Gary Jabara, O.C. communications magnate, in running for Padres

Gary Jabara, the founder of a Newport Beach wireless communications company, is the leader of one of three groups believed to remain in the running to buy the San Diego Padres.

Steve Kaplan, principal at Oaktree Capital in Los Angeles, also heads a group pursuing the Padres.

Jabara and Kaplan join the family of former Dodgers owner Peter O’Malley as the apparent finalists for the Padres. The involvement of Jabara and Kaplan was confirmed by two people familiar with the sale process but not authorized to comment on it.

The three Padres finalists are all based in Los Angeles or Orange County, not San Diego. The proposed sale price is $800 million, according to reports this week by si.com and foxsports.com.

Jabara is chief executive of Mobilitie of Newport Beach, which is involved in the ownership, management and development of cellphone towers. The company aims to become the “premier owner/investor and lessor of capital assets to global telecommunications companies,” according to its website.

Neither Jabara nor Kaplan is ranked among the Forbes list of 400 richest Americans.

Kaplan declined comment. Jabara did not immediately return a call for comment.

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