Billionaire George Argyros appears in the Wikileaks data dump. Among the leaked classified documents are cables from Argyros, then U.S. ambassador to Spain, following the 2004 Madrid train bombings and elections days later that swept U.S. ally Jose Maria Aznar from power. One cable says the Socialist Workers Party was “shocked” to win and describes Prime Minister-elect Jose Luis Zapatero as an “inexperienced but probably manageable partner.” A subsequent cable describes a cordial meeting between Argyros and a Zapatero representative and suggests, accurately, that Spain would pull its forces from Iraq but increase its presence in Afghanistan. Argyros’s comment: classified …
Dean Koontz—mega author, Pelican Hill resident and John Moorlach fan. The OC supe says that thanks to a friend who was painting Koontz’s house, he received “a nice contribution” from Koontz in 1994 for his failed run against Treasurer Bob Citron. Now Koontz will be guest speaker at Moorlach’s $250-per-person fundraiser March 23 at Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa. “I don’t know what he’s going to talk about,” says Moorlach, sounding thrilled just to be finally meeting Koontz, who he has only spoken with by phone. “What a nice guy …
He’s in tune with what’s going on in the county.” Does the fundraiser signal the term-limited Moorlach’s intent to seek higher office in 2014? Maybe. But Moorlach says there could also be a pension-reform initiative to fund next year …
More scuttlebutt on Bill Gates’ New Year’s visit to OC: He took a lesson at the Tennis Club at Monarch Beach, and not for the first time …
The Insider recently mentioned the decline of opera in OC. But philanthropist Paul Musco (Gemini Industries), who along with Broadcom cofounder Henry Samueli had been keeping Opera Pacific on life support, vows that professional opera will return some day. Meantime, he and wife Marybelle are helping to keep the art form alive in SoCal. They gave a $5 million challenge grant that raised a total of $30 million for Placido Domingo’s LA Opera. One of the matching donors was Musco’s OC pal Milan Panic, who loves opera and then some—he’s married to mezzo-soprano Milena Kitic …
Santa Ana politico Rob Richardson has turned 50 (submitted by John Christensen) …
EE RR moderates a dinner panel on immigration policy Thursday at the Irvine Marriott with Mexican Consul Alejandra Garcia Williams, former state Sen. Dick Ackerman and Chapman U prof Tibor Machan. Info at www.worldaffairscouncil.org …
Vince Ferragamo, PBS SoCal’s Ed Arnold and actress Donna Mills headline the “Wine for the Mind” gala Saturday at the Orange Park Acres estate of Rand and Rosemary Sperry. Proceeds benefit patients of UCI’s Institute for Memory Impairments and Neurological Disorders. Go to www.mind.uci.edu …
John Fuller, CEO of Aliso Viejo-based Johnny Rockets, discusses his experience as a CBS-TV “Undercover Boss” at a Feb. 17 luncheon at the Hilton Irvine. Go to www.ocforum.org.
