Page 19 of Darling Beasts

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September

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Long-shot media mogul enters crowded Democratic field in US Senate race

BY MICAH BETZ,The San Diego Union-Tribune

SAN DIEGO—Former media mogul Marston Gunn announced Friday that he has entered the U.S. Senate contest in California, adding another Democrat to a large field of candidates that includes three sitting members of Congress. Gunn is a long-shot who has never run for or held office, yet he’s taking on the nation’s most populous state, which is home to 22 million voters. Although Gunn’s last known address was in New York, he will operate his campaign out of a family compound in Rancho Santa Fe.

Gunn is the former Chairman and CEO of F.D. Gunn Company, a media conglomerate that, as of the end of last calendar year, included 90 newspapers, 50 local television stations, a home improvement network and the reality television network For Real TV. Although he is from the family that founded the Frederick D. Gunn Hospital system, Gunn Gallery of Art, Gunn Marine Biological Institute, and Gunn College, Marston Gunn has little to no name recognition in California, therefore entering the race without a base of support in a field already splintered by candidates, including Democratic U.S. Reps. Angie Parker, David Slimp and Sandra Grant.

“Does anyone truly think Congress is knocking it out of the park?” Gunn says in an online video launching his campaign. “From my point of view, not a single one of these candidates has done anything to improve California or this country. That’s why I’m stepping in.”

In Gunn’s opinion, when it comes to national politics, the largest state in the union is pushed aside. “All the attention is given to the other states,” he says, “when California makes up 12% of the population and contributes 15% of the GDP. People expect us to shut up and keep doing our thing. It’s time for California to make some noise.”

Despite his ties to New York, Gunn claims his San Diego roots run deep. The F.D. Gunn Company began in 1871 after Frederick D. Gunn moved from the Midwest to San Diego and happened upon a village of a few hundred people living on the bay front. He purchased a plot of land at K Street and Seventh Avenue and took a job at theSan Diego Union, which he eventually acquired.

Over time, Frederick Gunn snatched up other dailies across the West before expanding nationally. By the 1980s, the F.D.Gunn Company owned dozens of television and radio stations, and in the ’90s, it created a lifestyle-oriented cable network. The Company went public in 1996 and continued its acquisition spree. At its height, F.D. Gunn had a market cap of $20 billion.

During the past twelve months, Gunn was forced to liquidate the majority of his holdings to address the legal issues of his brother, Douglas Gunn. As part of the divestiture, the newspapers were sold to a Chinese billionaire for an estimated $500 million, and the two television networks were spun off and taken public under the name Chaos Live, Inc. (NYSE: GURL), in which Gunn holds a minority stake.

Gunn filed a statement of candidacy with federal election regulators on August 16 and designated a committee to raise funds. He says he’ll spend personal funds on the campaign, though it remains unclear the extent to which he’ll be able to, especially in a state that includes several of the nation’s most expensive media markets. It typically takes tens of millions of dollars to wage a successful statewide campaign in California.

As for why he’s running for office now, Gunn, 61, says, “I’ve always been interested in politics, but am increasingly concerned about what’s happening in the country, and California specifically. It’s time to bring a new voice into Senate. I can’t wait to get started.”

Chapter Twelve

Talia

After passing through a set of gates, they drove along a quiet, meandering road, beneath a canopy of eucalyptus trees. The white stucco, red-tiled roof of the main house loomed in the distance, the tip of the bell tower just beyond. Talia closed her eyes and pictured all she couldn’t see—the hiking and horse trails, the tennis courts, the pools. Mom’s art studio with its view of the lake.

They pulled into the motor court. Tony the driver barked something into his walkie-talkie and opened the liftgate. Inhaling, Talia kicked open the door. She jumped out and looked around. Eleven years was a long time and suddenly, her entire past was a blur, and she couldn’t distinguish between actual memories and residual feelings lodged deep in the pit of her being.

“Ivan is on his way,” Tony said, swiftly flinging each piece of Talia’s luggage onto a cart. “Might take a minute to walk over from HQ.”

Talia blinked. “I’m sorry. Ivan?”

Tony flicked a bead of sweat from his forehead. “Campaign manager,” he said.

Talia blinked again. “Are my dad and Ustenya...?”

“In San Francisco. They took off...” Tony bit his lip, trying to remember. “Yesterday? It was a fundraising trip. They should be back soon.”

“Oh, right! Dad mentioned that.” He definitely had not, and Talia felt herself deflate, floored that no one could be bothered to greet her. Though this did explain why Dad hadn’t responded to any of her texts. She’d sent one as she left New York, another when her plane touched down in San Diego, and a third after getting into Tony’s SUV.See you in thirty!Nothing but crickets.

“You’ll be staying in the main house,” Tony said. “Second bedroom at the top of the stairs. Your luggage will be up soon.”

Tony offered a small bottle of water, but Talia was already several yards ahead, striding past a burbling fountain and between the two leopards now flanking the front door. She stopped in the entryway, beneath an enormous wrought-iron lighting fixture. Around her, sun filtered through the skylights, spilling across the terra-cotta floors and hand-painted Mexican tiles.

“Talia?” A pale man with dark hair poked his head around an arched doorway. “I’m Ivan, your dad’s campaign manager.”

“Oh! Hi!” she said, trying to appear happy and normal and not like she was crumbling inside. “Nice to meet you!”

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