The high court let stand a decision striking down a law passed by the Legislature and signed by Gov. Burkle was co-owner of the Pittsburgh Penguins, and the team was invited to a celebration at the White House following their Stnaley Cup victory. It was recently valued by one analyst at $850 million, up more than tenfold in five years. Fox and advising him on the campaign to end the Republican ban on federally funded stem-cell research. He is a friend of Bill Clinton and a heavy Democratic political . The Burkle fund, however, will have the curious feature that unions and their pension plans will be among the investors in it. Ronald Wayne Burkle (born November 12, 1952) is an American businessman. (Burkle points out that he also raises money for philanthropy$100 million in ten years for Ronald McDonald House, City of Hope, the antidrug group DARE and other charities.). Current TVnow has 40 million subscribers and a new user-generated content agreement with [103], In December 2013, Burkle purchased an Olympic gold medal won by Jesse Owens at the 1936 Berlin Games for $1.4 million[104] and owns William Faulkner's Nobel Prize for Literature. Two years later he broke both legs in a poolside accident and had to take time off from his job and leave high school to recuperate. Ron Burkle and Bill Clinton used to go together like peanut butter and jelly, bread and butter, unprotected sex and gonorrhea. But for many people who have known Burkle for years and done business with him, this unseemly spectacle is an inexplicable paradox. Burkle studied dentistry at the California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, though he dropped out after less than two years. . Then there's Ron Burkle. Critics of Burkle point out that the records in his divorce have been temporarily sealed at his request until the legal issues are resolved and appeals concluded. The man feted as AFL-CIO humanitarian of the year and the Los Angeles County Boy Scouts Jimmy Stewart person of the year, and who is the namesake of the Burkle Center for International Relations at UCLA -- to mention but a few of his honors -- is known on Gawker's salacious Web site and on Page Six as the "greasy grocer," "babe-loving billionaire," "paunchy merchant prince" and, perhaps most hurtful of all, "evil rich guy.". When he was 13, Burkle joined the union local as a box boy. Mario Lemieux and Ron Burkle ride down the Boulevard of the Allies during the Penguins' 2016 victory parade. (It was unusual to hear from a billionaire personally, and he shared this habit with only one other peer: Donald J. Philanthropy. [4] The foundation's stated mission is to "positively influence people around the world and their communities" by supporting programs that "strengthen international understanding, foster worker's rights, empower underserved communities, nurture the arts and architecture, engage children in learning and advance scientific research. Stern got run out of town, but avoided criminal charges. He would hint at holding back on deep job cutsthereby ensuring the unions their membership duesand they would offer concessions on work rules. It was common for me to spend $15,000 at one time at Barneys, and my average monthly expense for clothing was at least $10,000 (a conservative estimate), she said. He worked stocking the shelves of his dads Stater Bros. store. Burkle characterized this as a shakedown attempt. [30], Burkle has invested in technology startup companies through A-Grade Investments, a venture capital fund he founded with Ashton Kutcher and Guy Oseary. [11] At age 16, he graduated from high school and entered California State Polytechnic University, Pomona to study dentistry. They were bros before that word was even in vogue, having met in 1992 . His father worked as a grocer. Burkle and Janet, whom he was then dating, divided the money into suitcases to be delivered to the kidnappers, who released their hostage unharmed. (if applicable) for The Wall Street Journal. Meanwhile, industry chatter about a Wasserman transaction spurred . Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer, Gov. Janet Burkle claimed she was defrauded when she signed a 1997 post-marital agreement limiting her divorce settlement to roughly $40 million. His investment company recently acquired Garrard, the famous British jewelry company. ", A California Billionaire Who Avoided the Spotlight Suddenly Finds Himself in It, https://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/08/nyregion/a-california-billionaire-who-avoided-the-spotlight-suddenly-finds.html. Rather than seeing this as a lucky break in random mob behavior, he touts it as a testament to his companys benevolent image. She has a bachelors degree in the history of science from Harvard University. A few years ago Burkle owned Golden State Foods, a supplier of burgers to Nice. Location Malibu Colony, Malibu, Calif. Price $13.5 million. Mr. Burkle is a supermarket mogul and financier who, unlike some tycoons who court gossip columnists, has always said he prefers to be let alone. The Yucaipa Companies is a premier investment firm that has established a record of fostering economic value through the growth and responsible development of companies. By then his portfolio had swelled to $5 million or so, and he spent five years investing in stocks and running his familys rental properties. In 2002, he told the FBI he had been contacted by the disgraced Hollywood private investigator, Anthony Pellicano, who had a reputation for starting the fires he charged clients to put out, with an offer to disappear a problem for $250,000. In December 2004 Burkle persuaded a judge to seal his recordsand took another media hit: He had contributed $20,000 to California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and $26,000 to the state Democratic Party a few months before the bill passed. Safeway There are also the billionaires Ron Burkle, the onetime supermarket buyout impresario (and great friend of Bill Clinton), and Edgar Bronfman Jr., the spirits scion who took the family's fortune . [1][11] Burkle made his bid to Petrolane's board that was 20% lower than Petrolane's internal valuation. Ronald W. Burkle and Janet E. Burkle were married on March 23, 1974. [42] That same year, Burkle acquired a minority stake in Independent Talent through Yucaipa fund. Owns 26% stake in Americold Realty Trust; Merged Alliance Entertainment with Source Interlink; Purchased Enthusiast Media publications and assets of, Burkle offered to purchase the financially troubled. All of this adds up to a portrait of a very wealthy man who has a track record of engaging, not especially deftly, with the machinery that drives celebrity, power, and even national politics. This is a carousel. At one point, for example (according to statements made to the FBI) both Burkle and the Hollywood power-agent Michael Ovitz were paying Pellicano to investigate each other. Ron Burkle's La Jolla, Calif., mansion, which overlooks Black's Beach. , Charles Munger. As a mogul used to running a grocery retail and investment empire, however, he was driven to try and control the narrative. Now he wants to buy the National Enquirer. We know how to help solve those problems. Why do so many people have so much scorn for Ronald Burkle? Burkle has been the chairman of the board for Alliance Entertainment, Dominick's, Fred Meyer, Ralphs, and Food4Less. Burkle says he has no idea why he generates all the sniping, and he dismisses it as unimportant, even as his $500-an-hour lawyers churn out warning letters admonishing detractors and protesting his innocence. That seemed to change about a year ago, however, the associate said, when Mr. Burkle came under the glare of the Page Six column. He raised millions for the Democratic Party and befriendedand now employsBill Clinton as his irrepressible and irresistible rainmaker. [45], Wild Oats Markets was an operator of natural foods stores and farmers' markets in North America. [71][72] Burkle has hosted fundraisers for Bill and Hillary Clinton,[71][73] John Kerry,[6] Cory Booker,[7] and Terry McAuliffe,[74] as well as former Republican California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger,[1] among others. I was really bored and realized I like working and doing deals, he says. The famed comedian and his wife, Dolores, built the house in the . After last week's sale of four of the papers to rival bidder MediaNews Group, Yucaipa reportedly is still interested in pursuing the remaining eight papers on the block, which include the Philadelphia Inquirer and Philadelphia Daily News. With that, Mr. Burkle apparently decided to spring into action, drawing on personal resources he has tapped into throughout a career that began as a bagboy at a grocery store his father managed in Claremont, Calif. Mr. Burkle began speculating in the stock market while still a teenager, completed high school early, and dropped out of dental school to return to the grocery store business. Burkle was raised in Claremont, a quiet town in suburban Los Angeles County. Rules Don't Apply is a 2016 American romantic comedy-drama film written, produced and directed by Warren Beatty.It is loosely based on the life of businessman and film producer Howard Hughes.The ensemble cast features Beatty, in his first screen acting role in 15 years, Annette Bening, Matthew Broderick, Lily Collins and Alden Ehrenreich.Set in 1958 Hollywood, the film follows the romantic . Burkle, who Forbes estimates is worth $1.5 billion, was a friend of Jackson who helped manage his money in the mid-2000s, according to the Journal. Burkles tie to Clinton also put him next to former Vice President Al Gore. The effort failed. Burkle, in the papers, called the accounts exaggerated, saying that the aircraft, for example, belonged to his company and was not used for personal trips. "I have done a lot of things with him and he never looked for publicity. The one instance many cite when Burkle appears to have tried to throw his weight around -- though he has denied it -- is a bill in the state Legislature criticized by many legal and First Amendment rights groups that would make it easier to seal the records in divorce cases. Burkles ties to politicians, pension funds and the trade unions at the companies he controls could be beneficial as he embarks on his next venture. . The application accused her husband of spying on her, their young son and her boyfriend. It was a rather dramatic change of eventsand it turned out to be the best thing ever, because if I had stayed there I never would have thought about being entrepreneurial.. I loved it.. Burkle also reportedly sought a pardon from Clinton in 2000 for a close friend, former junk bond king Michael Milken. Union leaders, Burkle said, could shun him because working closely with someone who purportedly lives that kind of lifestyle might upset the unions rank and file.. Burkles security chief, Frank Renzi, in a written response to The Times, said that there was no videotape, and that Carrie evidently had misconstrued a conversation with her father over her mothers new boyfriend, an ex-convict. The documents had previously been public for a time but were not widely reported on before being sealed. Above all Burkle made some political connections. Curious, given what happened later, that Janets parents worried about protecting her small inheritance from her new husband. Burkle is also close with Bay Area power brokers, like former San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown and former state Sen. John Burton. Early on Ron Burkle took a keen interest in the stock market, becoming a devotee of Warren Buffett and Buffetts sidekick at Ten days later, the FBI dragged Follieri out of the Trump Tower penthouse he had gifted to his parents . Burkle's investments and transactions include: Burkle has personally contributed millions of dollars to the Democratic Party and raised an estimated $100 million at celebrity-studded fundraising events he hosted for Democratic Party candidates at his Green Acres Estate in Beverly Hills, California. Burkle figures he accompanies Clinton at least half the time Clinton travels abroad. In 2011, he purchased[101] the partially restored Ennis House, a Los Angeles landmark designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. Burkle owns two of entertainer Bob Hope's properties, acquiring his John Lautner-designed Palm Springs home for $13 million in 2016 and Toluca Lake, CA home, originally designed by Richard Finkelhor in the 1930s and expanded in the 1950s by John Elgin Woolf, for $15 million in 2017. Indeed, Burkle has marched with the United Farm Workers and has long been a friend to the unions, which have given him many awards. Boeing Even if he's not exactly a household name, most real estate aficionados know who Ron Burkle is. He is also a part owner of the Pittsburgh Penguins hockey team and a major investor in rap mogul Sean Combs' Sean John clothing company. You would never have guessed unless maybe you knew that Willie Brown was about as well-connected as any politician in Californias history. Following the Africa trip, Burkle reportedly returned home via a commercial jet, referring to Epstein as "creepy".[116][117][118]. At least that's how Burkle describes the encounter, which has sent a titillating rush through gossip pages and newspapers across the country. (Haley Nelson/Post-Gazette) Ron Burkle, the tactician. Yucaipa arranged for Clinton to make a speech at a Teamsters conference in 2003, and later Clinton urged Teamsters President James Hoffa Jr. to trust Burkle and present him with possible deals. At age 5 he was stacking bread and chasing shopping carts in the parking lot. Linked companies : Membership Collective Group Inc. She said her father phoned his security director in front of her, and told her Janet Burkle was with her boyfriend at this very moment.. Burkle parlayed a $3,000 investment in American Silver and another metals company into $30,000 and began investing in and flipping undervalued grocery stores. After working for many years to bring an MLS team to Sacramento, the League continues to believe it can be a great MLS market. His family wrote . Many observers were left with the impression that he really was the paunchy, devious, model-chasing older rich guy that the Post had always made him out to be. Ben Widdicombe reports for T&C on the nexus of privilege and power, and the badand occasionally goodbehavior of the very rich. Its a dance that has left him bruised on more than one occasion. By this time Burkle had forged one of the most important connections of his career: In 1992 he met candidate Bill Clinton in Los Angeles, in the aftermath of the citys riots. He would prefer that people see in him a classic American success story. But for the most part, Mr. Burkle, who sits on the boards of the Occidental Petroleum Corporation and Yahoo, has avoiding engaging in high-profile business disputes. Ronald Wayne Burkle (b. November 12, 1952, in Pomona, California) is an American business magnate. These he offered to Burkle for sale in bulkperhaps as holiday gifts for his large staff, or so went one suggestion. Previously, he bought Chicago's Dominick's chain and sold it to Safeway for $1.2 billion, earning himself and his investors enormous returns. Business triumphs: Sold Alpha Beta, Ralphs and Food 4 Less chains to Kroger for nearly $13 billion in 1999. "[2], Burkle is a prominent Democratic activist and fundraiser. Since the mid-2000s, when he divorced his wife, his name would often be cited as a guest at model-filled social events, or alongside celebrities such as Paris Hilton. [5], Burkle's net worth was estimated at US$2 billion in February 12, 2018. (Gore receives a portion of the profits and is believed to own a minority stake). Bill Clinton visited Ron Burkle at home in Santa Monica in July, 1997. paying Pellicano to investigate each other, Your Privacy Choices: Opt Out of Sale/Targeted Ads. Listed on Forbes magazine's 400 and . [1][10][12] Less than two years later, Burkle dropped out. Getty Images. It is plausible that, in a decade, Clinton could walk away with tens of millions of dollars. When Clinton and former President George H.W. Its preposterous! he protests. He still owns a majority stake today but wont specify it. Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own. Trump.). Public asset : 41,406,344 USD. He has helped finance Al Gore's Current TV network. [32][33][34][35][36], He has also invested in technology startup companies through Inevitable Venture, a venture capital fund founded by D.A Wallach and Chris Hollod. Yucaipas profit: $4.3 billion. Burkle is the son of a grocer who began working . 2006-05-02 04:00:00 PDT Los Angeles -- Billionaires often seem more or less alike, doing what all superrich people do, only more so. Pittsburgh Penguins co-owner Ron Burkle's abandoned attempt to bring the 30th MLS franchise to Sacramento has instead brought him legal troubles. I just do what I like doing -- that's it.". This page was last edited on 10 January 2023, at 22:57. While acknowledging he is a successful investor and businessman, Burkle said his wifes portrayal of him could hurt his relationship with leaders of organized labor. Still Calpers has fared exceptionally well in Yucaipa funds. California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, John F. Kennedy Center for Performing Arts, "Yucaipa Returns to Market with $1.65 Billion Target", "Company Information: The Yucaipa Companies LLC", "Matt Damon, Ben Affleck to Co-Host Cory Booker Fundraiser", "Protecting Hillary: Bill Clinton Severs Business Ties With Billionaire Buddy Burkle", "Burkle Gets Bill Clinton's Ear, No Respect From Ovitz", "LA 500: Ron Burkle | Los Angeles Business Journal", "What Ron Burkle's success, star power mean for Sacramento's Major League Soccer bid", "Ron Burkle opens up on Penguins ownership, Mario Lemieux and the future", "Trump sticks to hockey in honoring Cup champion Penguins", "NHL Lockout 2012: Progress Will Be Made When Players and Owners Meet on Tuesday", "Pittsburgh Penguins' Ron Burkle seen as possible bridge builder in NHL talks", Archive: Pittsburgh Penguins' Ron Burkle seen as possible bridge builder in NHL talks, "Mets Fans Beware, Private Equity-Owned Teams Lose on the Field", "Sacramento Republic's MLS hopes get boost as Ron Burkle agrees to take over team", "Ron Burkle pulls out as MLS expansion team owner in Sacramento", "San Diego confirmed as 2022 NWSL expansion market; Ellis to serve as team president", "San Diego To Be Home to NWSL Expansion Team, Led by Jill Ellis as President", "Ashton Kutcher's Sound Ventures Looks to Raise New Fund | Los Angeles Business Journal", "SoundCloud Receives Investment from Ashton Kutcher's A-Grade", "How Ashton Kutcher built a Silicon Valley investing career", "Guy Oseary, Ashton Kutcher's Tech Fund A-Grade Valued at $150 Million", "How I Made It: Billionaire's right-hand man Chris Hollod on becoming a big fish in a big pond", "Ron Burkle's Yucaipa Buys Music Booking Power Artist Group International", "Mogul Ron Burkle partnering in new branded entertainment company", "Paradigm, Yucaipa Expand European Reach by Pacting With London-Based X-Ray Touring", "Billionaire Ron Burkle takes stake in Independent Talent", "Report: Ron Burkle's Yucaipa Companies Makes A 'Substantial' Investment In Danny Wimmer Presents", "Burkle sells 51% stake in Golden State Foods", "Soho House Raises $100 Million To Expand Its Members' Club Around The World", "MGM Getting Into Boutique Hotel Business With New Acquisition", "Burkle Ronald W ownership in COLD / Americold Realty Trust - 13F, 13D, 13G Filings - Fintel.io", "Barnes & Noble Battle Royale: Burkle vs. Riggio", "Fleming Reaches Agreement to Become Only Food Supplier for Kmart Stores", "A&P in talks to buy Pathmark for about $653 million", "Company News; Cyrk Merger Is Being Explored By Major Shareholder", "P. Diddy Bulking Up: L.A. Investor Injects Millions Into Sean John", "PRIMEDIA ENTHUSIAST TITLES SOLD FOR $1.2 BILLION", "Burkle's Yucaipa Funds Targets Barnes & Noble; Asks OK To Boost Stake To 37%, Matching Riggios", "Barnes & Noble Won't Let Burkle Raise Stakes", "Relativity back in business with debt backed by Ron Burkle", "Haute 100 Los Angeles Update: Ronald Burkle Offers Amalgamated Bank a Chance for Growth", "Clinton's back in Beverly Hills tonight", "McAuliffe headed to Aspen, L.A. for PAC fundraisers", "Elton John fetes crowd at Ron Burkle's estate in support of Prop.