Real estate lawyer and Catholic benefactor Tim Busch calls the OC Catholic Diocese’s winning $57.5 million bid for Crystal Cathedral “a true miracle.” Busch said it was “a shock to all parties in interest” when the bankrupt Crystal Cathedral Ministries “changed their mind” and picked the diocese’s bid over Chapman University’s. The Irvine-based Busch Firm was the diocese’s real estate counsel, working with in-house counsel Maria Rullo Schinderle and bankruptcy counsel Alan Martin of Sheppard Mullin …
Louis J. Cella, Jr., was a physician and philanthropist who in the booming 1960’s was instrumental in establishing several hospitals, including Mission and Fountain Valley Regional. Moreover, he was a Democratic Party kingmaker when that really meant something in Orange County. In the ‘70’s, four of the five county supervisors owed him allegiance; one year he was the state’s biggest campaign donor, shelling out $550,000. Political elder Stan Oftelie recalls that Cella was mentioned in the same breath as the legendary Richard J. O’Neill—“the Dick and Doc show.” Yet Cella’s Nov. 7 death in Palm Springs at age 87 received only back-of-the-section play in the OC Register—and two weeks late, at that. But then, Cella had been long gone from OC, his legacy destroyed in a massive corruption probe that produced indictments against dozens of politicians. In 1976 he was convicted for, among other things, embezzling at least $600,000 in Medi-Cal funds and served 32 months in pris-on …
Our Jayne Kennedy reports a record 66 entries for Wednesday’s Family-Owned Business Awards luncheon. Pre-registration is approaching 500, already 75% ahead of last year’s turnout. The Insider attributes the spike to Kennedy’s hustle, while she suggests that in these trying times, “We want something to lift us up” …
Martha Daniel (Information Management Re-source, Aliso Viejo) is president of the new OC chapter of the disabled veterans’ biz group Elite SDVOB Network. More than 150 are signed up for the luncheon kickoff Dec. 1 at Arroyo Trabuco GC …
The Share Our Wine auction at Newport Lexus netted about $160,000 for Orangewood, Big Brothers Big Sisters and Festival of Children Foundation. Host Steve Johnson (Safety Supply America, Newport Beach) says 550 bottles were sold and hundereds more were consumed. Expensive bargains were had—a 1982 Petrus went for “only” $3,000 …
Assembly Speaker John Perez and state Controller John Chiang have dinner Dec. 4 at the Balboa Bay Club with the Democratic Foundation of OC …
Former Irvine Company communications SVP Smooch Repovich Reynolds has been named a partner in the L.A. office of search firm Caldwell Partners International …
EE RR’s TV show begins the new year with a move to PBS SoCal’s new Costa Mesa studio and a name change from “Inside OC” to “SoCal Insider.” It’s part of the station’s expanded mission as the PBS flagship for the entire 16-million-person L.A. media market. EE RR assures that he and David Nazar won’t overlook OC as they add others to the mix.
