Education
University of California-Irvine and the other schools in the UC system increased the number of California-based students they offered admission for the year starting in the fall. UCI extended offers to 15.6% more in-state students compared to last year, or 2,800 additional such applicants, the Orange County Register reported. The UC system increased its in-state admission offers by 15%. A state report this year criticized the system for passing over in-state applicants in favor of those from out of state, who pay higher tuition rates.
Healthcare
Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian’s Hoag Family Cancer Institute launched a first-phase clinical trial program. Hoag is working with USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center on the program, whose initial trial is testing a drug being developed for patients with advanced solid tumors in pancreatic, biliary, head and neck, and non-small cell lung cancers who’ve exhausted other treatment avenues. The hospital and USC Norris first announced their collaboration on cancer treatment in October 2013.
Insurance
Huntington Beach-based insurance provider Confie acquired on undisclosed terms two insurance brokerages in New York: Lloyd D. Sprague & Son Inc. and J.N. Mason Agency Inc. Sprague Insurance is a third-generation agency in Corning that offers personal and small commercial insurance. Its employees will move to Confie. J.N. Mason offers personal and small commercial insurance products. Confie will retain its eight employees and continue operations at its East Coast locations.
Manufacturing
Irvine-based adhesives maker Bacon Adhesives was acquired on undisclosed terms by Royal Adhesives & Sealants LLC in South Bend, Ind. Bacon develops and makes adhesives for the aerospace and defense industries. Royal serves the same industries and is a portfolio company of American Securities LLC. It acquired Bacon from Cass Polymers in Oklahoma City.
Costa Mesa-based Precision Pet Products was sold on undisclosed terms to Petmate in Arlington, Texas. Precision makes pet-related products, including wooden chicken coops. Petmate makes leashes, wooden crates, and other products. Petmate will close Precision’s Southern California headquarters and distribution center and provide severance packages to its roughly 25 employees. The Costa Mesa firm had been family-owned for about 30 years.
Services
Irvine-based data and analytics provider CoreLogic Inc. prevailed against a class-action lawsuit that accused it of altering property photos to circumvent copyright protection. A federal judge ruled there wasn’t evidence to back the suing photographers’ claim that CoreLogic intentionally removed or altered embedded information in photos, Law360 reported.
Technology
Disk drive maker Western Digital Corp. announced Chief Strategy Officer Mark Long will replace Olivier Leonetti as chief financial officer. Leonetti, who replaced Tim Leyden in the head finance role in September 2014, will “pursue other opportunities,” according to the company. He played a key role in the $17 billion takeover of Milpitas-based SanDisk Corp., which created the most diversified company in the storage market.
Transportation
John Wayne Airport was the only California airport to nab a top 10 ranking of domestic airports as chosen by readers of Travel & Leisure magazine. It came in at No. 7—ahead of facilities in Pittsburgh, Nashville, and Portland, Maine. The Portland, Ore., airport was No. 1 for the fourth straight year. Magazine readers are surveyed annually on their travel experiences around the world. Airports earned grades for access, check-in and security, restaurants, shopping, and design. Regional food offerings and easy navigation of airport areas were popular with readers, the magazine said.
Passing
Marian Bergeson of Newport Beach, who was active for more than five decades in Orange County politics and civic life, died at age 90. The Republican’s special focus was education. Gov. Pete Wilson named her the state’s education secretary in 1996, and Democrat Gray Davis, who succeeded Wilson, appointed her to the state Board of Education. She also served as an Orange County supervisor and was the first woman to be in both the state Assembly and the Senate. She lost a 1990 bid to be the state’s first female lieutenant governor.
