Angels owner Arte Moreno says he and wife Carole are looking for a coastal home in Newport or Laguna. He isn’t in a rush to buy,he’s giving himself up to 18 months. But Moreno, who has homes in Phoenix and La Jolla, said he’s tired of putting the family up in hotels during homestands. Besides, “I love Orange County.” Does this mean Moreno, battling Anaheim in court over the ballclub’s name, isn’t really thinking about relocating the team? “I never said I’d move. I was asked if anybody had contacted me about moving and I said yes.” (In a November interview with the LA Times, Moreno accused Anaheim of “trying to run me out of town” and warned “somewhere along the line you have to think about whether you’re gone.”) Business looks good: Chatting with the Insider during a trial recess last week, Moreno described a ballpark that is operating at virtual capacity,season ticket sales capped at 30,000, up from last year’s record 28,387. Moreno said 60% of the ticket holders are from OC, and most of the 78 suites are held by OC companies. But he pointedly claimed that except for the city’s set-aside suites, there were no suite holders from Anaheim. Not quite accurate,a team check found four Anaheim suite holders, plus Burbank-based Disney. So Moreno sounds high on OC but down on Anaheim. The Insider wonders whether the two sides might agree to rename the team “The OC” Angels …
And that’s my 45-minute trial wrap-up. Mickadeit, back to you …
There goes the neighborhood: The planned rezoning of the Irvine Business Complex into a “live-work village” will be a windfall for many property owners in the John Wayne Airport area. Their commercial lots will double or triple in value as red-hot, high-density residential is added to the list of possible uses. And that’s creating a struggle between those that might want to sell their sites and those that want to stay. Industrial operators worry they’ll be surrounded by residents complaining about noise, traffic and environmental hazards, while developers are pushing for housing units right up to the property lines. Irvine development services manager Mike Haack says the city staff is recommending 200-foot buffers to protect businesses. But some companies are leaving nothing to chance,Haack says Allergan is trying to snap up surrounding parcels for protection. (Internal memo to ground floor tenant OCBJ: Haack says he doubts Sam Zell’s Equity Office Properties will want to convert its Citicorp office tower to condos) …
Tech visionary Tony Perkins (of Red Herring fame) told the Orange Coast Venture Group that many people think he’s related to another Silicon Valley icon, VCer Tom Perkins (Kleiner, Perkins, Caufield & Byers). “We’re not, except when I’m trying to raise money. Then he’s my dad.” Tony’s latest projects are the AlwaysOn “blogozine” and GoingOn, a Web portal.
