Business

Rams' new headquarters to be centerpiece of ambitious Warner Center development project

Published

1 year ago

April 6, 2025

Rams' new headquarters to be centerpiece of ambitious Warner Center development project

For the Rams, a house isn’t necessarily a home.

There’s the Sunday sanctuary of SoFi Stadium — also known as Rams House — but the franchise that returned to Los Angeles in 2016 has turned its attention to creating a permanent home in Woodland Hills, where it will spend the other six days of the week.

Rams owner Stan Kroenke, who built the $5-billion stadium in Inglewood, has provided The Times a detailed and exclusive first look at the next major project for his NFL team: a state-of-the-art team headquarters, surrounded by a glistening new residential and retail community intended to be the long-awaited centerpiece of the San Fernando Valley.

An artist’s rendering of the Rams’ planned headquarters at Warner Center. The proposed facility will include two outdoor fields and one indoor field.

(Gensler and Shimahara Visual)

In bringing the NFL back to Los Angeles and constructing a state-of-the-art venue — a place where the Chargers also play — Kroenke provided a proof of concept. SoFi Stadium renderings were more than pretty pictures; they came to life.

Now the billionaire developer is focusing more sharply on a 100-acre, L-shaped site at Warner Center, roughly 30 miles northwest of the Inglewood stadium. He plans to create a permanent home for the Rams — replacing their temporary digs there — surrounded by a high-end residential and retail district with apartments, offices, stores and restaurants, parks and other green spaces, and two new entertainment venues.

“We are well positioned to get going,” Kroenke told The Times last week at the annual NFL meetings. “We’re working hard on it and it’s exciting.”

Why unveil the plans now? Kroenke, with the help of global architectural firm Gensler, plans to submit initial plans to Los Angeles city officials within the coming weeks, and informing the public is part of that process. Developers hope to put shovels in the ground by early 2027, and once underway, the entire project should require about a decade to complete all phases.

“I’m excited about it,” said Councilmember Bob Blumenfield, who represents the northwest corner of Los Angeles in the San Fernando Valley, including Woodland Hills. “That space that they’re taking over is such prime real estate and has been so under-utilized, dormant even, for the last decade or more. It is so ripe for becoming a centerpiece for the West Valley and the city of L.A., an anchor.”

An artist's rendering of a proposed retail and residential project at Warner Center.

Although the Hollywood Park site is three times the size of the one in Warner Center, and Kroenke is continuing to develop that massive district in Inglewood, the latest endeavor likewise will command an investment of more than $10 billion.

“If you look at what we’ve done in Inglewood, this is a piece of cake,” said Otto Maly, president of Kroenke Holdings, citing the wealthier demographic of Woodland Hills and the surrounding areas.

Football is only one aspect of this project, albeit a major one. The Rams, who relocated to the site from Thousand Oaks last year, will keep their two existing outdoor fields and add an indoor practice field and permanent offices. The plans call for a swooping design complementary of the stylish curvature of their stadium.

Just as the YouTube Theater is sidled next to SoFi Stadium, two smaller entertainment venues — with capacities of 5,000 and 2,500 people — will neighbor Rams headquarters. Those will host concerts and similar events.

“You start to think about, ‘Hey, how do we get more live entertainment so that the people in that part of the Valley don’t always have to drive 45 minutes to an hour to go to a concert?’” said Kevin Demoff, president of the Rams. “This project provides that.”

The 100 acres are broken into three parcels, with Topanga Village, an existing open-air shopping center to the north that will remain as is, and two square parcels to the south. The Rams’ facility, both the current temporary one and the future permanent one, sit on the eastern parcel. In addition to team headquarters, that piece of land is home to the 13-story former Anthem building, which will be “re-skinned” to look like a new structure.

An artist's rendering of a proposed business and residential project at Warner Center in Woodland Hills.

The western parcel contains the defunct Promenade mall and will be entirely redeveloped to include apartment buildings, playgrounds, band shells, alfresco dining, a large grocery store and another featuring specialty foods, all surrounding a 1½-acre central gathering space.

The renderings for the Warner Center redesign feature buildings that are sleek and modern but not outlandishly daring or unconventional. Lots of balconies and outdoor spaces, including park-like green spaces on the tops of structures.

“We’ve been very selective in the design of our buildings so that they’re not faddish,” Maly said. “You see some people go out and build a building, and in three years it’s very dated because of the colors, or they try to get cute. It becomes dated very quickly.”

Even though this will significantly reshape the landscape, this plan doesn’t come out of the blue. This type of redevelopment was first approved and entitled in 2013 for the entire Warner Center area and proposed a dense urban environment.

Seven years later, mall developer Westfield rolled out plans for an economically viable community to replace the outdated Promenade. In later purchasing that site, Kroenke essentially bought those entitlements.

An artist's rendering of the Rams' new team headquarters as part of a planned $10 billion project at Warner Center.

But with more people working from home, and increasing reliance on shopping online, the original Westfield plans needed updating. What’s more, Kroenke’s goals for the site are different, including building team headquarters onto the site and infusing the Rams brand throughout.

“When we did Hollywood Park, it was revitalizing what was once a great sports area from the heyday of the Forum and the racetrack,” Demoff said. “That was bringing that back to life and rekindling the community. It wasn’t unfamiliar to that area.

“Here, it’s really investing in the Valley for the first time ever by a sports team and really by a major community. There’s never been a hub of the Valley.

“By all of our metrics, if the Valley were its own NFL city, it would be the 14th-largest NFL city, and that’s if you got rid of the rest of Los Angeles. When you think about that opportunity to go bring a sports-and-entertainment district hub to the Valley, which has its own heartbeat, lifestyle and culture, it’s really unique.”

The original Westfield plan called for a 10,000-seat venue, which could mean crowds and congestion — or crickets — depending on the day. Kroenke’s plan breaks those 10,000 seats into three venues (including 2,500 lining the indoor practice field) and locates them in the neighboring parcel, a short walk from the residential district.

An artist's rendering of a planned $10 billion residential and retail project at Warner Center.

“The larger the venue, the more infrequent the events,” said Eric Stultz, Gensler design principal. “With smaller venues, you have more events and you can syncopate the energy level of the area, keeping it more consistent. As a result, the disruption of the neighborhood is lower. It’s more of a steady hum than an infrequent lurching of people.”

Medical facilities are often part of NFL team headquarters, and there’s a strong likelihood there will be that component for the Rams, particularly with their team doctor being Neal ElAttrache, among the world’s preeminent sports surgeons.

There’s plenty of room for Rams headquarters at Hollywood Park, but that’s not optimal for multiple reasons. In approving the Rams’ relocation from St. Louis, the NFL stipulated that the Chargers, were they to move there from San Diego, would get equal representation on that site. So there’s no turning that whole place royal blue and yellow. (The Chargers subsequently built their futuristic practice facility, “The Bolt,” on 14 acres in El Segundo.)

Creating a second epicenter in Woodland Hills allows the Rams to significantly increase the size of their footprint in the market.

“When you’re looking to do a practice facility, you don’t need to be right in the middle of everything, and typically that real estate is very expensive,” Kroenke said. “We built an identity in the Valley, with Cal Lutheran, and a lot of our players and families are up there. Our experience was really good.”

Stultz was design director for the Star in Frisco, Texas, headquarters of the Dallas Cowboys. Specifically, he oversaw the Ford Center, the athletic center that consumes roughly a third of the 91-acre project. The Cowboys are at the cutting edge of NFL marketing, and the Star, which opened in 2016, is as much a crown jewel to the franchise as AT&T Stadium.

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said having a signature practice facility, one fans can visit and tour, is a force multiplier when it comes to marketing a franchise.

“It’s like the Sistine Chapel being something that all Catholics think about all over the world,” Jones said. “Many of our fans that know about the Star have never actually been there, but they’re aware of it through just following the Cowboys and our games. It gives you another way to tangibly have another church house to preach in.”

In that respect, Kroenke is ready to step up to the pulpit.

“The master plan was to bring some kind of central core to the Valley,” the Rams owner said. “This is definitely fully capable of creating that.”

Business

Nike to Cut 1,400 Jobs as Part of Its Turnaround Plan

Published

4 hours ago

April 23, 2026

Press Room

Nike to Cut 1,400 Jobs as Part of Its Turnaround Plan

Nike is cutting about 1,400 jobs in its operations division, mostly from its technology department, the company said Thursday.

In a note to employees, Venkatesh Alagirisamy, the chief operating officer of Nike, said that management was nearly done reorganizing the business for its turnaround plan, and that the goal was to operate with “more speed, simplicity and precision.”

“This is not a new direction,” Mr. Alagirisamy told employees. “It is the next phase of the work already underway.”

Nike, the world’s largest sportswear company, is trying to recover after missteps led to a prolonged sales slump, in which the brand leaned into lifestyle products and away from performance shoes and apparel. Elliott Hill, the chief executive, has worked to realign the company around sports and speed up product development to create more breakthrough innovations.

In March, Nike told investors that it expected sales to fall this year, with growth in North America offset by poor performance in Asia, where the brand is struggling to rejuvenate sales in China. Executives said at the time that more volatility brought on by the war in the Middle East and rising oil prices might continue to affect its business.

The reorganization has involved cuts across many parts of the organization, including at its headquarters in Beaverton, Ore. Nike slashed some corporate staff last year and eliminated nearly 800 jobs at distribution centers in January.

“You never want to have to go through any sort of layoffs, but to re-center the company, we’re doing some of that,” Mr. Hill said in an interview earlier this year.

Mr. Alagirisamy told employees that Nike was reshaping its technology team and centering employees at its headquarters and a tech center in Bengaluru, India. The layoffs will affect workers across North America, Europe and Asia.

The cuts will also affect staffing in Nike’s factories for Air, the company’s proprietary cushioning system. Employees who work on the supply chain for raw materials will also experience changes as staff is integrated into footwear and apparel teams.

Nike’s Converse brand, which has struggled for years to revive sales, will move some of its engineering resources closer to the factories they support, the company said.

Mr. Alagirisamy said the moves were necessary to optimize Nike’s supply chain, deploy technology faster and bolster relationships with suppliers.

Business

Senate committee kills bill mandating insurance coverage for wildfire safe homes

Published

5 hours ago

April 23, 2026

Press Room

Senate committee kills bill mandating insurance coverage for wildfire safe homes

A bill that would have required insurers to offer coverage to homeowners who take steps to reduce wildfire risk on their property died in the Legislature.

The Senate Insurance Committee on Monday voted down the measure, SB 1076, one of the most ambitious bills spurred by the devastating January 2025 wildfires.

The vote came despite fire victims and others rallying at the state Capitol in support of the measure, authored by state Sen. Sasha Renée Pérez (D-Pasadena), whose district includes the Eaton fire zone.

The Insurance Coverage for Fire-Safe Homes Act originally would have required insurers to offer and renew coverage for any home that meets wildfire-safety standards adopted by the insurance commissioner starting Jan. 1, 2028.

It also threatened insurers with a five-year ban from the sale of home or auto insurance if they did not comply, though it allowed for exceptions.

However, faced with strong opposition from the insurance industry, Pérez had agreed to amend the bill so it would have established community-wide pilot projects across the state to better understand the most effective way to limit property and insurance losses from wildfires.

Insurers would have had to offer four years of coverage to homeowners in successful pilot projects.

Denni Ritter, a vice president of the American Property Casualty Insurance Assn., told the committee that her trade group opposed the bill.

“While we appreciate the intent behind those conversations, those concepts do not remove our opposition, because they retain the same core flaw — substituting underwriting judgment and solvency safeguards with a statutory mandate to accept risk,” she said.

In voting against the bill Sen. Laura Richardson, (D-San Pedro), said: “Last I heard, in the United States, we don’t require any company to do anything. That’s the difference between capitalism and communism, frankly.”

The remarks against the measure prompted committee Chair Sen. Steve Padilla, (D-Chula Vista), to chastise committee members in opposition.

“I’m a little perturbed, and I’m a little disappointed, because you have someone who is trying to work with industry, who is trying to get facts and data,” he said.

Monday’s vote was the fourth time a bill that would have required insurers to offer coverage to so-called “fire hardened” homes failed in the Legislature since 2020, according to an analysis by insurance committee staff.

Fire hardening includes measures such as cutting back brush, installing fire resistant roofs and closing eaves to resist fire embers.

Pérez’s legislation was thought to have a better chance of passage because it followed the most catastrophic wildfires in U.S. history, which damaged or destroyed more than 18,000 structures and killed 31 people.

The bill was co-sponsored by the Los Angeles advocacy group Consumer Watchdog and Every Fire Survivor’s Network, a community group founded in Altadena after the fires formerly called the Eaton Fire Survivors Network.

But it also had broad support from groups such as the California Apartment Association, the California Nurses Association and California Environmental Voters.

Leading up to the fires, many insurers, citing heightened fire risk, had dropped policyholders in fire-prone neighorhoods. That forced them onto the California FAIR Plan, the state’s insurer of last resort, which offers limited but costly policies.

A Times analysis found that that in the Palisades and Eaton fire zones, the FAIR Plan’s rolls from 2020 to 2024 nearly doubled from 14,272 to 28,440. Mandating coverage has been seen as a way of reducing FAIR Plan enrollment.

“I’m disappointed this bill died in committee. Fire survivors deserved better,” Pérez said in a statement .

Also failing Monday in the committee was SB 982, a bill authored by Sen. Scott Wiener, (D-San Francisco). It would have authorized California’s attorney general to sue fossil fuel companies to recover losses from climate-induced disasters. It was opposed by the oil and gas industry.

Passing the committee were two other Pérez bills. SB 877 requires insurers to provide more transparency in the claims process. SB 878 imposes a penalty on insurers who don’t make claims payments on time.

Another bill, SB 1301, authored by insurance commissioner candidate Sen. Ben Allen, (D-Pacific Palisades), also passed. It protects policyholders from unexplained and abrupt policy non-renewals.

Business

How We Cover the White House Correspondents’ Dinner

Published

16 hours ago

April 23, 2026

Press Room

How We Cover the White House Correspondents’ Dinner

Times Insider explains who we are and what we do, and delivers behind-the-scenes insights into how our journalism comes together.

Politicians in Washington and the reporters who cover them have an often adversarial relationship.

But on the last Saturday in April, they gather for an irreverent celebration of press freedom and the First Amendment at the Washington Hilton Hotel: The White House Correspondents’ Association dinner.

Hosted by the association, an organization that helps ensure access for media outlets covering the presidency, the dinner attracts Hollywood stars; politicians from both parties; and representatives of more than 100 networks, newspapers, magazines and wire services.

While The Times will have two reporters in the ballroom covering the event, the company no longer buys seats at the party, said Richard W. Stevenson, the Washington bureau chief. The decision goes back almost two decades; the last dinner The Times attended as an organization was in 2007.

“We made a judgment back then that the event had become too celebrity-focused and was undercutting our need to demonstrate to readers that we always seek to maintain a proper distance from the people we cover, many of whom attend as guests,” he said.

It’s a decision, he added, that “we have stuck by through both Republican and Democratic administrations, although we support the work of the White House Correspondents’ Association.”

Susan Wessling, The Times’s Standards editor, said the policy is a product of the organization’s desire to maintain editorial independence.

“We don’t want to leave readers with any questions about our independence and credibility by seeming to be overly friendly with people whose words and actions we need to report on,” she said.

The celebrity mentalist Oz Pearlman is headlining the evening, in lieu of the usual comedy set by the likes of Stephen Colbert and Hasan Minhaj, but all eyes will be on President Trump, who will make his first appearance at the dinner as president.

Mr. Trump has boycotted the event since 2011, when he was the butt of punchlines delivered by President Barack Obama and the talk show host Seth Meyers mocking his hair, his reality TV show and his preoccupation with the “birther” movement.

Last month, though, Mr. Trump, who has a contentious relationship with the media, announced his intention to attend this year’s dinner, where he will speak to a room full of the same reporters he often derides as “enemies of the people.”

Times reporters will be there to document the highs, the lows and the reactions in the room. A reporter for the Styles desk has also been assigned to cover the robust roster of after-parties around Washington.

Some off-duty reporters from The Times will also be present at this late-night circuit, though everyone remains cognizant of their roles, said Patrick Healy, The Times’s assistant managing editor for Standards and Trust.

“If they’re reporting, there’s a notebook or recorder out as usual,” he said. “If they’re not, they’re pros who know they’re always identifiable as Times journalists.”

For most of The Times’s reporters and editors, though, the evening will be experienced from home.

“The rest of us will be able to follow the coverage,” Mr. Stevenson said, “without having to don our tuxes or gowns.”