From one campaign to another—and another: That seems to be the deal with former Grubb & Ellis boss Tony Thompson and OC Supe Todd Spitzer. The pol listed Thompson among business folk who endorsed his campaign last year. Thompson now lists Spitzer as a party to a proxy statement filed with the SEC as part of a bid to win back control of Strategic Realty Trust Inc., which had been in the portfolio of Thompson National Realty before San Mateo-based investor and property manager Glenborough LLC wrestled it away earlier this year. The flap also has Spitzer up for another election altogether: he’s listed as a nominee for a Strategic Realty Trust board seat as Thompson plots his proxy fight …
Round and round: so will go the wheels on the iShuttle bus that city staff has arranged to run between Bill Barber Park and the Civic Center for the Nov. 26 meeting of the Irvine City Council. The five-member body has gone round and round, too, and the meeting might tell whether FivePoint Communities’ Emile Haddad will carry the day or has come to the end of his tether on his offer to spend a couple of hundred million bucks to build a sports complex and other public amenities at the Great Park in exchange for the rights to build an additional 4,600 or so housing units on the company’s own land at the former Marine base. What does the shuttle mean? Perhaps a big turnout of backers for the FivePoint plan …
Irvine Mayor Steven Choi left little doubt that he’ll stick with his recent stand in favor of the FivePoint proposal, saying so quite clearly last week in an Irvine World News op-ed …
Choi also did some up-close-and-personal research on the Great Park and its amenities last week. He and wife, Janie, had primo seats at the opener of Cirque du Soleil’s Totem show, which is slated to run at the Great Park through Dec. 29 …
A sincere farewell to Real Orange vets Ed Arnold and Ann Pulice, who are expected to exit the PBS SoCal stage at the end of the year as part of cutbacks at the Costa Mesa-based public TV station, which is still trying to grow into the regional flagship opportunity that came its way three years ago when KCET in LA decided to go independent. Survivor dividends for reporter David Nazar, now set to wear out his shoe leather full-time for the SoCal Insider show hosted by OCBJ Exec Editor Rick Reiff, who’s been bootstrapping his way as the point person for the station when it comes to stretching out to include an LA focus. Nazar’s full-time status with SoCal Insider—he’s previously spent half his time with Real Orange—essentially doubles Reiff’s staff. And the Insider hears that Maria Hall-Brown is another survivor who looks to be in line for a boost, with more support for her LA Arts show on the way …
Congrats to Kim and Bill Rams on the arrival of Zak William Rams. Best also to newly minted big sister, Charli—and kudos to Bill’s Cornerstone Communications partners, John Christensen and Kathleen Freed, who will cover for him through the holidays to give the Rams outfit time to sort out their new routines.
