Maseeh in Middle; Plenty of Ties to Presidential Timber

What does St. Margaret’s Episcopal School have in common with UCI, USC, MIT and Portland State University? All have a benefactor in Corona del Mar hedge funder Fariborz Maseeh, who is expected to make a “transformational multimillion-dollar gift” to the San Juan Capistrano campus, which serves students from preschool through high school and plans to rename its middle school in his honor. Maseeh’s latest gift is intended to help St. Margaret’s boost “curriculum, instruction and innovation initiatives, including digital education” and continue its collaboration with edX, a global online learning community founded by Harvard and MIT, where Maseeh earned a PhD … Last week’s New Majority meeting with Jeb Bush might have offered the best clue yet on whether he’ll follow in familial footsteps with a White House bid. The Insider hears that Bush packed the room for his on-stage turn with Larry Higby, which generated a palpable sense of energy that gave a lift to the post-interview mingling. That picture counters conventional wisdom that holds the former governor of Florida is weighed down by baggage from his brother’s two-term tenure … Timing as tea leaves: Worth noting that the appearance in the bedrock GOP fundraising territory of the New Majority came the night before a Wall Street Journal op-ed by Karl Rove that made no mention of any individual presidential hopeful but nonetheless portrayed a number of Bush’s perceived weaknesses within his own party as strengths for next year’s GOP nominating run. Rove’s piece seemed intended to establish a new conventional wisdom about the campaign—that a well-funded, well-established and well-organized candidate who favors a pragmatic approach over ideology will have the best chance. Here’s guessing that sounds familiar to anyone who made the New Majority event … Look for Joe Kiani on the other side of the spectrum in the Capitol as a guest at this week’s State of the Union. The founder and CEO of Irvine-based medical device maker Masimo Corp. seems to have a knack for finding political middle ground—among Democrats, anyway. His trip to hear President Barack Obama’s address is planned just a few days ahead of a summit meeting of the Masimo-sponsored Patient Safety Movement Foundation, scheduled to host Obama predecessor Bill Clinton during its Jan. 23-24 run at Hotel Irvine … Another local White House link comes with Pimco’s recent hire of Gene Sperling, who has served as director of the National Economic Council and an economic policy adviser to both Clinton and Obama. Time will tell if Sperling is the sort of brand name some Pimco watchers say the firm needs if it hopes to get back on track after its split with Bill Gross (see Addendum item, page 14) … Gross, meanwhile, recently told Bloomberg View that he offered to step down from Pimco’s executive committee and compensation committee before being fired last year. Gross said the move “blindsided” him—he didn’t realize the executive committee had the authority to force him out—and led him to move to Janus Capital. He said the sordid scene also prompted a caution from a “retired air force general” and neighbor who told the Bond King and U.S. Navy vet that he should have kept in mind the first rule of the military—watch your back—as the drama at Pimco unfolded. Wonder if that general ever built any homes around here?