Free Republic

Alex Spanos, one of the nation's foremost Republican benefactors, has contributed $20,000 to Democratic Attorney General Jerry Brown's gubernatorial campaign – two years after Brown immersed himself in land-use policies in Spanos' hometown. Brown opposed Spanos in a dispute in 2008 that caused the developer to alter plans for a massive subdivision in Stockton. Through a settlement, Brown's office continues to monitor environmental policies affecting Spanos and other developers in that city. The donation from Spanos, an owner of the San Diego Chargers, remains unusual. He has given millions of dollars to Republican causes, and he was a top fundraiser...

SACRAMENTO – State lawmakers are no longer sitting on the sidelines as the San Diego Chargers scramble to build a $450 million stadium under the city's haunting fiscal cloud. Legislation to create a state bonding authority that could help the Chargers secure tax-free financing for a new home is on a steady march through the Legislature and to the governor's desk. Where that home might be has been a matter of speculation in recent years. While the Chargers insist they want to stay in San Diego, the prospect of moving north has added intrigue to their quest for a new...

Stockton businessman Alex Spanos is among the top donors to a political group recently formed by backers of President Bush that has amassed a treasure chest of $35 million. The group plans a barrage of commercials criticizing Democratic challenger Sen. John Kerry, even though the president this week denounced such outside organizations for running negative campaign ads. The Progress for America Voter Fund was launched in May after the Federal Election Commission refused to shut down a crop of well-funded liberal organizations that were going after the president. Those groups, known as 527s, had formed quickly and begun raising large...