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Tuesday, Mar 19, 2024
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Ritz Rumbling; Edwards’ Man of Steel; El-Erian’s Extra at White House

Rumblings of the Ritz landing at the Balboa Bay Club after its Newport Center lease runs out next year are premature. One thing is for sure: The restaurant won’t be moving to another location in Newport Center or to Fashion Island. Ray Jacobi says he recently wrapped up talks with Irvine Company execs without any possibilities open in the neighborhood. Jacobi says he remains on the hunt for a “silver lining.” A Balboa Bay Club-Ritz match sounds right to the Insider, but that will likely have to wait until some buyer can do the deal that eluded Winston Chung earlier this year …

Healthcare’s gain: Edwards LifeSciences boss Mike Mussallem has overseen the development of what could be the biggest breakthrough in heart valves in years. That’s a long way from the steel mill in Gary, Indiana, where Mussallem worked summers to help pay for college. He did well amid the smoke stacks, moving up to assistant metallurgist and declining an offer for a permanent job to take his chances in a newer industry (see story, page 1) …

Pimco CEO Mohamed A. El-Erian went beyond his brief on a recent visit to the White House, where he was invited to talk about empowering women throughout the world. He said competition for talent dictates a total policy of inclusion at Pimco. “If you want the best in the business, then you create a completely level playing field that’s merit-based,” according to El-Erian. Pimco takes “gender equality —and more generally, minority empowerment —really seriously, and we do so for our own self interest,” he said (see story, Minority-Owned Companies, this page) …

Julia Argyros is finally eligible to vote, having turned 18 on Feb. 29. That’s her story and she’s stickin’ to it—the rest of you can do the Leap Year math …

Triangle Square is axing the four-sided part of its name as part of an estimated $25 million makeover (see story, page 1). How did the 20-year old landmark get two shapes in its moniker? Blame government, says Don Lamm, a former deputy city manager for Costa Mesa. Then-Mayor Peter Buffa said “we need a public square in downtown Costa Mesa” when the center went up, and the rest is history, said Lamm. Both Buffa and Lamb went on to consulting, and each has advised owners of center at various times …

Media Taketh Away: A glowing review in the Wall Street Journal for Fisker Automotive’s Karma luxury hybrid went cold with word that one of them conked out during speed testing by Consumer Reports last week …

St. Pat’s to Cinco de Mayo: Check with Maureen Calla-han of Callahan & Borchard for upcoming party schedules. She’s got connections to the Celtic Bar Association and Hispanic Bar Association, both of which host seminars for ongoing education as well as charity events and social functions. Maureen has managed to mix the professional and social aspects: She met husband Dan of Callahan & Blaine after he presented at one of the Hispanic Bar’s seminars …

Memo to Michael Gall, son of the OCBJ’s Steve Gall and keyboardist for Fusion Beat, the underdog band that claimed the People’s Choice award at the OC Music Awards at the Grove: We knew you when you were playing Saturday-afternoon gigs at the Irvine Spectrum.

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