Hearst responded that it "would give it some consideration." (Id.) Hearst did in fact take into account the Fangs’ political connections, which were "a consideration" in Hearst’s decision to sell The Examiner to the Fangs. (Asher Depo., p. 98.)

On January 21, 2000, Examiner publisher Timothy White had lunch with Florence Fang and Senator Diane Feinstein. At that meeting, Senator Feinstein assured Mrs. Fang that Hearst’s purchase of The Chronicle could be good for the Fangs, and White urged Mrs. Fang to acquire The Examiner. (PX 128.)

On March 16, 2000, after plaintiff had entered the picture, Hearst and the Fangs signed their agreement. Immediately, Ted Fang telephoned Mayor Brown in Paris, and Mayor Brown publicly blessed the agreement. (T. Fang Depo., pp. 122-23; PX 39.)

Only this lawsuit and this Court’s injunction have prevented these events from reaching their intended conclusion: a Hearst newspaper monopoly in San Francisco.