Speculation is mounting that the OC Grand Jury will recommend a revamp of the Great Park board that would reduce the city of Irvine’s,and Larry Agran’s,influence …
Unlike his 62-2 drubbing with the House Appropriations Committee, President Bush would have stood a fighting chance on the Dubai Ports World deal with the OC congressional delegation. (Alas for the prez, no OCers sit on the powerful committee). An Insider poll found two who would have voted for the deal (Rohrabacher and Campbell), two who would not have (Miller and Calvert), one who wouldn’t specify but who sounded opposed (Royce) and one who wasn’t sure (Sanchez) …
Ask a Mexican, how’s it going? Muy bueno, se & #324;or. Gustavo Arellano has retained New York literary agent David Kuhn,the former Brill’s Content editor in chief who also represents “Deep Throat” Mark Felt,to negotiate a book deal. “He contacted me,” says Arellano, who is making the talk-show rounds, has joined the Los Angeles Times’ op-ed stable and is working on syndication of his OC Weekly column …
Southern California Edison’s Tony Aguilar, watching the World Baseball Classic game between the U.S. and Japan in Angel Stadium, came up with this banner: “The L.A. U.S. of Anaheim” …
Kristina Dodge kicked off her shoes on “Inside OC,” too …
“Orange County, California, Grows Up to Be the Urban ‘Hot Spot,'” reports real estate-info company Hanley Wood,but not for OC’s traditional planned communities or huge tract housing projects: “Over the next decade it’s urban infill and redevelopment that will play a key role …
driven by a lack of land and dismal levels of affordable housing opportunities” …
What will be left to say? EE RR follows Mayor Curt Pringle at the Anaheim Business and Economic Development Conference April 4 in the Disneyland Hotel. Info at www.anaheimchamber.org …
In enemy territory: Lieutenant governor can-didate/Assemblywoman Jackie Speier, D-San Francisco, visits the Center Club next Monday for a breakfast fund-raiser hosted by lawyer George Rudolph …
“The O.C.” star Mischa Barton promotes Keds this Saturday at Tilly’s in Irvine Spectrum Center …
In a 10-day stretch, George Argyros was being honored at the Forum for Corporate Directors dinner and the Athletes First event (for Orangewood) and making the keynote address at the OCBJ Excellence in Entrepreneurship luncheon. His key talking points: Business is about people, we’re lucky to be Americans, he’s lucky to be married to “Mrs. Ambassadorable” Julia, and, thanks to his ambassador stint in Spain, he finally outranks his three-star buddy, Gen. William Lyon. The OCBJ event drew 640, up 200 from last year (see coverage, page 1) …
And 1,000 are expected May 25 for the OCBJ’s Women in Business Awards luncheon, to be keynoted by Playboy CEO Christie Hefner.
