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Tuesday, Mar 19, 2024
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Irvine’s Outsized Rep; SCR Goes to Santana; Augie Takes a Hike

Sheril Liu of ReMax Premier Realty in Irvine put a clear focus on one of the ways the city—with a population a bit under 250,000—punches above its weight. Liu weighed in for a July 9 story in the L.A. Times about the homebuyers from China—some from overseas, some immigrants—who accounted for about a quarter of the $92 billion in sales over the 12 months through March. Data showed much of the activity in three U.S. markets. “These are famous cities they know,” Liu said of the Chinese buyers. “They know San Francisco, they know Los Angeles, they know Irvine” … Dan Sheridan has called it a wrap as head of the Irvine Company’s retail division with best wishes from the developer. Sheridan’s three-year tenure dovetailed with a new emphasis on unique merchants and dining options, a trend that ranged from Fig & Olive and Red O at the increasingly upscale Fashion Island to Doner G and Urban Plates at the increasingly popular Crossroads center in the Westpark section of Irvine … The Irvine Co. could certainly count on board member Rick Caruso to pinch hit until a replacement for Sheridan comes aboard—provided the modern retail impresario of L.A. isn’t too busy planning fireworks shows. Word has it that Caruso picked up the tab for a 4th of July show in Newport Beach, staging the pyrotechnics from a barge off the coast near The Wedge, well within sight of his place on the Balboa Peninsula. Seems it was well received and some city officials hope he’ll make it a tradition … No fireworks but maybe some champagne for the Irvine Co. office crew now that they’ve got a first tenant for their next showcase, the 21-story office building that’s nearing completion at 520 Newport Center Drive. Acacia Research Group took about 18,000 square feet on the 12th floor, and plans a move from next-door at 500 Newport Center …. Mike Harrah will need a commitment from a much bigger tenant to get a shovel in the ground on his long-planned 37-story One Broadway Plaza in downtown Santa Ana. He’s in line for honors while he waits, with Mayor Miguel Pulido and the City Council set to present him with an inaugural Santa Ana Outstanding Citizen and Pioneer Award on the evening of July 15 … South Coast Repertory has Santa Ana on its radar and a bold ambition to walk it like it talks it when it comes to taking art to the people. SCR plans to stage Santana—a play about life in the city’s densely populated, working-class precincts—in a unique, open-air fashion at the Santa Ana Civic Center in September. … Augie Nieto walked past any doubters and down the aisle with his youngest daughter, Lindsay, for her wedding earlier this month—no stroll in the park for a guy who’s had ALS for nine years. Give some credit to a walking rig of harnesses, braces and a ventilator. Don’t overlook Nieto’s sheer will—or the inspiration of family. Also credit his willingness to do anything to get some attention for Augie’s Quest, the nonprofit he and wife, Lynne, have set up to seek a cure for ALS. Augie’s Quest has raised more than $41 million so far, and you can bet there’s more on the way—the wedding walk drew a slew of media coverage, ranging from the Register to the Today Show.

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