Education
The University of California-Irvine School of Law earned full American Bar Association accreditation, making it the second school in Orange County with that status. The school launched in 2009 and received provisional ABA approval in 2011. Meanwhile, Chapman University’s Dale E. Fowler School of Law announced that its students’ “first-time” pass rate was 75% for the February California Bar Exam compared with 69% for other ABA-accredited schools in the state. Chapman law school graduates taking the exam again after previously failing passed at a 67% rate compared with 56% for other schools in California, Chapman said.
University of California-Irvine researchers are trying to connect rats and robots using humans as intermediaries. Jeff Krichmar, professor of cognitive science, is studying how dopamine and serotonin affect rats, translating the chemical effects into software and using the data to influence robotic behavior. Dopamine and serotonin also are involved with pleasure and anxiety in humans. “We’re trying to make the robot brain more like the human brain,” he said. “We mathematically model those chemicals and mimic their effect on behavior.”
Entertainment
The Lido Theatre in Newport Beach will start hosting live performances in addition to movies, said the company that will soon become its operator. Lido Live, which is scheduled to become the 1930s theater’s operator at the end of the month after current operator Regency Theatres’ lease ends, said it plans for the theater to be the site of concerts, book readings and charity events, as well as movies. It also plans to add beer to the concessions menu.
Finance
Bellwether Enterprise, a commercial lender based in Cleveland, Ohio, opened a West Coast office in Irvine. Trent Brooks, formerly chief operating officer at Lyon Communities in Newport Beach, will head the new office. The company said it will make $2.3 billion in loans this year compared to $1.8 billion last year and that it plans further growth. Its specialty is multifamily home lending.
Hospitality
An undisclosed buyer acquired the DoubleTree Suites by Hilton Hotel Doheny Beach in Dana Point for $54.1 million in a package deal with an Embassy Suites near the Baltimore-Washington International Airport. Texas real estate investment trust FelCor Lodging Trust Inc. sold the property and said it will use the money to pay off debt.
Restaurants
Popbar opened its first Orange County location at the new Anaheim Packing District food court. It’s the company’s first in Orange County and only its second in the U.S. It operates a shop in New York City, where it’s based, and four in Jakarta. Locations in Canada and Mexico are also planned. The company plans to franchise. Popbar makes gelato and sorbet popsicles in funky flavors, including passion fruit, green tea, kiwi and hot chocolate, as well as kosher, gluten-free, lactose-free and vegan options (see related item, OC Insider, page 3).
Services
Universal Protection Services in Santa Ana acquired Industrial Security Service Corp. in Houston on undislosed terms. It’s part of Universal Services of America, which operates security, safety and building maintenance units. The company has more than $1 billion in annual revenue overall and more than 40,000 employees, about 3,000 of them in Orange County. It said the latest deal will add about 300 employees and about $11 million in revenues.
The San Diego-based Fitwall chain of gyms is opening its first location in Orange County in the summer at Fashion Island in Newport Beach. The gyms feature climbing equipment.
Sports
Anaheim Mayor Tom Tait said he wants a report on proposed Angel Stadium renovations to be made public. The city’s attorney has so far refused requests to release the report, which is a centerpiece of talks between the city and the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim on a new stadium lease (see related item, OC Insider, page 3). City Attorney Michael Houston has said the document is a draft and could be deemed privileged information related to the talks.
Transportation
AirTran Airways will be the only carrier flying to Mexico from John Wayne Airport once InterJet ends its service to Mexico City and Guadalajara. The airline said its last flight would be July 19. JWA manager for customer relations Rachel Gibson said InterJet’s numbers “weren’t what they used to be” when the carrier began flying out of JWA in October 2012. “It was a new market for them, and that’s always difficult.” InterJet couldn’t be reached for comment.
