Bradford Freeman

Bradford Freeman is an old friend of President Bush and one of a handful described as a member of his inner circle. Freeman is also Bush's California fundraising leader, and he loves to tell the story of how the president-elect called him with what Freeman hoped would be a prestigious appointment as an ambassador or maybe a secret agent. The kind of reward that, in the realpolitik of campaign finance, a rainmaker like Freeman might realistically anticipate.

Three of the biggest fundraisers for President Bush's reelection campaign will lead efforts to raise money for his inauguration celebrations in January, the White House announced Friday. Mercer Reynolds, who served as finance chairman of the reelection campaign; his business partner Bill DeWitt; and Los Angeles financier Bradford Freeman, a founding partner of Freeman Spogli & Co., will head fundraising.

Three of the biggest fundraisers for President Bush's reelection campaign will lead efforts to raise money for his inauguration celebrations in January, the White House announced Friday. Mercer Reynolds, who served as finance chairman of the reelection campaign; his business partner Bill DeWitt; and Los Angeles financier Bradford Freeman, a founding partner of Freeman Spogli & Co., will head fundraising.

Bradford Freeman is an old friend of President Bush and one of a handful described as a member of his inner circle. Freeman is also Bush's California fundraising leader, and he loves to tell the story of how the president-elect called him with what Freeman hoped would be a prestigious appointment as an ambassador or maybe a secret agent. The kind of reward that, in the realpolitik of campaign finance, a rainmaker like Freeman might realistically anticipate.

The two most disgusting headlines in The Times Nov. 20: Page 13 -- "Top Bush Fundraisers Move On to Inaugural; L.A. financier Bradford Freeman is among those who will seek the bash's unlimited donations." Page 26 -- "12 Million Families in the U.S. Pained by Hunger." I suggest that with our young men and women dying and being maimed, and millions without sufficient food, our president should have a nice family gathering and get the food to the poor and see that our brave soldiers come home from this unholy war. Sylvia Lamont Gardena

Micro Warehouse Inc., which sells computers and networking equipment via the Internet and catalogs, said an investor group led by Northwest Airlines Corp. Chairman Gary Wilson, former IBM Corp. executive Jerome York and Freeman Spogli & Co. has taken control of the company. Shareholders of Micro Warehouse have agreed to sell about 32.4 million shares for $19 each, or $614.7 million. The company will buy $193.

Of the 182 Pioneers, volunteers who have raised at least $100,000 for Republican presidential candidate George W. Bush, 13 are Californians: Alex G. Spanos, Stockton, owner of the San Diego Chargers, owner and CEO of A G Spanos Cos., a real estate development firm. Bradford Freeman, Los Angeles, attorney, general partner with private equity firm, Freeman, Spogli & Co.

CB Commercial Real Estate Services Group said Tuesday that it has completed its acquisition of Newport Beach-based Koll Real Estate Services, one of the nation's largest property managers, for $165.9 million. Los Angeles-based CB Commercial, a major real estate brokerage, said its shareholders have approved the purchase. CB Commercial said it increased the size of its board from 14 to 19 members in connection with the merger.

Backed by $94 million in donations and pledges, Stanford University is launching an innovative international studies effort intended to team up scholars from varying fields to research global issues such as bioterrorism and the spread of disease. The biggest part of the funding, $50 million, for the International Initiative is coming from Los Angeles investment bankers Bradford Freeman and Ronald Spogli, both Stanford graduates.

Presumptive GOP presidential nominee George W. Bush's fund-raising machine has revved up again, adding almost $6 million to his coffers in March despite earlier predictions that he had exhausted Republicans' generosity, according to reports filed Thursday with the Federal Election Commission. The Texas governor had already smashed all fund-raising records for presidential candidates, but donations received last month brought his total to a staggering $77 million.

In New York, the newest member of Britain's royal family, the Duchess of Cornwall, was criticized for wearing a pink Italian wool crepe dress to ground zero, pickets denounced her as "Cam-zilla" and one headline read: "Queen Camilla is New York's Frump Tower." But by the time the heir to the British throne and his bride of seven months arrived in Washington on Wednesday, they had turned a corner.

Largely unrestricted by federal election law, supporters of both major presidential candidates have launched new fund-raising efforts to pay for the ongoing battle over the Florida vote recount. Vice President Al Gore's supporters are "well on the way" to reaching a $3-million goal for the recount committee, according to a top Gore fund-raiser who asked that he not be identified because he is not a campaign spokesman. Supporters of Texas Gov. George W.