Welcome to this travelogue edition of the Insider. It seems everybody was headed to China last week: Gov. Arnold, President Bush,and Dan Young and Larry Agran. The Irvine Company EVP and Irvine’s political kingpin were among more than two dozen city VIPs making a return call on potential sister city Xuhui. (A delegation from the Shanghai downtown district visited Irvine last month.) No word on whether the Irvine horde crossed paths with the Arnold train, which included folks from Chapman U’s film school. Seeking to tap into China’s booming movie industry were a Chapman contingent led by benefactors Larry and Kristina Dodge, Dean Bob Bassett and Hollywood producer Janet Yang (“The Joy Luck Club”). They flew out of Long Beach on Milan Panic’s 727 …
While Agran headed west, most of his Great Park board colleagues returned from 10 grueling (to hear them tell it) days in Europe. When she wasn’t running to appointments, Christina Shea said she did some thinking about the John Campbell state Senate seat and decided to pass on it and instead seek re-election to the Irvine council next year. Shea said the closest her group got to the Paris rioting was about seven blocks. Next, the Great Park will send Walkie Ray, who missed the European leg, on his own abbreviated trip to Barcelona. Then the whole board is off to check out San Francisco Dec. 6 to 8 …
Julie Hill and British hubby Peter Hill (CEO of London’s Laird Group) were at Buckingham Palace last week for a private dinner with Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip …
Back at home: The KOCE Foundation enters a new round in its legal battle against Dallas televangelist Daystar with a powerhouse team of local lawyers to defend its purchase of OC’s public television station. At Tuesday’s rehearing before the state Court of Appeals, the foundation will be represented by litigators George Rudolph (Stephan, Oringher, Richman & Theodora), Wylie Aitken and Mark Johnson (Manatt & Phelps). They’ll join general counsel (and foundation board member) Ardelle St. George. The foundation took a back seat to the Coast Community College District in round one, when the appellate court sided with Daystar and invalidated the district’s sale of KOCE to the foundation. The added defense lawyers are serving under an arrangement that will be “affordable” for the nonprofit, the Insider is told. PBS commentator (and lightning rod) Bill Moyers opened a speech at UCI last week by urging public support for the foundation’s effort. Disclosure: EE RR is host and producer of “Inside OC” on KOCE …
Former OCBJer Jerry Sullivan, now running the Los Angeles Garment & Citizen, gets a kick out of Botox-maker Allergan’s bid for breast implant-maker Inamed: “All they need is to pick up Dr. Scholl’s and they’ll have women covered from head to toes.”
