Greetings from the West Coast, Messed Coast™, where spies, drone ships, and budget games are the stars of the column this week. Your humble correspondent has also received letters from readers with insights into one of the most important issues on the West Coast, Messed Coast™ — how an iconic California cool business bugged out of floundering California. Speaking of which, don't worry, lefties; Gavin Newsom will resort back to form if he wins in 2028.
Let's get started!
Chinese spies
The FBI announced overnight that it indicted and arrested a couple of Washington state-based Chinese spies, two of whom were on active duty and based at Joint Base Lewis McChord (JBLM), south of Seattle. The FBI says their co-conspirator was a retired Army soldier who was formerly attached to JBLM.
— FBI Director Kash Patel (@FBIDirectorKash) March 7, 2025
Sgt. Jian Zhou is charged with hoovering up National Defense information and laterally transferring those secrets over to his alleged co-conspirator in Changchun, China (PRC), "and other individuals known and unknown to a Grand Jury." He is alleged to have sent "documents, writings, photographs, instruments, appliances, and notes," including sensitive information on "the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS)" and information on "Strategic Operation of Rockets and Missiles" to his Chinese spy pal in exchange for money. He also exchanged Army hard drives with encryption technology for money.
The feds say that their co-conspirator, who was out of the Army, lived in Hillsboro, Ore.
Related: Iconic Business Synonymous With California Cool Taps Out of the Not-So-Golden State
CBS reported that all of them had betrayed their oath.
As a former member of the U.S. Army, Ruoyu Duan betrayed the oath of military service he had once taken,” said FBI Portland Special Agent in Charge Douglas A. Olson. “The actions by this former soldier and his co-conspirators caused significant risk and damage to U.S. National Security and violated the oath they took as military members to protect the American people.
Both Zhou and Li Tian are charged in a bribery scheme.
Brig. Gen. Rhett Cox, who's in charge of the Army's Counterintelligence Command said, "These arrests underscore the persistent and increasing foreign intelligence threat facing our Army and nation."
NOMARS for no man
As long as we're on the subject of out-of-the-bag secrets, the first of its kind manless drone ship has been spotted in the waters of Puget Sound near Naval Air Station Whidbey Island.
The ship, which is wrapped, was seen off the coast of Washington, where it will soon begin sea trials.
Spotted the experimental, newly launched, unmanned US Navy vessel Defiant USX-1 at South Whidbey Harbor in Langley, WA today! 👀 pic.twitter.com/Ft56Nvh0XU
— Andrew Greeness (@andrewrpg) March 6, 2025
TWZ reported that the craft is called. the USX-1 Defiant, "a 180-foot, 240-metric-ton USV, as part of its No Manning Required Ship (NOMARS) program."
Serco, Incorporated is the shipbuilder that built the $25 million ship.
And just so you know, we aren't giving away any national secrets like those guys at JBLM; DARPA has confirmed the ship's existence.
USX-1 Defiant has officially launched! The No Manning Required Ship (NOMARS) program has built a vessel designed to operate autonomously for long durations at sea. #USV For more info and images: https://t.co/n2pIDZyata pic.twitter.com/Dijsxy0EIO
— DARPA (@DARPA) March 4, 2025
Go-around
One more military story for you, as long as we're in a groove. The Navy has dredged up the EA-18G Growler that crashed into San Diego Bay in February.
Related: West Coast, Messed Coast™ When California Needed Help, Gavin Newsom Gave Them a Podcast
The crew punched out before the plane hit the water. They sustained no life-threatening injuries, we're told.
WATCH: New video shows U.S. Navy fighter jet crashing into the San Diego Bay earlier today pic.twitter.com/Ui9kZc104z
— BNO News Live (@BNODesk) February 13, 2025
The crash is still under investigation, but this tidbit from the San Diego Union-Tribune interested me.
The EA-18G Growler crashed into the bay after its two-member crew safely ejected near Shelter Island amid rainy and misty conditions at 10:15 a.m. on Feb. 12. The plane was conducting a “go around” maneuver at Naval Air Station North Island before the crash, authorities have said.
The plane had been assigned to Electronic Attack Squadron 135 based out Naval Air Station Whidbey Island in Washington. The jet is used to jam communications and radar systems, according to the Navy.
We've heard a lot about "go-arounds" following the military helicopter crash into the civilian plane in Washington, D.C., but they were de riguer in San Diego civilian airspace at Lindbergh Field, which is in very close proximity to North Island Naval Air Station.
The "drop in" landing over I-5, over a building, and then plopping onto Lindbergh Field has long been an issue for pilots, but years ago, an aviation enthusiast notified me at the station where I worked that there was an inordinate number of "go-arounds" at the San Diego Airport. A plane would still be on the runway or too close to it to allow a landing, and the pilots would be told to "go around," get in the queue, and try it again. Our enthusiast was convinced that there were way too many near-collisions at Lindbergh.
Sometime later, I was flying into San Diego, and our craft was settling down toward the runway when we shot back up at warp speed. I immediately knew we'd been given a go-around order. I can't remember what the pilot said at the time, but I can remember my stomach feeling like I was on Montezuma's Revenge at Knott's Berry Farm.
Watch this space for more interesting details.
Karen Bass's pants are on fire, too
L.A. Mayor Karen Bass (rhymes with) has a staff who didn't think she needed to hear about a possible Calflagration while she was in Ghana. Read about this mess in Now Karen Bass's Pants Are on Fire, Too.
Do Gavins change their spots?
It was last week that I reported in West Coast, Messed Coast™ When California Needed Help, Gavin Newsom Gave Them a Podcast that the California governor started a podcast in hopes that he could retconn his terrible governance in all levels of California politics.
Now, after inviting movement conservative Charlie Kirk on his first podcast, his acolytes are truly concerned about him.
In a special VIP Member piece, I reported that his acolytes should have no problems whatsoever. Read it: Professional Advice for Leftists Worried About Gavin Newsom Talking to Hitler
Budget games
In Washington State, Gov. Bob Ferguson stands to lose federal funds over allowing boys on girls' teams. But he's recently proclaimed a budget deficit and in the same breath gave a $4 billion raise to state employees, and then gave those same employees — who already work for the state full time — a furlough day to "save money."
You can't make this up.
Portland's Elon Musk Derangement Syndrome
One of our West Coast, Messed Coast™ secret agents gave me permission to use his photo of a Tesla outpost in Salem RF'd by the first world brats looking for meaning.
Surprise of surprises. Law enforcement is still allowed to arrest bad guys. The guy who launched Molotov cocktails at this Tesla outpost and came back with a gun to shoot into it has been arrested.
Salem resident and weirdo Adam Lansky has just been arrested for the February assault on the building. He's 41 years old, probably lives with his mother, and should be old enough to know better.
Another Tesla building in Tigard, Ore., was shot up.
In December, I reported about the increase in threats to Tesla owners in Portland in the story Tesla Owner Is Sent a Uniquely Portland 'Message'. I'll bet you can't guess what Karens are saying to them.
In-N-Out again
Your humble correspondent received feedback on the story you should read, Iconic Business Synonymous With California Cool Taps Out of the Not-So-Golden State, about In-N-Out Burger moving its headquarters to lower tax state Tennessee.
Get your phones out and light up the sky in a moment of silence for California Democrats and their star, Gavin Newsom, for trying to kill yet another California business.
For Our VIPs: DISGUSTING: Washington State Taxpayers Find Out the Depraved Things They're Paying For
Letters, we get letters!
Dave wrote an addendum to my information that In-N-Out was expanding to the Las Vegas Strip, (where, incidentally, your humble correspondents' kids took the West Coast, Messed Coast™ report maven to watch Janet Jackson dance for two solid hours and sing live in one of the best shows I've ever seen. I also saw Gaza protesters try to make their way to get to the Trump Hotel but were stopped by what looked like the entire LVPD and Homeland Security Department. I've got some video of that somewhere. But I digress.).
Dave writes:
Hello Victoria,
I just took my son to Vegas week before last to see Garth Brooks. We did the high roller ferris wheel and zipline at Lynq. There is an In-N-Out burger on the Lynq Promenade FYI!
Kind regards,
David
Evan writes:
Your recent article on In "N' Out leaving California left out one other significant departure from California. Roughly a decade ago, Car;'s Jr. left California for Tennessee where they merged with [H]ardees. [T]hey left when the time to get through the planning cycle for a store exceeded the time for human gestation.
Me, I think highly of both restaurants from when we lived out there, but I'm overjoyed that I left California a quarter-century ago and I don't look back.
Best regards,
Evan
They haven't ruined everything yet
All hail the Oregon green bean, the regenerative farmer's best friend.
🫛 Green beans don’t wait, and neither do we. At Kennel Farm, green beans are harvested around the clock. But Why?
— Farmland LP (@farmlandlp) March 1, 2025
In Episode 14 of Fridays on the Farm, Oregon Row Crop Manager Stuart Allen takes us inside the around-the-clock green bean harvest at Kennel Farm—one of several… pic.twitter.com/X6gc23IcwQ
Until next time. It's planting season. Get to it.
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