Prez Parade Has L.A. Partying, Ponying Up

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Labor Day traditionally kicks presidential campaigning into high gear, and that’s the case this year. L.A. County business types are partying, ponying up and pushing petitions.


Earvin “Magic” Johnson is hosting a fundraiser for Hillary Clinton at his L.A. home this week. Bill Clinton will step in for his wife at a Sept. 18 fundraiser at the home of Creative Arts Agency’s David O’Connor. Private equity firm Clarity Partners’ chief executive, Barry Porter, hosted a fundraiser for Barack Obama at his Bel-Air home recently.


Kimberly Quinones, the managing director of investment firm Ramirez & Co., will head California Business Leaders for Rudy Giuliani. Also on the team are Park Lane partner Andrew Kline and Paradigm Shift Worldwide co-owners Teresa Merkle and Wendy Moodie.


There’s still a long way to go remember, Howard Dean was the Demos’ darling at this time last election but several of L.A.’s heavy hitters have already jumped, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. Some second quarter donations:


Westside Estate Agency Inc. chief Kurt Rappoport is backing Clinton ($9,200), as are Oaktree Capital President Bruce Karsh, Saban Capital Group President Alan Chesnoff and Ibrahim Alhusseini of the Husseini Group ($6,900 each).


Abraxis Bio Science Founder Patrick Soon-Shiong believes in Guiliani ($9,200), Beny Alagem of the Alagem Capital Group likes John McCain ($4,600), James Asperger of law firm O’Melveny & Myers is an Obama man ($4,600) and Christopher Anderson of Douglas Emmet Inc. likes Mitt Romney ($4,600).


Two Santa Monica lawyers, Charles H. Bell and Thomas Hiltachk, could have a major impact on the presidential race. They’re working on a petition campaign to qualify a ballot proposition that would change California’s electoral system, which currently gives all of the state’s 55 electoral votes to the statewide winner, to one that awards electoral votes on a district-by-district basis.


Backers say it would bring in a new era of fairness, but Democrats see it as partisan politics that would benefit Republicans. If it qualifies, it will be a heavyweight battle. The proposition has big money backing from Bob Perry, who donated $4.5 million to the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth group that went after John Kerry in the last election. Democrats have lined up wealthy Hollywood producer Stephen Bing to fight it.



Slo-Mo Smooching

Carlos Martinez, the general manager of Hispanic advertising agency Conill, Los Angeles, says he’s giving customers what they want.


His firm is bringing instant replay to TV’s Spanish-language telenovelas. But the replays 30-second spots touting Toyota’s Highlander at the end of Telemundo’s “Pecados Ajenos” will highlight the hottest kiss from each episode.


“We all want to see the best part the kiss, or the wedding, or when the guy gets the girl one more time,” he said.



Todd Cunningham is assistant managing editor of the Business Journal. He can be reached at

[email protected]

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