Free Republic

Gwen Stefani took the Irvine Meadows stage Sunday night as the concert venue's final performer, 26 years after her band, No Doubt, first played there as an opening act for reggae artist Ziggy Marley. "Can you imagine? Tonight is one of the most special nights for all of us," she said. "We, together, will be closing down Irvine Meadows. This is it, right here ... I'm so honored to be from Orange County, and I'm so honored to be with you here tonight to celebrate music. Let's have some fun tonight. Do you want to?" And with that, Orange County's...

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger could find a lot of reasons why the Legislature turned away his public works plan, but Paul Folino wasn't one of them. Folino's participation wasn't happenstance. His informal lobbying is just one example of the close and beneficial relationship Schwarzenegger shares with Folino and the rapidly expanding political action committee he helped establish, the New Majority. Members of the centrist group have donated or raised more than $10 million for the Republican governor's political ventures. And the New Majority is pushing to expand its influence. The group, which has about 250 members and funnels roughly $7.5 million...