Someone is hacking agave plants throughout Torrance. Residents question why
Your morning catch-up: Agave plants have no safe space in Torrance, California is enacting lots of laws and more big stories
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While touring Torrance in November for a newsletter on the South Bay suburb, I noticed an alien-like plant on the corner of an otherwise picturesque street.
The blue agave, of tequila harvesting fame, hardly resembled its natural form: a sprawling green plant with jutting spearlike 3- to 5-foot long leaves.
It instead formed a pincushion: a robust center with a couple of stray leaves sticking out.
Someone had hacked up the mature plant, leaving only a few of its roughly 30 leaves.
Home owner Richard Moore said his house was one of several in the neighborhood hit multiple times over the last few years by thieves.
Neither Moore nor his fellow residents understood why.
That observation and conversation led to my latest feature on agave hackings in east Torrance.
Let’s jump into the story and see if we can find out what’s going on.
The acts were caught on tape, but not the perp(s)
Grainy surveillance footage shows white vans pulling up to agaves during late-night and early-morning hours, beginning in 2022.
The thief or thieves parked on the street at such an angle to obscure their identities.
They then chopped off the waxy, serrated leaves, leaving only a few. The plants eventually recovered and grew back those missing leaves over a couple of years, only for the hacking process to be repeated.
“Why on Earth would anybody steal these leaves?” Torrance homeowner Steven Maier asked.
Torrance’s pilferings are unusual
Agave theft happens with some frequency.
Full plants were nabbed outside homes throughout Crestview, an upscale Beverly Hills-adjacent community, in 2022. Yards from San Diego to Arizona and even the famed Huntington botanical gardens in San Marino have all been victimized.
In the case of Crestview, the thefts were believed to be motivated by the harvesting of the piña — the plant’s hearty, pineapple-like center that can weigh 100 or more pounds and is used for tequila and mezcal. The other agave and succulent thefts were linked to suspected resales.
What makes Torrance unique is none of the plants was outright stolen, though they were left “nearly unrecognizable,” according to resident Gayle Moore, wife of Richard.
Moore’s 7-foot-tall blue agave was slashed in 2022 and then again around 4 a.m. on Nov. 9.
“Last time, they cut closer to the trunk, and I wasn’t sure if the leaves would grow back,” Moore said. “This time, the guy left 4 to 5 inches from the trunk.”
The leaves do have some value
Staff members at the California Botanic Garden in Claremont don’t believe the leaves are of any use in alcohol production. They believe the cutting may be the work of a conscientious gardener, trimming away leaves that are blocking sidewalk access.
The large, broad leaves — or pencas — of blue agaves, century plants and similar species have value, according to UC Davis professor Samuel Sandoval Solis, a water resource specialist.
Solis said the leaves are generally utilized in cooking, clothing and animal feed, the latter particularly for goats.
He suspects, however, that the leaves from this moderately wealthy suburb are being harvested for use in cooking barbacoa, a traditional Mexican dish of slow-cooked, chile-infused goat, beef or lamb, generally.
“What I’m thinking is that you have people here who love barbacoa or at least want to sell [the leaves] to those making it,” Solis said.
Solis said the good news for the plant owners is that leaves generally grow back and that the cutting performed by the unknown individuals isn’t too far off from what actual pruning looks like.
“For people unfamiliar with these plants, it might look like mischief,” he said. “But I don’t think it’s a bad thing, and it actually shows the many things agave can be used for.”
For the full article, check out this link.
The week’s biggest stories
California rolls out sweeping new laws for 2026
- Gov. Gavin Newsom signed nearly 800 bills last year, with some laws passed in previous years taking effect now as well.
- New laws included banning law enforcement officers from concealing their identities while on duty, capping out-of-pocket costs for insulin and naming Diwali an official California holiday.
Palisades mobile home park will finally see debris removal
- After months of near silence from the owners of the Palisades Bowl Mobile Home Estates, former residents received notice that cleanup processes would start as early as Jan. 2.
- The roughly 170-unit mobile home park was completely destroyed in the Palisades fire and remains one of the area’s only properties still filled with debris.
L.A. law firm grew into a powerhouse, now subject of alleged misconduct probe
- A Times investigation sheds light on how Downtown LA Law Group rapidly amassed thousands of clients, growing it from a small firm focused on car crash victims into a civil litigation powerhouse.
- The L.A. County district attorney’s office is conducting a probe into allegations that recruiters paid clients to file lawsuits over sex abuse in L.A. County facilities.
What else is going on
- U.S. strikes Venezuela and says Maduro has been captured and flown out of the country
- Health officials urge beachgoers to avoid ocean water at L.A. County beaches after the rain.
- More than 300,000 Californians will need new Real IDs due to a software error.
- AI is scoring college essays and conducting interviews, adding a new layer in admissions stress.
- Scotia battles to survive as California’s last company town.
- California sets up a showdown with Washington by reissuing licenses to migrant truckers.
Must reads
After purchasing Henson Studios for $44 million, John Mayer and the filmmaker McG have renamed the place Chaplin Studios. Their goal, they say, is to preserve the historic complex on La Brea Avenue.
Other meaty reads
- A proposed ballot measure to tax California’s billionaires has sparked soul-searching for Californians.
- Keith Jackson’s family continues to keep his memory alive, especially during the Rose Bowl.
- The “Stranger Things” finale pulled in an estimated $25 million, turning the box office downside up.
- De Los’ predictions for Latinos in 2026.
For your downtime
Going out
- Dining: Eat and drink your way through our food writers’ top spots in L.A. this month.
- Outdoors: Stretch your green thumbs for a competitive game of Plant Bingo.
- Explore: Order a pancake for the table, catch a show at Largo at the Coronet and always watch one episode of something to have comedian Pete Holmes’ best Sunday in L.A.
Staying in
- Books: Start a reading journey with recommendations for 10 books to read in January.
- Projects: Gather home design inspiration from the 14 most memorable rooms of 2025.
- 🥗 Recipe: Start a New Year’s cooking resolution with this Caramelized Lemon Pasta With Mushrooms and Broccoli.
- ✏️ Get our free daily crossword puzzle, sudoku, word search and jigsaw games.
L.A. Timeless
A selection of the very best reads from The Times’ 143-year archive.
“King of the kazoos,” is not the most important story the Los Angeles Times has ever published, but it might just be the funniest. The late, great Al Martinez wrote about kazoo salesman Albert Broder several times over his career, but this 1986 column is a classic. The Times is republishing it as part of L.A. Timeless, a selection of some of the best work from our archive.
Have a great day, from the Essential California team
Jim Rainey, staff reporter
Hugo Martín, assistant editor, fast break desk
Kevinisha Walker, multiplatform editor
Andrew Campa, weekend writer
June Hsu, editorial fellow
Karim Doumar, head of newsletters
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