Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong is a surgeon, philanthropist, entrepreneur and as of last year, the chairman of the Los Angeles Times. On Thursday, February 28th, he became a rockstar among South Bay government policy wonks. Soon-Shiong was the keynote speaker at the 20th Annual South Bay Cities Council of Governments General Assembly, themed “Celebrating the Past — Shaping our Future.” The SBCCOG’s annual one-day conference brings together leadership from each of its member communities, including unincorporated LA County communities and 16 member cities.
“It’s amazing to stand next to this individual. In the four minutes we were watching [a Southern California Edison presentation], he fired off about half a dozen ideas he’s going to do in El Segundo, and how he can help Edison,” said El Segundo Mayor Drew Boyles. “His pace is unbelievable…our tagline is that we’re where big ideas take off, and this individual is a perfect example.” Boyles didn’t oversell. Soon-Shiong’s presentation touched on a broad spread of subjects, including the Los Angeles Times, energy storage, solar-powered scooters, cancer treatments and alternative polymers that he believes may counter plastic pollution.
Published: 3/13/2019