In Los Angeles, a billionaire doctor purchases ailing LA Times newspaper

Patrick Soon-Shiong, a doctor who turned a cancer drug into a multibillion-dollar biotech empire, emerged as a major figure in Los Angeles life with his surprise $500 million purchase of The LA Times

He was perhaps the least famous billionaire in a city brimming with wealthy celebrities.

But Patrick Soon-Shiong, 65, a doctor who turned a cancer drug into a multibillion-dollar biotech empire, emerged on Wednesday as a major figure in Los Angeles life with his surprise $500 million purchase of The Los Angeles Times and its sister newspaper, The San Diego Union-Tribune.
 
Dr. Soon-Shiong has a long — and sometimes checkered — history in the medical field going back to the 1990s, but has kept a relatively low profile in the political, cultural and philanthropic doings of the city. He