The Insider hears that Newport Beach businessman Gary Jabara might make like a selective lead-off hitter who knows how to work the count—and lay off the bidding for the San Diego Padres. The price of the team is bumping up against the $800 million mark, and a group that includes Peter O’Malley—formerly of Dodgers’ fame—appears to be the favorite. “We could certainly close at $800 million if we choose, but these things are very complex,” said Jabara, who counts retired Padres star Trevor Hoffman and former Angels, Expos and Nationals exec Tony Tavares in the group he’s leading on the bid. Jabara built Mobilitie LLC into one of the country’s largest owners of cell phone towers and sold off a portion of its portfolio to Boca Raton, Fla.-based competitor SBA Communications Corp. earlier this year for about $1.1 billion. He’s believed to be the biggest single investor among any of the groups bidding for the Padres—and his name could come up again if he doesn’t do the deal in San Diego. “I can guarantee you that I’ll be financially ready to move diligently on the next opportunity that makes sense geographically,” he told the Insider. He said he doesn’t want to stretch too far from home but mentioned the Arizona Diamondbacks and Oakland Athletics as teams that would fit the bill. He’s already been vetted by Major League Baseball, so he’d probably have something of a pre-approved status if either of those two teams go on the market anytime soon …
Hollywood Goes OC: The Resort at Pelican Hill and the Montage got top billing as the Hollywood Reporter went “Beyond ‘Real Housewives’: How to Spend 48 Hours in the O.C” last weekend. Among other hotels getting nods were the St. Regis, Ritz-Carlton, the Surf & Sand Resort, La Casa Del Camino and the Beachcomber at Crystal Cover. The write-up included word on restaurants and boutiques, too, leavened with tips on who’s been seen where, with Oliver Stone, Jennifer Lopez, Billy Crystal and Jennifer Aniston, among others. “Just as the world became fascinated with the ‘reality’ of Orange County’s teens and housewives, the getaway spot has gone luxury ….while retaining its laid-back, surfer-culture charm,” the trade pub wrote …
There’s one less zombie in Central OC now that Beverly Hills-based Kennedy Wilson has paid $56 million for the six-story, 272,000 square foot Stadium Gateway in Anaheim. Stadium Gateway is one of several large office buildings that have been in some state of distress—known as zombie buildings—over the past several years. There are a few zombies left in Central OC, but the field is clearing …
Reporter Jane Yu tells the Insider that the high-end Steinway & Sons Hamburg and Yamaha CFX pianos at Soka University of America’s performing arts center receive tuning and other monthly maintenance that costs about $25,000 a year, nearly the tuition to attend the college (more on Soka in related story, page 1).
