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Friday, May 1, 2026

Moreno, Pringle Smile,for Cameras; Chris Cox’s Side

Mayor Curt Pringle and Angels owner Arte Moreno joined baseball commissioner Bud Selig a few weeks back to announce the awarding of the 2010 All-Star Game to Anaheim. Did Curt and Arte speak to one another? Only “briefly.” Oral arguments in the city’s appeal of the “Los Angeles” Angels verdict are set for Sept. 11 …

John McCain took in $1 million at last week’s fundraiser hosted by George and Julia Argyros at their temporary residence in Newport Beach (their Harbor Island lot has been cleared for a new house.) The event location was kept secret for security reasons but news copters found it anyway, probably by following all of the CHP vehicles …

New OC Sheriff Sandra Hutchens says she played with dolls, not guns, growing up. She also said on “Inside OC” that key supporters, including prison-builders Bill Stonich and Ron Cedillos, will not get business from her. She said she is retaining Jack Anderson as an assistant sheriff and hasn’t thought about bringing back Bill Hunt, who she noted is suing the department …

Chris Cox, a favorite of the Wall Street Journal’s editorial page, got roughed up on the front page last week. The SEC chief from Newport Beach was portrayed as out of the loop during the Bear Stearns crisis. The story did cite defenders of Cox’s cautious approach, and Cox took issue with the brunt of the story in a letter to his staff. Cox said he believed the Bear sale “was a model of cooperation” among government agencies and defended the SEC’s role as regulator, not instigator, of the Fed-led transaction: “Had we attempted simultaneously to lead the transactional negotiations, the deal might not have closed in time.” Cox urged staffers to “not rise to the bait in this story and begin to engage in turf wars.” He bristled at the suggestion he was acquiescing in the Bush administration’s proposal to dissolve the SEC, saying he “cannot even contemplate” such a step. In fact, he dismissed the Treasury plan as “a thought piece without any realistic prospect of Congressional action.” An SEC spokesman said the agency is working closely with Congress, the government branch that he said will determine the SEC’s fate …

On a happier note, Cox tells the Insider that after several doctor visits following his 2006 surgery for removal of a tumor in his chest cavity (thymoma), “It looks like I’m completely healthy!” …

Alex Bathal, busy expanding the family’s Tustin-based Raj Manufacturing swimsuit business, will take time during the July 4 weekend to marry schoolteacher Nicole Wagner …

U.S. Chamber of Commerce Prez Tom Donohue visits OC Tuesday to address the New Majority …

Our man in Mumbai: Following the lead of the Sacramento Bee and Miami Herald, the OC Register is outsourcing to India. The “very small,” one-month trial will involve some copy editing and layout.

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Rick Reiff
Rick Reiff
Rick Reiff, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, is editor at large of the Orange County Business Journal. He also is a host and producer of public affairs programs. He has covered Southern California for 34 years in print and on air. He is a four-time Golden Mike winner, three-time Emmy nominee and 2018 recipient of the Orange County Press Club's Lifetime Achievement Award. Reiff has been with the Orange County Business Journal since 1990, serving 10 years as editor. He originated and wrote the paper's popular "OC Insider" column for 15 years.

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