Lopez: Reopen Alcatraz as a prison? Yes, but Trump shouldn't stop there
What took you so long?
The "Rock," as it has sometime been referred to, sits uselessly in the middle of the San Francisco Bay, criminally underutilized as a tourist destination. I've been there, and the beauty of the location is that back when cons tried to go over the wall, sharks were on duty 24/7, working as unpaid prison guards.
As Trump said, one guy tried to escape many years ago, and "they found his clothing, rather badly ripped up. It was a lot of shark bites, lot of problems."
Speaking of problems, critics who think this is a nutty idea say it would cost a fortune to rebuild the run-down property, which once housed the likes of Al Capone and George "Machine Gun" Kelly but has been shuttered since 1963. A former Alcatraz tour guide said there's no running water, no sanitation and no heat.
Yes, but it's a prison, not a spa. A "symbol of law and order," in the words of Trump, who should know. After all, he's a convicted felon.
Although I think Trump is onto something here, my one quibble is that he's not thinking grandly enough. California has a lot of underutilized resources, so let's open our minds to the possibilities.
Less than an hour south of Alcatraz, in Santa Clara, an amusement park called Great America has been tanking for decades, and the property was just sold to a developer in what could be the beginning of the end for the once-thriving attraction.
But hold everything. I have an idea.
How about changing the name from Great America to Make America Great Again?
Kids will love the RFK Jr. Fluoride-Free Water Slide. Step right up to the Gavin Newsom dunk tank, and climb aboard the high-speed ICE Train to Deportation Station.
I also have an idea for the nearby Oakland Coliseum, which has been rudely abandoned by both the football Raiders and the baseball A's.
Read more: 7 million people have Alzheimer's. Why is the Trump administration derailing research?
I grew up in that stadium and can tell you that Raider fans, in particular, were not a timid lot. The word "rabid" may be a stretch, but let's just say they expressed themselves with little or no inhibition, much like the crew that invaded and ransacked the U.S. Capitol after a joint session of Congress had the audacity to formalize the victory of Joe Biden
That gang of patriots has been pardoned by President Trump, but I don't know if they've found work yet.
So here's the pitch:
What self-respecting, MAGA-hat-wearing Trump fanatic wouldn't pay good money to watch live performances by antler-wearing, U.S. flag-waving, pardoned revolutionaries at the rebranded January 6 Coliseum: Where Medieval Times Meets Modern Politics?
They could go full gladiator to the cheers of the crowd. Give them ropes and muskets, dress them in skins and watch them scale a replica of the Capitol, smash windows, hunt cowering politicians and attack security forces like the heroes we know them to be.
Some of these proposals could be difficult to execute, I'll admit, but not if another California landmark is put to better use:
Let's turn Hearst Castle into the Western White House.
The onetime lair of newspaper tycoon William Randolph Hearst is currently a Central Coast state park, but, if you recall, Trump wrote a little book called "The Art of the Deal." All he has to do is call Gov. Newsom and say hey, buddy, how badly would you like to have more wildfire relief funds for Altadena and Pacific Palisades?
Trump sons Eric and Donald Jr. have been gallivanting around the world, pitching a billion-dollar hotel deal in Dubai, a residential tower in Saudi Arabia and a golf course and villa in Qatar, to which I say, "Well done, boys." But after so many years of public service, don't you deserve to live in a castle?
Once they're ensconced in San Simeon's 115-room Casa Grande, the Trump brothers could make Dad proud by dismantling the state's pesky coastal commission, expanding offshore drilling and bringing a touch of the Atlantic City experience to the West Coast.
Big Sur is OK, but I can't think of a single hotel there with either a casino or a prime rib buffet.
Read more: Half a century ago, Californians saved the coast. Will Trump threats spark another uprising?
Imagine a Mar-a-Lago Monterey in California's near future.
And how about a 60-story Trump Tower Torrance, with a rooftop driving range and golden beach umbrellas.
The Western White House could also run interference for SpaceX founder Elon Musk, whose attempts to shoot off more rockets at Vandenberg Space Force Base have been stymied by regulators at the aforementioned coastal commission.
I say the more moonshots the better, and I'm talking about one-way trips. Load up those rockets with political enemies, lying news media, the bad hombres and lunatic judges. You can add biomedical researchers and climate scientists to the manifest too, because they're going to be out of work anyway.
I'm just spitballing here, but I think the Queen Mary could easily be repurposed as a floating prison, to handle overflow from Alcatraz.
L.A.'s Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels can be a Vatican satellite when Trump becomes pope.
With his crypto wealth growing by billions in recent months, Trump could take over Crypto.com Arena in downtown Los Angeles and turn it into a personal piggy bank.
And thanks to tariffs, there could be enough room in all of the empty cargo containers at the ports of L.A. and Long Beach to eliminate homelessness overnight.
All that can stand in the way of making America great again is a lack of imagination, so feel free to send me your own ideas about how to make better use of existing resources. But first, let me share one more of mine.
From the banks of Alcatraz, you can almost toss a frisbee to nearby Angel Island, which is also vastly underutilized. I've been there, and it's a perfectly lovely state park with stunning 360-degree views. But do you know what it used to be used for?
In the first half of the last century, hundreds of thousands of immigrants were processed, interrogated and detained on the island. And the barracks are still there.
What are we waiting for?
steve.lopez@latimes.com
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
21 minutes ago
- Yahoo
It's great to be here, I love standing on the soil of Scotland, Trump says
Donald Trump has said he 'loves standing on the soil of Scotland' after landing in the country on Friday evening, according to the Scottish Secretary. Ian Murray told the PA news agency what the US President's first words were after disembarking from Air Force One in Prestwick. The UK Government minister was the first person to greet the president in Scotland as he begins his visit to the country. Speaking after meeting the American leader, Mr Murray told PA: 'The president came off the flight, and I said, 'Mr president, welcome to Scotland – the home country of your dear mother', and he said, 'It's great to be here, I always love standing on the soil of Scotland'. 'I said, 'I hope you're looking forward to a bit of downtime with some golf this weekend', and he said, 'Yes'. And I said, 'Well, we've whipped up a bit of a wind for you to make it a bit more competitive', and he went, 'I'm looking forward to it'.' Mr Murray said Mr Trump was given a warm reception as he got off his presidential plane. Hundreds gathered on the Mound overlooking Prestwick Airport for the president's arrival. A Trump flag was flown while a few spectators wore 'Make America Great Again' hats, although many of those attending were locals and aviation enthusiasts, including some who had travelled from England. Mr Murray said: 'Spotters hills, as it's called, where all the plane spotters come to Prestwick, was absolutely full. 'You could see that from the tarmac and as Air Force One came in, people were snapping away on their photographs. 'To see all that happening is quite a spectacle in itself. 'It's really good to have that kind of focus on Scotland.' Mr Trump will meet Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer during his trip to discuss the UK-US trade deal as Britain hopes to be spared from the president's tariff regime. The Scottish Secretary said: 'Really, the purpose of this weekend, the purpose of greeting the president off the plane, the purpose of the Prime Minister's relationship with the president is to build that close relationship, to make sure that that old alliance is nurtured, and to do that for the benefit of the national interest, which is about jobs and growth here in the UK, and particularly Scotland.' Mr Trump will meet Scottish First Minister John Swinney during his trip as he opens a new golf course in Aberdeenshire. Before flying to Prestwick, Mr Trump said in Washington that he was 'looking forward' to meeting Mr Swinney, describing him as a 'good man' – the same phrase he used for the Prime Minister after landing in Scotland. Asked about the president's relationship with the UK, Mr Murray said: 'The Prime Minister has taken a very pragmatic approach to the relationship with the president of the United States, because it's in our national interest to do so, whether it be on defence, security, trade, cultural, historic ties. 'It's a historic alliance, and that alliance has to be nurtured and continue through to the future, because it's quite clear that our relationship with United States is good for jobs and growth here in Scotland and across the UK. 'The Prime Minister knows that, and knows that working very closely with the US is in our national interest.' Asked about protests, which are expected across the country, Mr Murray said people had a right to demonstrate, adding: 'Freedom of speech, freedom of assembly and freedom to protest is a key cornerstone of both countries, America and the UK, and the right to be able to protest if they so wish to so.'
Los Angeles Times
22 minutes ago
- Los Angeles Times
Essayli upended U.S. attorney's office by pushing Trump agenda. Will he stay on top?
When Bill Essayli was appointed interim U.S. attorney for the Los Angeles region in April, many in the former state assemblyman's Riverside County district were afraid the ambitious Republican lightning rod would be willing to attack a whole range of California policies to please the MAGA base. They feared that, as the region's most powerful federal prosecutor, Essayli would bow to the Trump administration and ramp up assaults on queer people, immigrants, voting rights, environmental protections and anyone or anything else that displeased President Trump. Now, it's clear they were right to worry, said Jacob Daruvala, an LGBTQ+ advocate from the Inland Empire. 'Essayli is a very specific and terrible threat,' Daruvala said during a recent town hall for the 'Stop Essayli' campaign, which is working to block the top prosecutor's permanent appointment. 'He has already shown multiple times that he is willing to use the office in a partisan manner.' Nearly four months into Essayli's tenure at the top of one of the nation's busiest federal prosecutor's offices, it is perhaps complaints about his partisanship that hound him most. In the midst of a pitched culture war between the Trump administration and California — in which Essayli has participated in federal lawsuits challenging L.A.'s sanctuary policy, California's protections for transgender athletes and more — his partisanship has become a central note in conversations about his leadership style, grasp of the law and understanding of the traditional role of U.S. attorneys. Is he too loyal to Trump? Too bound up in the administration's battles? Too eager to please his bosses and too inexperienced to know that rushing cases for political points can lead to embarrassing losses in court and a crisis of confidence among his own line prosecutors? Essayli — who declined to be interviewed — was never nominated by Trump, but rather appointed by U.S. Atty. Gen. Pam Bondi. That has cast doubt about his future in the office, as Bondi's appointment is limited to 120 days by federal statute and will expire on Wednesday. Barring any formal nomination from Trump proceeding through to the Senate before then — which is unlikely — a panel of judges in the Central District of California can appoint a U.S. attorney. That could be Essayli, or someone else. However, the Trump administration has used unprecedented maneuvers to sidestep that process for two other federal prosecutors this month. A judicial panel declined to name interim U.S. Atty. John A. Sarcone III, or anyone else, as the U.S. attorney in upstate New York. So Bondi appointed Sarcone to a lesser position in the same office, then designated the responsibilities of the higher office back to him. Another judicial panel declined to permanently appoint New Jersey's interim federal prosecutor, Alina Habba — one of Trump's former personal lawyers who has no prosecutorial experience. Bondi decried the judges for going 'rogue,' fired the career prosecutor they chose instead and reinstated Habba. Trump then withdrew Habba's initial nomination and appointed her acting U.S. attorney, a position she can hold for another 210 days without Senate or judicial appointment. Essayli has suggested the administration may not go along with a judicial decision about his appointment either. When conservative pundit Glenn Beck asked him this week if his time was up soon, Essayli said, 'Potentially. We've got some tricks up our sleeves.' The uncertainty around Essayli's future in the office has contributed to a darkening cloud around his tenure there. That unease has been defined by mass departures of career prosecutors, decisions in high-profile cases being criticized as politically motivated and a wave of rushed filings against pro-immigration protesters that pleased Trump administration officials but have struggled to gain traction in court. The controversy has caused his supporters to rally around him, praising his performance and the zealous way in which he has championed the president's causes. Bondi told The Times this week that Essayli had her 'complete support.' His critics, meanwhile, have become increasingly vocal about his faults — and the dangerous path they see ahead were he to win a permanent posting. For months, Trump administration officials have had a loyal and loquacious ally in Essayli, who has doubled as a hype man for Trump's agenda and eagerly filed criminal charges and civil lawsuits to advance it. In late May, Assistant Atty. Gen. Harmeet Dhillon — a fellow conservative culture warrior who has worked alongside Essayli in California for years — repeatedly praised his efforts to increase federal detentions of undocumented immigrants in L.A. despite local sanctuary laws, calling him an 'absolute rock star.' Amid pro-immigrant protests in L.A., Essayli bragged during a June 10 Fox News interview about federal law enforcement arresting David Huerta, president of the Service Employees International Union California, for allegedly impeding federal officers. 'California is so lucky to have [Essayli] as the US Attorney in Los Angeles!' Dhillon posted to X. Two days later, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem held a news conference in L.A. about federal law enforcement and military troops being posted on city streets. She, too, praised Essayli — who stood nearby — for being 'aggressive' and ensuring 'that people who break the law and perpetuate violence will be brought to justice.' A week later, Bondi and Essayli announced they were suing the city of L.A. over its sanctuary policies. A week after that, Bondi, Dhillon and Essayli announced they were suing the California Department of Education and the California Interscholastic Federation over policies allowing transgender girls to compete in girls' sports. Essayli made his name in the state legislature as a fierce opponent of allowing transgender girls to compete against other female athletes in high school sports. He also was the author of a controversial bill that would require schools to out children presenting in gender-nonconforming ways at school to their parents. Instead, state Democrats passed a bill barring school districts from requiring staff to report such information. LGBTQ+ activists and parents of transgender teenagers have told The Times they fear Essayli is trying to lie low for now but will quickly become the Trump administration's go-to prosecutor for its anti-LGBTQ+ agenda. Federal law enforcement sources said they may be right. During meetings with prosecutors early in his tenure, Essayli floated the idea of criminally charging doctors and hospitals for providing gender-affirming care to transgender youths, according to two federal law enforcement sources who spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal. A spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's office did not reply to a question about the meetings. Meghan Blanco, a defense attorney and former federal prosecutor in L.A., said Essayli's partisanship has gone far beyond the left and rightward swings of U.S. attorneys in the past. 'You're seeing hyper politicized prosecutions, where many times the prosecutions are coupled with these extrajudicial statements by the U.S. attorney himself on news programs or on his X account, where it is very clear the purpose of that is not to promote public safety,' she said. 'The purpose is to rile up Trump's base and to prove to the people around him that he is a true believer who is backing whatever agenda is before him, whether or not that comports with his ethical obligations as a prosecutor.' In his interview with Beck, Essayli said he is working to get things 'reoriented and reprioritized' after years of liberal leadership in the federal courts, in the prosecutor's office and in partner law enforcement agencies in L.A. 'I'm up against very hostile judges, a bench here in Southern California that's extremely left,' he said. 'I have an office I inherited with left-leaning attorneys. And, you know, I inherited an FBI office that frankly needs culture change.' An FBI spokesperson declined to comment. One controversy sparked by Essayli involves Trevor Kirk, a Los Angeles County Sheriff's deputy convicted by a jury in February of using excessive force when he assaulted and pepper-sprayed a woman outside a supermarket. After Essayli was appointed, three law enforcement sources said he became focused on undoing the felony conviction. He requested that the Riverside County district attorney's office look it over. He also tried to delay Kirk's sentencing. Legal experts thought it an odd request, especially since Essayli could have asked the L.A. County district attorney's office — which has experience reviewing sheriff's department conduct and is run by a former federal prosecutor in Nathan Hochman — to provide a second opinion. When a judge denied that request, Essayli's office offered Kirk a misdemeanor plea deal, despite the jury having already convicted him of a felony. It was the same week Trump issued an executive order vowing to 'unleash' American law enforcement. Several federal prosecutors who had worked on the case resigned. U.S. District Judge Stephen V. Wilson, a Ronald Reagan appointee, sharply questioned the Assistant U.S. Atty. Robert J. Keenan, the only prosecutor left on the case, for hours, asking whether prosecutors had a 'serious and significant doubt' as to Kirk's guilt. Ultimately, Wilson rejected the plea agreement — which recommended that Kirk be sentenced to probation — but granted the prosecution's motion to lessen the charges against him and sentenced Kirk to four months in prison. The Andrew Wiederhorn case has also drawn scrutiny. Wiederhorn, the former chief executive of the company that owns fast-food chains Fatburger and Johnny Rockets, is under federal indictment on gun and fraud charges. Days before Essayli's appointment, Adam Schleifer, the assistant U.S. attorney handling the criminal cases against Wiederhorn, was fired at the behest of the White House. Schleifer alleged in appealing the decision that his firing was motivated in part by his prosecution of Wiederhorn, a Trump donor who has maintained his innocence. According to three sources familiar with the matter, Essayli had a meeting with Wiederhorn's defense team shortly after he was appointed. The meeting included former U.S. Atty. Nicola T. Hanna, who the sources said was in charge of the office when the investigation into Wiederhorn began and is now on Wiederhorn's defense team. According to those sources, Essayli suggested shortly after the meeting ended that the cases against Wiederhorn could be dismissed if Essayli gets permanently appointed. The trial dates in both cases have been pushed out to next year. Neither Essayli nor Wiederhorn's defense team responded to a request for comment. Essayli's tenure has been demoralizing and disruptive to many career prosecutors. His belligerent management style and clear partisanship are helping drive out veteran lawyers, according to interviews with several current and former prosecutors who spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of retribution. Essayli has stressed making examples out of those protesting Trump's immigration raids, two prosecutors said, insisting on filing charges even in cases in which the evidence is unlikely to secure a conviction. The office has filed roughly 40 felony cases against protesters and people who have allegedly interfered with ICE operations, but only seven have netted indictments, court records show. Some have been dismissed or reduced to misdemeanors. Law enforcement sources said several were rejected by grand juries, which is rare. Some in Essayli's office have taken to calling him 'No Bill' Essayli, a reference to the legal term for a grand jury refusing to return a criminal charge — or a 'bill' — in response to a prosecutor's request, according to three federal law enforcement sources who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal. One prosecutor said work under Essayli has been filled with threats of termination and screaming matches over cases, leading to 'very low' morale. 'When he's in the office, I feel like I usually find out about it because he's yelling at someone,' the prosecutor said. Essayli's office declined to provide The Times with the number of career prosecutors who have left the office recently. According to two law enforcement sources who spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of retribution, Essayli said at a recent meeting that roughly 80 prosecutors out of fewer than 300 have left since early January. 'It feels like we have a going away party pretty much every week,' one prosecutor said. 'Most people that I'm familiar with are looking for other jobs.' Some see Essayli's influence spreading to the national level if he is appointed to the role permanently — and they welcome it. Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco is a Republican who is running for governor and knows Essayli well. He said he has been in law enforcement for more than 30 years and has never had a more cooperative partner in the local U.S. attorney's office than Essayli. 'We finally have someone that's willing to prosecute people that break the law,' Bianco said. 'Of course I want him confirmed.' That path, however, is far from certain. It's unclear whether the district's judges approve of Essayli or would appoint him, as some have expressed frustration in court with the office's tactics under his leadership. Essayli clearly has his doubts, alleging to Beck that liberal district judges in the country 'have basically signaled en masse they're not going to confirm any Trump U.S. attorneys.' A formal nomination from Trump likely wouldn't put Essayli in any better position. Under traditional Senate rules, California's two senators could scuttle any formal Trump nomination for U.S. attorney in the region by withholding what is known as their 'blue slip,' or acknowledgment of support for a nominee. Essayli told Beck there was 'no world in which' Sens. Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff agreed to his nomination. Both Padilla and Schiff in interviews with The Times declined to say whether they would oppose Essayli's appointment given that he has not been formally nominated. But both expressed strong concerns about how he has conducted himself to date. Schiff, who once worked as a prosecutor in the same office, said the U.S. attorneys he worked for under both Republican and Democratic administrations appropriately 'avoided getting involved in incendiary cultural wars or engaging in overt political activity or commentary.' Schiff said Essayli 'is a dramatic departure from that,' leaving him with 'profound concerns.' During a second 'Stop Essayli' town hall on Tuesday, Abi Jones, a 17-year-old transgender athlete from Riverside County, voiced her own fears. In a testimonial video, she said running track and cross-country in high school had taught her about resilience and helped her find a community. But she said that all changed after Essayli 'openly supported' a lawsuit challenging her participation in school sports. Abi accused Essayli of helping to launch a 'harassment campaign' against her and other transgender athletes, and of using it 'for social media content and cheap political points.' 'We need leaders who protect and support all youth,' she said, 'not target and isolate us.' When Daruvala first launched the 'Stop Essayli' effort, he said he felt as though he were 'shouting to the void' about the dangers Essayli posed, where 'only really the LGBTQ community from the Inland Empire who already knew him seemed to understand.' But that has changed with each new partisan move Essayli has made, especially his decision to charge Huerta, the SEIU president, Daruvala said. 'People woke up right away, like, 'Oh, this is not just a Trump puppet,'' Daruvala said. ''He is Trump's enforcer.''
New York Post
22 minutes ago
- New York Post
When will critics admit Trump's trade strategy is working?
Nearly four months after President Trump's 'Liberation Day' announcement of higher reciprocal tariff rates on major U.S. trading partners, the dust has settled and the strategy is working. Over the last few weeks, countries have, one by one, been offering to significantly lower tariffs and non-tariff trade barriers on US goods entering their markets, while pledging significant purchases from and productive investments in the United States. So far, these nations have included the United Kingdom, Vietnam, Indonesia, Japan and the Philippines, with more deals anticipated in the coming days. In each case, these countries have accepted a higher base tariff rate from the United States while lowering their rates to zero or near-zero. These higher US rates will help rebalance the enormous deficits the United States runs with nearly all its major trade partners. For decades, US leaders turned a blind eye to rampant abuses by our trade partners and ever-widening trade deficits that have hollowed out American industry, destroyed millions of jobs and undermined our long-term economic stability. President Trump has done more than anyone thought possible to address these imbalances without major disruption, price increases or job losses. The leverage offered by tariffs has been key in achieving these agreements. Relying on the old system, governed by a slow, outdated and prejudicial World Trade Organization, to address trade abuses and imbalances was completely ineffective. The agreements establishing that organization hadn't been updated since 1994, and litigation often dragged out for several years — and by then, the damage was done. Unilateral action was essential to resolve US trade imbalances, protect our producers and workers, and make American businesses competitive in world markets again. The new trade paradigm introduced by the Trump administration is already changing market incentives worldwide. In a recent speech, US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer noted that American and foreign companies have pledged over $5.5 trillion in investments to expand production in the United States. These investments will create untold numbers of jobs as companies build new production facilities and fill them with American workers. Keep up with today's most important news Stay up on the very latest with Evening Update. Thanks for signing up! Enter your email address Please provide a valid email address. By clicking above you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Never miss a story. Check out more newsletters Furthermore, the deals struck by the Trump administration offer a path forward for addressing the main perpetrator of world trade imbalances: China. While the United States put higher tariff rates on China in 2018, China has been able to avoid those tariffs by redirecting supply chains through third countries. This made it imperative to widen the scope of American tariffs, to ensure goods from non-market economies like China do not make it into our market at favorable rates through friendlier trade partners like the Philippines and Mexico. Language in the initial trade deal frameworks indicates our trade partners will now work with us to deter China's trade abuses. Lastly, Trump's tariffs will ensure that the United States maintains and strengthens its industrial base. Tariffs aimed at key strategic sectors like steel and aluminum, automobiles, rare earths, semiconductors, pharmaceuticals and drones will ensure our competitors that heavily subsidize such sectors will not undermine US industries, especially those essential to the future of our economic and national security. When Trump announced new reciprocal tariff rates on our trading partners in April, economists, commentators and free traders of all stripes were quick to predict the worst. But even with the prospect of tariffs increasing further in the coming weeks, market and consumer sentiment remains optimistic, with even former naysayers hedging on their earlier dire predictions. What is clear now is that the United States has a path to stabilize its trade balance, strengthen economic opportunities for the middle class, and bolster our economic security — without catastrophic consequences. Mark DiPlacido is a policy advisor at American Compass.
