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Thursday, Mar 28, 2024
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Eye Opener for El-Erian; Logo Logic

Mohamed El-Erian did what any dad who happens to be a globally renowned economic forecaster might do if his young kid expressed a desire to go into show business—he set a benchmark. The chief economic adviser for Munich-based Allianz, parent of PIMCO in Newport Center, where he previously served as CEO and co-CIO, found his point of reference at a Manhattan restaurant known for employing struggling performers. He asked some of them to share their tales of a challenging profession with his daughter, the little girl with a Broadway career in her dreams. She remained undeterred, as her enrollment at the Orange County School of the Arts suggests—and any question of whose eyes were opened at that restaurant was more recently answered when her dad ponied up $250,000 for students who need help with the extra costs of some of the conservatory programs available at the public charter school. The elder El-Erian says he has gained a better appreciation for how an arts education strengthens the academic and development journeys—and he’s done his due diligence and learned that 220 students at OCSA come from families with household incomes below the federal poverty level. His speech, donation, and the match it drew from the crowd at the school’s recent 30th anniversary gala at Hotel Irvine will help there. The dinner featured the usual great show by the OCSA crew, and the evening raised a cool $1.4 million overall (see related story, page 6) … Anyone else notice that hues of blue ranging from royal to deeper and darker seem to be the thing for spring? Anyone else notice that Julia and Lisa Argyros were both right on trend at the OCSA gala. The two didn’t check in with one another before they met up at Hotel Irvine wearing variations on the theme. Julia nevertheless looked resplendent in a chiffon gown of midnight blue, while Lisa rocked a satin number that was a tad lighter—call it ultramarine … Lisa Argyros was on her second shift by the time she got to the OCSA gala—she’d already been to Sage Hill School’s 16th Annual Multicultural Festival. The private school in Newport Coast also has generous backers who make sure it can extend scholarships to kids whose families couldn’t otherwise afford the costs. It’s the sort of support that can jazz up the typical lineup of food booths—as in the Resort at Pelican Hill’s famous parmesan cheese wheel, which represented Italy for the day … Congrats to Mechelle Lawrence Adams, executive director of Mission San Juan Capistrano, on her recent appointment to the Orange County Historical Commission by 5th District OC Supervisor Lisa Bartlett … Here’s introducing Adams to retired Chapman U Prof Lynne Doti, who is busy these days with a project that examines the California missions as enterprises that required a commercial aspect to support their religious imperatives … Kudos to Chancellor Gary Brahm and Chapman spinoff Brandman University, which raised the reputation of its Spectrum campus yet another notch with an ACE/Fidelity Investments Award for Institutional Transformation from the American Council on Education in Washington, D.C. … Sullivan says: The addition of the AC Hotels brand to the LA Fitness and Travelers logos on the Park Place skyline gives the center a big-city feel that goes well beyond Irvine’s population of 250,000 or so.

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