A grand jury issued a report calling for Orange County supervisors to set up a body to monitor local government and campaigns for public office, citing corruption by public servants. Supervisor Todd Spitzer said he was drafting a proposal in response to the report for his colleagues on the board to consider.
The Food and Drug Administration cited manufacturing concerns in rejecting Irvine-based Allergan Inc.’s request for approval to market Levadex, a drug to treat acute migraine headaches. Regulators’ concerns centered on Fall River, Mass.-based Exemplar Pharma LLC, a company that fills canisters for Levadex. Allergan said in a news release that it recently bought Exemplar for about $20 million and plans to “vigorously address” the concerns the FDA raised.
Economists at California State University, Fullerton say Orange County will see 36,000 new jobs this year, led by construction, real estate, hospitality and leisure. They also predicted that the unemployment rate will remain below 7% for the rest of this year and fall to a 6.3% average in 2014.
Ruby’s Diner might return to the Seal Beach Pier after all. The popular restaurant’s former manager, Art Haack, has proposed reopening it as a Ruby’s franchise. The diner, a fixture on the pier for 25 years, closed in January after owners and city officials failed to reach a lease agreement.
Irvine-based Mimi’s Cafe named Scott Miller vice president of finance, a new position at the French bistro-style restaurant chain, which got a new owner and president earlier this year.
John Galardi, fast-food industry veteran and founder of the popular Wienerschnitzel hot dog chain, died April 13 after battling pancreatic cancer. He was 75. Galardi was the founder and chair of Irvine-based Galardi Group, which operates the Wienerschnitzel, The Original Hamburger Stand and Tastee Freez chains.
Orange County Fair board members appointed an interim chief executive to replace another interim head who resigned. Doug Lofstrom is a former fair official and takes over as some people inside and outside the organization continue to criticize the failed sale of the publicly owned fairgrounds. Jerome Hoban stepped down from the post to head the Alameda County Fair.
Disneyland Resort in Anaheim officials indefinitely closed a ride at each of its two area amusement parks as they addressed safety violations flagged by state inspectors. Space Mountain was closed at Disneyland and Soarin’ Over California was closed at Disney California Adventure Park. The citations followed a review of a cleaning contractor’s injury at Space Mountain. The state Division of Safety and Health issued nearly $235,000 in fines for violations involving maintenance of fire extinguishers and safety barriers, among other problems.
The Orange County Board of Supervisors approved a memorandum of understanding on a proposed settlement agreement for John Wayne Airport. It follows approval of the settlement agreement between Orange County, the city of Newport Beach, the Airport Working Group and an organization called Stop Polluting Our Newport.
The memorandum is the next step toward preparation of an environmental impact report expected to be complete by early next year. The proposed extension on the settlement agreement, which was originally signed in 1985, would raise the limit on passengers and flights at the airport after 2020.
Vance Street Capital LLC, a Los Angeles-based private equity firm, acquired Associated Painters Inc., an aircraft painting company specializing in narrow-bodied airplanes. Associated Painters is the first add-on acquisition for Costa Mesa-based Leading Edge Aviation Services, which Vance Street acquired last year.
ECONOMIC INDICATORS
UP: Home sale prices in Orange County, where the median rose in March by 26.3% to $505,000 from a year earlier, according to DataQuick Information Systems. It was the first time in five years that the figure exceeded $500,000. Sales of homes increased by 7.2% from a year earlier.
DOWN: Asking prices for Orange County businesses, which dropped by 5% in the first quarter, according to BizBuySell.com, which posts ads for sales of private businesses. The median asking price for small businesses was $189,000, according to the website.
