
Drew Angerer
/
Getty Images
)
Topline:
California Attorney General Rob Bonta and LAPD Chief Michael Moore said the people arrested were members of organizations that allegedly run a statewide narcotics and firearm trafficking network.
Why It Matters: Investigators said that the arrested people are higher up in the chain of the crime ring’s command, and that state and federal prison could be involved in the charges.
Why Now: The investigation has been ongoing for the past year. They have arrested 27 people and seized 30 weapons, including ghost guns. They’ve also found and seized 72,000 Fentanyl pills, 143 pounds of methamphetamine, and smaller amounts of fentanyl powder, heroin, cocaine and PCP.
Over the past year, 27 people were arrested during a multi-agency operation known as Operation Safe Harbor, officials announced Monday.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta and LAPD Chief Michael Moore said the people arrested were members of organizations that allegedly run a statewide narcotics and firearm trafficking network.
“We're committed to ending the fentanyl crisis, to preventing gun violence, to taking down human trafficking rings, to combating retail theft, dismantling gangs, and working with our partners as we have today in local, state, and federal law enforcement to make all those things happen,” Bonta said.
Investigators said that the arrested people are higher up in the chain of the crime ring’s command, and that state and federal prison could be involved in the charges.
The agencies involved include the LAPD, the California Highway Patrol, and Homeland Security.
LAPD Commanding Officer Brent McGuyre said at Monday's news conference that it’s important to step into the community in ways that aren’t just on the enforcement level.
“Providing for youth programs and interventions so that we can cut the flow into these organizations is as important as taking off the leadership within the organization,” McGuyre said.
Anchored in the LA Harbor area, it was revealed that the criminal group extends beyond Los Angeles, which led to further arrests and investigations in Tulare and Kern counties in the Central Valley.
“For those that would continue to be involved themselves in gun trafficking and narcotic trafficking and the poisoning of what we see in Angelenos, know that your time is measured,” Moore said.
The derelict shopping center has a remarkable past
Cato Hernández
has scoured through tons of archives to understand how our region became the way it is today.
Published November 22, 2025 5:00 AM
Valley Plaza Surplus when it opened in 1957. The store used to be located at 6330 Laurel Canyon Blvd.
(
Valley Times Collection/Los Angeles Public Library
)
Topline:
Valley Plaza in North Hollywood has been neglected for years. As some buildings are getting demolished, we look into its legendary past and why it fell from grace.
How it began: When Valley Plaza opened in 1951, it was right when the shopping experience was changing. The developer behind the center, Bob Symonds, created a new masterplan of specially picked stores in an area that prioritized freeway access and lots of parking.
Why it was unique: Back in those days, his ideas were novel. Instead of going to individual places, customers could visit a huge range of stores at one center, including the largest Sears at the time. It became one of the most important shopping centers on the West Coast because of its design, which fueled the local economy.
Read on…. to learn more about Angelenos’ personal memories with the space.
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.
(
Gordon Dean
/
Valley Times Collection/Los Angeles Public Library
)
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.
(
Valley Times Collection/Los Angeles Public Library
)
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.”
Adolfo Guzman-Lopez
is an arts and general assignment reporter on LAist's Explore LA. team.
Published November 22, 2025 5:00 AM
"Marketplace" host Kai Ryssdal, left, with Joey Galloway, owner of a commercial property that was consumed in the Eaton fire.
(
Andie Corban
/
Marketplace
)
Topline
Five Altadena businesses reopen Saturday with a community celebration after damage from the January fires.
Why it matters: These five Altadena businesses considered closing but have reopened to help the neighborhoods around them rebuild.
Details about the celebration: It’s taking place Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 2455 Lake Ave., Altadena
Read on ... to find details and to learn more about each business.
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.
Jill Replogle
covers public corruption, debates over our voting system, culture war battles — and more.
Published November 21, 2025 7:08 PM
Michael Gates at a news conference outside Huntington Beach City Hall on Oct. 14, 2024.
(
Jill Replogle
/
LAist
)
Topline:
Michael Gates, a former Deputy Assistant Attorney General, produced a letter today 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 backstory: The Orange County Register last week reported 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.
Where things stand: Gates told LAist the allegations were “100% fabrication.” 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.”
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.
(
Courtesy Michael Gates
)
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.
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.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, the Georgia Republican who rose to prominence as one of President Donald Trump's biggest defenders and recently became one of his biggest critics, is leaving Congress.
The context: Greene's announcement late Friday that she would resign effective Jan. 5, 2026, is the latest escalation of months of clashes with the president over his second-term agenda, including the release of the Epstein files.
Why now? The third-term Congresswoman also said it would not be fair to her northwest Georgia district, one of the most conservative in the country, to have them "endure a hurtful and hateful primary against me by the president we all fought for," while noting that "Republicans will likely lose the midterms."
Why it matters: Greene is one of a record 40 House members and 10 senators who have indicated they do not plan to return to their seats after the 2026 election, joining a number of lawmakers who are retiring or running for a different office.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, the Georgia Republican who rose to prominence as one of President Donald Trump's biggest defenders and recently became one of his biggest critics, is leaving Congress.
Greene's announcement late Friday that she would resign effective Jan. 5, 2026, is the latest escalation of months of clashes with the president over his second term agenda — including the release of the Epstein files.
"Standing up for American women who were raped at 14, trafficked and used by rich powerful men, should not result in me being called a traitor and threatened by the President of the United States, whom I fought for," Greene wrote in a lengthy statement shared online.
The third-term Congresswoman also said it would not be fair to her northwest Georgia district, one of the most conservative in the country, to have them "endure a hurtful and hateful primary against me by the president we all fought for," while noting that "Republicans will likely lose the midterms."
Greene is one of a record 40 House members and 10 senators who have indicated they do not plan to return to their seats after the 2026 election, joining a number of lawmakers who are retiring or running for a different office.
Copyright 2025 NPR
