Secret Plot Against LA Exposed: It Goes Straight to the Top
The Plot Against Los Angeles: A Noir-Style Investigation into Power, Politics, and the City’s Future
Note: This article explains a satirical opinion column written in a detective "noir" style. The author, Joe Mathews, uses a fictional private investigator character named Marlowe (a nod to Raymond Chandler’s famous detective) to describe real-world concerns about political and financial influence in Los Angeles.
What Is This All About?
Imagine a detective story set in modern Los Angeles. Instead of a missing person or a stolen jewel, the "crime" is something much bigger: a coordinated effort by powerful political and business figures to take control of LA’s most valuable assets.
The author calls this "The Plot Against Los Angeles." Written in the style of a 1940s private eye novel, the piece connects several real-world events involving sports teams, movie studios, newspapers, coastal land, and public services.
The Key Players (The "Syndicate")
Important: The author uses the word "syndicate" to describe a loose network of wealthy and politically connected individuals working together—like a crime family in a movie, but operating through legal and political pressure.
| Figure | Role | Connection |
|---|---|---|
| Josh Kushner | Investor, brother of Jared Kushner | Trying to buy the Los Angeles Lakers; linked to Trump family |
| Mark Walter | Current Lakers co-owner (Guggenheim Partners) | Under federal financial investigation; pressured to sell |
| David Ellison | Son of billionaire Larry Ellison; heads Skydance Media | Bought Paramount; now targeting Warner Bros. |
| Patrick Soon-Shiong | Billionaire doctor; owns LA Times | Allied with RFK Jr.; removed the paper’s editorial board |
| Robert F. Kennedy Jr. | Former presidential candidate; health activist | Influencing Soon-Shiong; involved in LA homeless/health policy |
| Howard Lutnick | Commerce Secretary (Trump administration) | Pushing to develop California coast (oil, rockets, buildings) |
| Ben Carson ("HUDsucker Turner") | Former HUD Secretary | Working with RFK Jr. on homeless services & Medi-Cal |
The Five "Heists" (What’s Being Taken Over)
1. The Los Angeles Lakers
- The play: Josh Kushner (backed by Trump-family connections) makes a bid for the team.
- The pressure: Federal investigators are scrutinizing current owner Mark Walter’s finances.
- The message: "Sell the team, or the G-men come knocking."
2. Hollywood Studios: Paramount & Warner Bros.
- David Ellison (Skydance) bought Paramount Pictures.
- Now he’s going after Warner Bros. Discovery.
- Backing: The "White House family syndicate" (Trump allies) supports him.
- Leverage: Threatening to move the industry to Tennessee or audit studios into oblivion.
3. The Los Angeles Times
- Owner: Patrick Soon-Shiong (biotech billionaire).
- What happened: He allied with RFK Jr. (anti-vaccine activist).
- Result: The entire editorial board was fired after refusing to endorse Kamala Harris.
- Why? Soon-Shiong has "skeletons in his biotech closet"—federal pressure works both ways.
4. The California Coast
- Howard Lutnick (Commerce Secretary) wants to open the coast for:
- Building & paving
- Oil drilling
- Rocket launches
- Tactic: Drown the California Coastal Commission in federal investigations while privatizing public beaches.
5. Homeless Services & Medi-Cal
- RFK Jr. and Ben Carson are targeting two massive pots of money:
- Homeless services funding (billions in state/federal cash)
- Medi-Cal (California’s Medicaid program)
- Cover story: "Drain the swamp! Cancel corruption! Fight ‘woke’ policies!"
- Reality (per author): A smokescreen to redirect public money to private interests.
How the "Con" Works (Step by Step)
- Identify a target — A valuable public or private asset (team, studio, newspaper, land, public fund).
- Apply pressure — Use federal investigations, regulatory threats, or financial leverage.
- Install friendly leadership — Replace independent voices with loyalists (e.g., firing the LA Times editorial board).
- Frame it as reform — Sell the takeover as "fighting corruption" or "saving taxpayers."
- Extract value — Redirect assets, contracts, or money to the syndicate’s network.
- Repeat — Move to the next target while the city is distracted.
Why This Matters: The Big Picture
Callout: The Core Argument
The author argues this isn’t just business as usual. It’s a systematic takeover of Los Angeles’ cultural, economic, and civic institutions by a single political network—using the power of the federal government as a weapon. The "con" is so large, he says, "it would make robber barons blush like rookie shoplifters."
What’s at stake:
- Sports: Who owns the town’s beloved teams?
- Culture: Who controls the stories Hollywood tells?
- Information: Who decides what news gets printed?
- Environment: Who owns the coastline?
- Social safety net: Who profits from homelessness and healthcare?
- Democracy: Can a free press survive when its owner fears the White House?
The Noir Metaphor: Why Write It This Way?
The author (Joe Mathews) writes a column called "Connecting California" for Zócalo Public Square. For this piece, he adopts a Raymond Chandler persona:
| Noir Element | Real-World Meaning |
|---|---|
| "Private dick named Marlowe" | The journalist/investigator |
| "Santa Ana winds" | Tense, dangerous political climate |
| "Grifters" | Corrupt or self-dealing operators |
| "The syndicate" | The Trump-aligned political-financial network |
| "Kissing the ring" | Showing loyalty to gain favors |
| "Handing over her pearls" | LA surrendering its assets without realizing the cost |
This style lets him connect dots that a straight news story might miss—and sound the alarm with urgency and wit.
Summary
- Joe Mathews (as "Marlowe") warns of a coordinated campaign to seize control of LA’s crown jewels.
- The "syndicate" = Trump-family allies + billionaire investors + federal power.
- Targets: Lakers, Paramount, Warner Bros, LA Times, California coast, homeless/health funds.
- Method: Federal pressure + financial leverage + "reform" rhetoric.
- Result: Public assets → private hands; independent voices silenced.
- Tone: Satirical, urgent, deeply worried—but wrapped in a detective story.
FAQ
Is this a real news investigation or an opinion piece?
It’s an opinion column written in a satirical, literary style. The events and people are real; the "noir" framing and "syndicate" narrative are the author’s interpretive lens.
Who is Joe Mathews?
He writes the "Connecting California" column for Zócalo Public Square, a nonprofit ideas exchange. He’s a longtime California politics observer.
Are the federal investigations real?
Yes. The piece links to reports about:
- Mark Walter/Guggenheim under scrutiny
- Coastal Commission facing federal queries
- LA Times editorial board mass resignation
What’s the "Kushner kid" reference?
Josh Kushner — venture capitalist, brother of Jared Kushner (Trump’s son-in-law and former senior advisor). His firm, Thrive Capital, has explored buying the Lakers.
Why does the author compare this to robber barons?
The Gilded Age "robber barons" (Rockefeller, Vanderbilt, Hearst) seized industries, press, and politics. Mathews argues this modern version is bigger, faster, and more brazen—using the White House itself as leverage.
This explainer is based on an opinion column by Joe Mathews, published via Zócalo Public Square and the San Francisco Chronicle. The views expressed are the columnist’s own.