Arnold’s fundraiser in Orange
County Wednesday night at Shady Canyon Country Club was hosted by the
Irvine Company’s Donald Bren. Bren’s company developed Shady Canyon,
where golf club membership costs $220,000. And Bren and his wife have
contributed $62,400 to the Gov. But Bren’s not just a big Terminator
fan. The Irvine Company may have a bigger stake in Arnold’s re-review
of all Gray Davis-era regulations than any other corporation in the
state.
The Irvine Co.’s lobbying so far this year was targeted at a wide range
of regulatory bodies including the Department of Food And Agriculture,
Department of Conservation, Resources Agency, Department of Fish and
Game, Water Resources Control Board, the Coastal Conservancy, and CAL
Trans. With pending regulations on hold at each agency for a review of
their impact on companies like Irvine, and five years worth of old
regulations to be revisited, Bren’s got big business with the state.
It will be months before we know if The Irvine Company succeeds in
rolling back regulations it opposed. That’ll be a clue as to whether
the Gov is the Man Of The People he claims, or just another Country
Club Republican.