Here’s what to know about China’s alleged spy scheme in L.A. County and beyond
Good morning. Here’s what you need to know to start your day.
- More details of an alleged Chinese spy ring in the San Gabriel Valley.
- Possible rain and high surf are in Los Angeles’ holiday week forecast.
- The Fed expects to cut rates more slowly in 2025. Here’s what that could mean for mortgages, debt and more.
- And here’s today’s e-newspaper.
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A criminal complaint provides details of an alleged local Chinese spy operation
All politics is local, as the saying goes. It appears some espionage is, too.
Federal prosecutors allege that Chinese spies have been operating in the San Gabriel Valley, seeking to influence local political leaders in hopes of cultivating allies amiable to China-friendly policies, including opposition to Taiwan‘s independence.
A criminal complaint filed in federal court last week accused two men of illegally acting as agents of a foreign government or official in a conspiracy stretching back decades.
The reach of the alleged spy ring is unclear, but a federal indictment and sources familiar with the probe who spoke with Times reporters said it involved at least one local council member.
“The indictment is more a window into routine municipal politics than the stuff of an international spy thriller,” my colleagues Richard Winton and Hannah Fry reported Sunday. “But experts say the case sheds light on Chinese tactics and the scope of how they are attempting to gain influence in America.”
What’s in the indictment?
The complaint followed the arrest of Yaoning “Mike” Sun, 64, who has been charged with acting as an illegal agent of a foreign power and conspiring with another man.
That man, John Chen, was arrested in 2023 and pleaded guilty earlier this year to acting as an illegal agent of the Chinese government.
When the FBI arrested Chen, they also seized his phones, which the complaint states led to the discovery of “extensive conversations with [a Chinese government official] about his efforts to influence politicians in Southern California.”
The complaint cites a 2008 article by The Times about an anti-CNN protest in which Chen is quoted and described as an organizer and a patio furniture manufacturer living in Diamond Bar.
“Chen has an honorary position with the Chinese government as an overseas consultant,” the story noted.
Authorities said Chen’s messages also mentioned Sun, whom he described as his “helping hand in the Chinese community since 1997.” Sun and the local city council member — identified only as Individual 1 in court records — were members of a “team dedicated for us” that Chen assembled, according to the complaint.
Chen messaged Sun about the council member, who he wrote “has lots of contact with mainstream politicians,” according to the complaint. A major goal was to get local political leaders to oppose Taiwan‘s independence, authorities said.
Though not named in the indictment, sources with knowledge of the investigation confirmed to The Times the person is Arcadia Councilmember Eileen Wang.
Wang is engaged to Sun, who reportedly acted as her campaign manager in the 2022 City Council election that she ultimately won.
Wang has not been charged, and officials said it’s not clear yet if she was aware of Chen’s or Sun’s alleged ties to China.
A local-level ‘long game’
In films, international espionage usually happens at the federal level as spies attempt to infiltrate the Pentagon, the Kremlin or other influential institutions.
Most of us probably don’t picture foreign agents working their way into the city hall of a municipality with just over 54,000 people.
But the focus on local governments is an intentional effort by Chinese operatives to “play a long game,” said Horace Frank, a former assistant chief of the Los Angeles Police Department who oversaw the counterterrorism bureau.
“They don’t look for a big bang right away,” he told Richard and Hannah. “They are going to build from the ground up.”
It’s part of a pattern, Frank explained to them, adding that Chinese-linked individuals have been known to offer smaller cities funding for local projects in a bid to spark friendly relationships.
China “understands that U.S. state and local leaders enjoy a degree of independence from Washington and may seek to use them as proxies to advocate for national U.S. policies Beijing desires,” the National Counterintelligence and Security Center wrote in a 2022 bulletin sent to local officials nationwide.
How wide is the net cast by Chinese spies?
Federal authorities don’t know but note the conspiracy is not isolated to the San Gabriel Valley.
Chen’s phone messages also mention a former L.A. County supervisor who Chen said was “friendly to China.” He sent his contact in China the name and a picture of the politician, who was not named in the complaint.
The government official responded a few days later: “I personally agree that we can go through the current [supervisor] from the former one, so we internally are willing to provide the preliminary funding for you to socialize with the former county supervisor, but not a lot at once, it will be enough for meals and conference.”
A similar incident received national headlines in recent years, as Richard and Hannah noted.
“Last year, the House Ethics Committee closed a two-year investigation into allegations that Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Dublin) had ties to a suspected Chinese spy, Christine Fang, who had worked as a volunteer on his congressional campaign.”
You can read more of Hannah and Richard’s reporting here.
Today’s top stories
Weather, climate and environment
- A preservation group is suing the city of Whittier over its plan to raze more than 100 trees.
- Possible rain and high surf are in Los Angeles’ holiday week forecast.
- Where in Northern California is most at risk for tsunami flooding? Check these maps.
Politics and power
- The potential risk of a constitutional convention has set the stage for a fight between Newsom and a fellow Democrat.
- L.A. city officials use disappearing Google Chats. The city attorney is investigating.
- Florida is winning the political battle with California as Trump takes office.
What else is going on
- California’s population rebounded to near pre-pandemic numbers.
- Planning to visit Riverside’s annual Festival of Lights? Beware this parking scam.
- The Fed expects to cut rates more slowly in 2025. Here’s what that could mean for mortgages, debt and more.
- An imprisoned Bay Area killer has been convicted of the 1986 murders of two Fremont women.
- After decades on the San Pedro waterfront, a famous fish market signs a lease for decades more.
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Commentary and opinions
- Mark Z. Barabak: Newsom is acting more like a governor should. Will that boost his White House prospects?
- Robin Abcarian: Trump’s promised deportations are on a collision course with a California economy built on hypocrisy.
- Jackie Calmes: Drain the swamp? More like overt, unapologetic swampy displays at Mar-a-Lago.
- Guest opinion: California and other states are rushing to regulate AI. This is what they’re missing.
- Carla Hall: Do we believe in elves? Of course! Otherwise we’d miss out on the magic.
- Guest opinion: Football isn’t just violence. It’s democracy’s schoolhouse.
This morning’s must reads
Irwindale Speedway closed over the weekend, leaving a massive void in the Southern California racing scene, which has seen a string of race track closures over the decades.
“The final day of racing at Irwindale Speedway was both a party and a wake,” Times sportswriter Kevin Baxter wrote. “It was where drifting got its start in the U.S., the wide, banked asphalt track perfectly suited for what has become one of the fastest-growing racing series in the country.”
Other must reads
- Emergency room visits at this Loma Linda hospital are long — the third-longest duration nationwide, a Times analysis found.
How can we make this newsletter more useful? Send comments to [email protected].
For your downtime
Going out
- 🍳 Here are six great L.A. breakfast sandwiches to try now.
- 🏂 Ready to shred? A new high-speed, six-person lift is now open at Bear Mountain.
- 🎞️ Get tickets for an epic French take on “The Count of Monte Cristo.”
Staying in
- 📺 “Dune: Prophecy” boss Alison Schapker talks the Season 1 finale and Valya’s secret.
- 📖 Check out a tale worth telling of four women scientists whose names you should know but don’t.
- 🍖 Here’s a recipe for the best brisket ever.
- ✏️ Get our free daily crossword puzzle, sudoku, word search and arcade games.
A question for you: What is your New Year’s resolution?
Aiming to read more books or hitting the gym more often? Share what you hope to accomplish in 2025 and your response might appear in the newsletter this week. Email us at [email protected].
And finally ... your photo of the day
Show us your favorite place in California! Send us photos you have taken of spots in California that are special — natural or human-made — and tell us why they’re important to you.
Today’s great photo is from Times staff photographer Robert Gauthier:
Brian Henen, of the Twentynine Palms Marine base’s Environmental Affairs Division, holds a desert tortoise. Henen’s team rescues vulnerable tortoises from combat training areas throughout the vast desert base.
Have a great day, from the Essential California team
Ryan Fonseca, reporter
Amy Hubbard, deputy editor, Fast Break
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