SCP’s Creamy, Dreamy B-Day; Sofar So Good

The music was lovely and the dancing superb, but it was the dreamily effective costumes and stage designs for “Whipped Cream” that made the American Ballet Theatre’s redux of the 1924 Viennese affair feel like just the right performance to celebrate South Coast Plaza’s 50th birthday with a March 15 worldwide debut at the Segerstrom Center … SCP marketing boss Debra Gunn Downing was on the job at L.A. Live the next day, which found her especially ready for the first question in a panel discussion at the Marcum Retail Symposium. Moderator Ron Friedman wondered how the Costa Mesa luxury mecca keeps things unique and fresh for its legion of upscale shoppers. Gunn Downing quickly drew on the prior evening, when special guests were invited to follow up the ballet with fine food, cocktails and the chance to rub shoulders with Whipped Cream artists at the cast party at South Coast Plaza’s Jewel Court … Word has it that Wylie Aitken is the first Irish-American and only Democrat to hold the chair of Chapman U’s Board of Trustees. Any truth to the rumor that the post carries the condition that Aitken never sing on campus? That one bubbled up after Chapman President Daniele Struppa (see related OC Leader Board, page 73) and President Emeritus Jim Doti made it to Aitken’s annual St. Patrick’s Day party at Muldoon’s, where the trial lawyer gave a … let’s say gutsy … rendition of “Danny Boy” (see related Q&A in Special Report: Law Firms, page 21) … There’s a notable spirit of reciprocity as Doti joins the board of Whittier Trust, the South Pasadena-based family office and wealth management firm that grew out of the fortune established by Max Whittier, the fellow who co-developed Beverly Hills and lent his name to its Whittier Drive. Whittier Trust has more than $11 billion in assets under advisement, an office in Costa Mesa that’s about a year old, and a 25-year resident of Newport Beach, David Dahl, as its newly appointed chief executive. “I love the personalized approach they take to investment management,” says Doti. “It’s the same culture as Chapman’s.” Dahl cited a similar match—along with Doti’s record as a leader in education and economic forecasting. “Jim Doti and Chapman exude that personal touch” that adds value that goes beyond data analytics and index funds … Edward Bernabeo, director of business development for Opus Bank, lets on that his brother-in-law Kevin O’Connell—who lives in Corona del Mar and races on the NASCAR circuit—considers the 405 Freeway the most dangerous driving he does … Sullivan says: Special thanks to Knobbe Martens’ Wendy Peterson and kudos to Sara Nishikawa, the pioneer behind Sofar Sounds’ recent debut in OC, which truly was about the music, and shone a light on the best attributes of the millennial generation … Danielle Liu is a post-millennial—part of what’s shaping up as Gen Z—and the junior at Crean Lutheran in Irvine says she’d like to play a big stage in her hometown someday. That’s why she was among the crowd that came out to support a plan to replace the now-closed Irvine Meadows Amphitheatre with an interim 12,000-seat venue near Great Park. Liu practiced lightly on her violin amid the din that preceded the Irvine City Council’s unanimous vote last week to approve the plan to have LiveNation build and operate the venue on land owned by Great Park Neighborhoods developer FivePoint Holdings.