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Column: U.S. Atty. E. Martin Estrada steps down, looks back at his 'labor of love'

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Column: U.S. Atty. E. Martin Estrada steps down, looks back at his 'labor of love'

The granite steps leading up to the old federal courthouse in downtown L.A. are sturdy and regal. But something disturbing dotted them Friday that I never would have expected:

Ash.

The Eaton fire 15 miles to the northeast was still raging. Downtown was eerily empty. The lunchtime sun was bright, tinting everything in a sickly golden tone.

I was there to interview U.S. Atty. E. Martin Estrada, who is expected to announce Monday that he will step down Friday as head of the Central District of California, which prosecutes federal crimes in coastal counties from San Luis Obispo to Orange.

He was supposed to make his plans public early last week. But he delayed as the most destructive wildfires in L.A. history put a sad coda on his 2½ years as Southern California’s top federal prosecutor.

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Members of his team have lost homes in Pacific Palisades and Altadena. More had to evacuate. Drones messing with firefighting efforts — a federal crime — meant his prosecutors were ready to press charges if necessary. Scammers were already preying on victims — crimes that Estrada’s office prosecuted in the wake of the 2023 Monterey Park mass shooting and other local tragedies.

“If I had my druthers, I wouldn’t be leaving, especially at a time of crisis,” Estrada said from a large table at his 12th-story office. Two computer screens at a stand-up desk behind him glowed. “I don’t like leaving things undone. But I don’t really have my choice here, so I got to go.”

Even if he doesn’t resign from a job he described as a “labor of love,” his days are numbered, with Donald Trump soon assuming the presidency.

It’s customary for U.S. attorneys to tender their resignations when a new president enters office. They know the incoming commander in chief usually wants a fresh start and prefers to appoint people from his own crew. That’s why Estrada wanted to talk to me.

A Democrat and the first U.S. attorney of Guatemalan heritage, he has emphasized diversity in his office and profession and made it a point to speak in both English and Spanish during news conferences. He was the type of U.S. attorney who invited civil rights icon Dolores Huerta to speak to his team — she led them in cries of “¡Sí se puede!” — and regularly spoke to inner-city kids about the importance of people like them in positions such as his.

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That mentality is anathema to the incoming Trump administration, and Estrada acknowledged that politics in Washington are more “partisan” that ever.

“There’s so much fear in the community, concern about this next administration — what may happen, what may not happen,” said the son of Guatemalan immigrants. “But it’s important for people to know that this good work will continue.”

U.S. Atty. E. Martin Estrada at his office in the old federal courthouse in downtown Los Angeles in 2024.

(Michael Blackshire / Los Angeles Times)

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Estrada sounded earnest, even mawkish, befitting his trim frame and boyish looks. I also know to not underestimate his insight. This is the person, after all, whose record against criminals of all stripes speaks for itself. His prosecutors won a conviction against L.A. political powerhouse Mark Ridley-Thomas on corruption charges (Ridley-Thomas is appealing) and got guilty pleas from former L.A. Councilmember Jose Huizar and former Orange County Supervisor Andrew Do. Estrada praised his team for going after white supremacist gangs, fentanyl dealers, environmental polluters and other miscreants while favoring no party and no ideology.

“So I really think the work will continue, because we’ve done it and shot right down the middle,” he said.

Would the 47-year-old stay in his role if Trump asked him to?

“Yes, I would,” he responded without hesitation. “But it’s clear, based on where the politics are in D.C., that it’s not in the cards.”

Does that upset him?

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“I went through different administrations, Republican and Democrat,” Estrada said. “I see what people go through. So I truly believe that the culture here is one of doing the right thing for the right reasons. My hope is that the new administration looks at what’s been going on, sees the work that’s been done and says, ‘I agree, we got to support this.’”

Any advice for his successor?

“See the work that’s been done, listen to the community and see the needs this community has. And I think that will lead you to a similar path to what I have done.”

After a few weeks off to indulge in his passions of running and cycling, Estrada plans to return to private practice, where he worked for eight years before President Biden appointed him in 2022. Before that, he was a prosecutor in the office he now leads. Going forward, he wants to focus on civil rights cases because “it’s in my blood — like, I can’t not do that.”

For now, there’s one last week of work. He teased a “big announcement” on a case that he declined to elaborate on, save for a smile.

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“My philosophy has always been like running,” Estrada said. “I’ve always been a racer. Finish to the tape.”

He glanced at public affairs officer Ciaran McEvoy, who had silently looked on throughout our half-hour conversation.

“They’re going to be happy to see me go,” he said of his staff. “I was like the Energizer Bunny.”

He and McEvoy have known each other since the fourth grade at St. John the Baptist Catholic School in Costa Mesa.

“No one would ever accuse Martin of laziness,” McEvoy deadpanned, drawing a chuckle from his boss.

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“We accomplished a lot,” Estrada replied. “I’d like to be there to help continue to develop some of the more junior lawyers and make sure they get on the right path. But I’m confident they’ll get there.”

A man with dark hair, in a dark suit and red tie, walks past a camera crew and people seated at a desk

U.S. Atty. E. Martin Estrada prepares to announce criminal charges against Ippei Mizuhara, a former interpreter for Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani, at the federal courthouse in downtown Los Angeles in 2024.

(Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)

I looked at all the mementos that hadn’t been put in boxes yet and asked which would best exemplify his time as U.S. attorney. He pointed to a trio of photos of him with Huerta, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro N. Mayorkas and Biden.

Estrada eventually focused on a framed letter from students at Utah Street Span School in Boyle Heights, which he’s visited for years. It featured their signatures, a smiling flower and a note of thanks and congratulations.

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“That’s what matters to me — not just my personal legacy, not just what people write about me, but having a real impact in people’s lives,” he said. “I truly believe the work in this office has an impact on people’s lives.”

He brought up the Conception case. In 2019, a dive boat caught fire off Santa Cruz Island, killing 34 people in the deadliest maritime disaster in modern California history. In 2023, federal prosecutors won a conviction from a federal jury, which found boat captain Jerry Boylan guilty of gross negligence. A judge sentenced Boylan to four years in prison (he remains free on appeal).

Estrada met with the family members of the victims “over half a dozen times” and particularly remembers a mother who spoke only Spanish.

“I talked to her about the loss of her daughter so many times,” he said. “I looked to hire people who reflect the diversity of this area. And that is the kind of impact that I hope will last for many years.”

We shook hands. The sky outside seemed even smokier than before. Estrada brought up the wildfires again and how they’re coloring his last weeks in a way that makes him proud of the people he’s worked with and will leave behind.

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“They’ve have really come together. They’ve told their affected colleagues, ‘Come stay with me’ or ‘What do you need?’ It’s a reminder: Our folks are not moguls,” he said. “They’re community members, like the people they serve. It’s a beautiful thing.”

Southern California’s U.S. attorney for the next five days excused himself and went back to work at his stand-up desk.

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Video: Walz Drops Re-Election Bid as Minnesota Fraud Scandal Grows

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Video: Walz Drops Re-Election Bid as Minnesota Fraud Scandal Grows

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Walz Drops Re-Election Bid as Minnesota Fraud Scandal Grows

Governor Tim Walz of Minnesota abandoned his re-election bid to focus on handling a scandal over fraud in social service programs that grew under his administration.

“I’ve decided to step out of this race, and I’ll let others worry about the election while I focus on the work that’s in front of me for the next year.” “All right, so this is Quality Learing Center — meant to say Quality ‘Learning’ Center.” “Right now we have around 56 kids enrolled. If the children are not here, we mark absence.”

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Governor Tim Walz of Minnesota abandoned his re-election bid to focus on handling a scandal over fraud in social service programs that grew under his administration.

By Shawn Paik

January 6, 2026

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Pelosi heir-apparent calls Trump’s Venezuela move a ‘lawless coup,’ urges impeachment, slams Netanyahu

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Pelosi heir-apparent calls Trump’s Venezuela move a ‘lawless coup,’ urges impeachment, slams Netanyahu

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A San Francisco Democrat demanded the impeachment of President Donald Trump, accusing him of carrying out a “coup” against Venezuelan strongman Nicolás Maduro.

California state Sen. Scott Wiener, seen as the likely congressional successor to Rep. Nancy Pelosi, also took a swipe at Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Wiener has frequently drawn national attention for his progressive positions, including his legislation signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom designating California as a “refuge” for transgender children and remarks at a San Francisco Pride Month event referring to California children as “our kids.”

In a lengthy public statement following the Trump administration’s arrest and extradition of Maduro to New York, Wiener said the move shows the president only cares about “enriching his public donors” and “cares nothing for the human or economic cost of conquering another country.”

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KAMALA HARRIS BLASTS TRUMP ADMINISTRATION’S CAPTURE OF VENEZUELA’S MADURO AS ‘UNLAWFUL AND UNWISE’

California State Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, speaks at a rally. (John Sciulli/Getty Images)

“This lawless coup is an invitation for China to invade Taiwan, for Russia to escalate its conquest in Ukraine, and for Netanyahu to expand the destruction of Gaza and annex the West Bank,” said Wiener, who originally hails from South Jersey.

He suggested that the Maduro operation was meant to distract from purportedly slumping poll numbers, the release of Jeffrey Epstein-related documents, and to essentially seize another country’s oil reserves.

“Trump is a total failure,” Wiener said. “By engaging in this reckless act, Trump is also making the entire world less safe … Trump is making clear yet again that, under this regime, there are no rules, there are no laws, there are no norms – there is only whatever Trump thinks is best for himself and his cronies at a given moment in time.”

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GREENE HITS TRUMP OVER VENEZUELA STRIKES, ARGUES ACTION ‘DOESN’T SERVE THE AMERICAN PEOPLE’

In response, the White House said the administration’s actions against Maduro were “lawfully executed” and included a federal arrest warrant.”

“While Democrats take twisted stands in support of indicted drug smugglers, President Trump will always stand with victims and families who can finally receive closure thanks to this historic action,” White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly said.

Supporters of the operation have pushed back on claims of “regime change” – an accusation Wiener also made – pointing to actions by Maduro-aligned courts that barred top opposition leader María Corina Machado from running, even as publicly reported results indicated her proxy, Edmundo González Urrutia, won the vote.

“Trump’s illegal invasion of Venezuela isn’t about drugs, and it isn’t about helping the people of Venezuela or restoring Venezuelan democracy,” Wiener added. “Yes, Maduro is awful, but that’s not what the invasion is about. It’s all about oil and Trump’s collapsing support at home.”

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EX-ESPN STAR KEITH OLBERMANN CALLS FOR IMPEACHMENT OF TRUMP OVER VENEZUELA STRIKES THAT CAPTURED MADURO

Around the country, a handful of other Democrats referenced impeachment or impeachable offenses, but did not go as far as Wiener in demanding such proceedings.

Rep. April McClain-Delaney, D-Md., who represents otherwise conservative “Mountain Maryland” in the state’s panhandle, said Monday that Democrats should “imminently consider impeachment proceedings,” according to TIME.

McClain-Delaney said Trump acted without constitutionally-prescribed congressional authorization and wrongly voiced “intention to ‘run’ the country.”

SCHUMER BLASTED TRUMP FOR FAILING TO OUST MADURO — NOW WARNS ARREST COULD LEAD TO ‘ENDLESS WAR’

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One frequent Trump foil, Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., cited in a statement that she has called for Trump’s impeachment in the past; blaming Republicans for letting the president “escape accountability.”

“Today, many Democrats have understandably questioned whether impeachment is possible again under the current political reality. I am reconsidering that view,” Waters said. 

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“What we are witnessing is an unprecedented escalation of an unlawful invasion, the detention of foreign leaders, and a president openly asserting power far beyond what the Constitution allows,” she said, while appearing to agree with Trump that Maduro was involved in drug trafficking and “collaborat[ion] with… terrorists.”

Wiener’s upcoming primary is considered the deciding election in the D+36 district, while a handful of other lesser-known candidates have reportedly either filed FEC paperwork or declared their candidacy, including San Francisco Councilwoman Connie Chan.

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California Congressman Doug LaMalfa dies, further narrowing GOP margin in Congress

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California Congressman Doug LaMalfa dies, further narrowing GOP margin in Congress

California Rep. Doug LaMalfa (R-Richvale) has died, GOP leadership and President Trump confirmed Tuesday morning.

“Jacquie and I are devastated about the sudden loss of our friend, Congressman Doug LaMalfa. Doug was a loving father and husband, and staunch advocate for his constituents and rural America,” said Rep. Tom Emmer (R-Minn.), the House majority whip, in a post on X. “Our prayers are with Doug’s wife, Jill, and their children.”

LaMalfa, 65, was a fourth-generation rice farmer from Oroville and staunch Trump supporter who had represented his Northern California district for the past 12 years. His seat was one of several that was in jeopardy under the state’s redrawn districts approved by voters with Proposition 50.

Emergency personnel responded to a 911 call from LaMalfa’s residence at 6:50 p.m. Monday, according to the Butte County Sheriff’s Office. The congressman was taken to the Enloe Medical Center in Chico, where he died while undergoing emergency surgery, authorities said.

An autopsy to determine the cause of death is planned, according to the sheriff’s office.

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LaMalfa’s district — which stretches from the northern outskirts of Sacramento, through Redding at the northern end of the Central Valley and Alturas in the state’s northeast corner — is largely rural, and constituents have long said they felt underrepresented in liberal California.

LaMalfa put much of his focus on boosting federal water supplies to farmers, and seeking to reduce environmental restrictions on logging and extraction of other natural resources.

One LaMalfa’s final acts in the U.S. House was to successfully push for the reauthorization of the Secure Rural Schools Act, a long-standing financial aid program for schools surrounded by untaxed federal forest land, whose budgets could not depend upon property taxes, as most public schools do. Despite broad bipartisan support, Congress let it lapse in 2023.

In an interview with The Times as he was walking onto the House floor in mid-December, LaMalfa said he was frustrated with Congress’s inability to pass even a popular bill like that reauthorization.

The Secure Rural Schools Act, he said, was a victim of a Congress in which “it’s still an eternal fight over anything fiscal.” It is “annoying,” LaMalfa said, “how hard it is to get basic things done around here.”

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In a statement posted on X, California Democratic Sen. Adam Schiff said he considered LaMalfa “a friend and partner” and that the congressman was “deeply committed to his community and constituents, working to make life better for those he represented.”

“Doug’s life was one of great service and he will be deeply missed,” Schiff wrote.

Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom in a statement called LaMalfa a “devoted public servant who deeply loved his country, his state, and the communities he represented.”

“While we often approached issues from different perspectives, he fought every day for the people of California with conviction and care,” Newsom said.

Flags at the California State Capitol in Sacramento will be flown at half-staff in honor of the congressman, according to the governor.

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Before his death, LaMalfa was facing a difficult reelection bid to hold his seat. After voters approved Proposition 50 in November — aimed at giving California Democrats more seats in Congress — LaMalfa was drawn into a new district that heavily favored his likely opponent, State Sen. Mike McGuire, a Democrat who represents the state’s northwest coast.

LaMalfa’s death puts the Republican majority in Congress in further jeopardy, with a margin of just two votes to secure passage of any bill along party lines after the resignation of Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene on Monday evening.

Adding to the party’s troubles, Rep. Jim Baird, a Republican from Indiana, was hospitalized on Tuesday for a car crash described by the White House as serious. While Baird is said to be stable, the Republican House speaker, Mike Johnson from Louisiana, will not be able to rely on his attendance. And he has one additional caucus member – Thomas Massie of Kentucky – who has made a habit of voting against the president, bringing their margin for error down effectively to zero.

President Trump, addressing a gathering of GOP House members at the Kennedy Center, addressed the news at the start of his remarks, expressing “tremendous sorrow at the loss of a great member” and stating his speech would be made in LaMalfa’s honor.

“He was the leader of the Western caucus – a fierce champion on California water issues. He was great on water. ‘Release the water!’ he’d scream out. And a true defender of American children.”

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“You know, he voted with me 100% of the time,” Trump added.

A native of Oroville, LaMalfa attended Butte College and then earned an ag-business degree from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. He served in the California Assembly from 2002 to 2008 and the California State Senate from 2010 to 2012. Staunchly conservative, he was an early supporter of Proposition 209, which ended affirmative action in California, and he also pushed for passage of the Protection of Marriage Act, Proposition 22, which banned same-sex marriage in California.

While representing California’s 1st District, LaMalfa focused largely on issues affecting rural California and other western states. In 2025, Congressman he was elected as Chairman of the Congressional Western Caucus, which focuses on legislation affected rural areas.

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