Echoes of ETRPA: OC supervisor hopeful Cathryn DeYoung has fired an opening salvo in what likely is to become a heated public debate over a proposed multibillion-dollar mountain tunnel connecting Riverside and Orange counties. “Stop Them,” implores a DeYoung campaign mailer depicting cars streaming to the beach cities. “Stop North County and Riverside politicians.” The mailer also decries an alternative route, “The Ortega Nightmare.” It touts expansion of the 91 freeway, in line with The Irvine Company’s thinking. The piece was created by Forde & Mollrich, the Larry Agran consultants who helped kill the proposed El Toro airport and now are promoting the Great Park. The mailer has gotten a “marvelous response,” says DeYoung campaign manager Bill Kogerman, staunch airport foe who also is a leading candidate for the vacant Great Park seat …
Correction: The Insider got lost in the branches of the Segerstrom family tree last week. Henry and the late Hal were first cousins, not brothers …
Making a worse call than Angels’ “third strike” umpire Doug Edding, the British American Business Council last week awarded a debate to the side that said OC will not remain a hotbed of technological innovation. The losers were Pete Weitzner and EE RR, the winners were PricewaterhouseCoopers’ Randy Church-ill and fork-tongued Gary Augusta of Octane. Augusta, who is supposed to promote OC tech, confided afterward that he really thinks the outlook is bright,and shared data showing that OC has more engineers, scientists and doctors than San Diego or L.A. The Insider wants a recount …
UCI’s Medal Dinner, under a giant tent and back on campus for the first time in 21 years, was a record breaker,850 in attendance, $1.2 million raised, plus a $1 million gift from Dr. Hazem and Salma Chehabi of Laguna Beach …
Now a mini-city, Mariners Church has opened its new worship center in Newport Coast. More than 2,000 of the old auditorium seats are headed to hurricane-damaged churches in the New Orleans area …
OC Biz Council chairman Peter Villegas says new CEO Lucy Dunn has expertise to advance the council’s transportation and housing initiatives, as well as Sacramento ties that will help her advocate for business issues (see page 9) …
On the UCI campus: Maya Lin, this Tuesday for the dedication of the high-tech Arts Plaza she designed. Anita Hill, keynoting the Rainbow Festival and Conference Nov. 2. Astronaut Sally Ride, at the UCI Bren Center Nov. 13 for a science festival in her name. Quest Software’s Vinny Smith, speaking at the Merage School’s industry innovator breakfast Nov. 3; call (949) 824-1172 or e-mail cei@merage.uci.edu …
“Father of the Internet” Vint Cerf speaks at the Irvine Public Schools Foundation’s donor-recognition event Nov. 4 at Shady Canyon …
Happy holidays: South Coast Plaza’s white fir is set to arrive from Mt. Shasta this Wednesday. At 95 feet, it’s five taller than last year’s tree.
