Fed up with schools that it says don’t prepare kids for the New Economy, the Santa Ana Chamber of Commerce is planning to launch its own technical high school. “The emphasis is on matching the curriculum with the skill needs of the workplace,” says the chamber’s Dale Ward. “High School Inc.” still is a concept,details are being worked out with “strategic partner” Santa Ana Unified, and there’s $750,000 to raise. But sites are being studied and the goal is to open September 2006 with 400 students and grow enrollment to 2,400. There would be college prep, but many graduates would be expected to immediately get a job or launch a business. Ward says it’s not a trade school: Instead of auto, machine and wood shops, there will be robot-building, a crime lab and lots of math. The chamber’s model is the 9-year-old New Technology High School in Napa, whose foundation reps will be down making a presentation to the Santa Ana folks Aug. 30 …
Wienerschnitzel, move over: Popular Chicago hot-dog chain Portillo’s is venturing outside of Illinois for the first time, with a 195-seat restaurant slated to open at the renovated Buena Park Downtown mall in October. Founder Dick Portillo says he’d eventually like 30 sites in Southern California, roughly matching his Windy City number. Portillo, a lifelong Chicagoan who did a two-year hitch at Camp Pendleton, said Chicago transplants have been begging him to bring his dogs to California. “I won’t change a thing,” Portillo says. That means no veggie dogs for health-conscious OCers, though Portillo notes that he offers a “freshly grilled” veggie sandwich …
The Angels versus the A’s is a hot ticket, but $25,000? That’s how much it will cost some folks to attend the Aug. 30 game at Angel Stadium. In their case, the big “A” won’t refer to the ballpark or either of the ballclubs,it will be for Arnold, Arte and Autry. Arte Moreno and Jackie Autry (along with Daranne and Paul Folino) are throwing a fund-raiser for Gov. Schwarzenegger that night. The $25,000 gets you into the owner’s suite with Arnold and his sponsors. For $5,000 you get to meet the governor but sit in a different suite …
UCI reports $263 million in research funding and grants for 2004-05, a fourth consecutive record year …
Armaan Rowther of Irvine penned a piece on the challenges of being a Muslim Pakistani American teen in Time magazine’s Aug. 8 cover report, “Being 13” …
Retired QLogic Chairman Gary Liebl is new regents’ chairman at Chaminade University in Honolulu …
Glenn Deck won’t be out of a job while Pelican Hill is closed for improvements. The acclaimed golf instructor has moved his operation to Oak Creek in the interim …
Fullerton’s Peter M. Small impersonates George Washington, Thomas Edison and Golda Meir. On Aug. 21 at Temple Isaiah in Newport Beach he does FDR. Call (949) 548-6900.
