Business Orange County

A month ago, Bronx resident Gary Feldman was at the end of his rope--or, rather, cord. The New Yorker had spent nearly two weeks and untold dollars in phone calls in a fruitless attempt to locate batteries to replace the three in his Plantronics brand cordless telephone. With the original batteries no longer available, similar batteries must be specially assembled.

Stater Bros. Inc. said Tuesday that it will nearly double its presence in Orange County by acquiring 14 supermarkets as Albertson's Inc. unloads 145 stores in the West to win approval of its $9.8-billion acquisition of American Stores Co. In all, 20 Albertsons, Lucky or Max Grocery stores in Orange County are changing hands. Commerce-based Certified Grocers of California will buy four stores, while Vons Cos. and Ralphs Grocery Co. will get one each. The deal will give Colton-based Stater Bros.

These days, they're all trying to hop aboard this train. In traffic-choked Orange County, a proposal to build an 18-mile monorail line through the heart of the region has normally staid politicos and bureaucrats abuzz with anticipation. The cities of Fullerton and Huntington Beach have been clamoring in recent weeks to join five central Orange County cities that have already started a push for the futuristic transportation system.

Business news this year ranged from entertaining stories to serious issues that affect us all. How much do you remember about the articles that appeared on the Orange County business pages this year? * (1) Which stars were among those immortalized at Movieland Wax Museum? A. Jim Nabors. B. Carol Burnett. C. Vicki Lawrence. D. Andy Griffith. F. All of the above Extra credit: Which ones showed up for the grand unveiling of their wax likenesses?

Don Weir left Kansas during the Depression in the 1930s, went to Bakersfield and to Long Beach and served in the Army. When he got to Huntington Beach, "it was (oil) rig after rig after rig. Used to be all along the coast and on the bluffs above the beach. Now it's down to a handful of wells." "The oil industry, it's been good to me. Through the years it's treated me good." But now he's getting ready to quit. "I'm not gonna fight it."

Manufacturers in Orange County had one of their best post-recession quarters in the July-September period with increased productivity and a decline in layoffs, according to a report issued Monday. The good news, from Chapman University's quarterly purchasing manager survey, comes at a time when a number of negative economic signals have sounded. Unemployment for September rose slightly to 6% from 5.

The continuing movement of manufacturers out of Orange County is having a more negative impact on the local economy than the loss of defense-related jobs from federal budget cuts, a Chapman College economist said Friday.

Please pardon Mrs. Dease if she's a bit reluctant to tell people exactly what she's up to these days. She manages her employees' United Way campaign, which is nice. She makes sure that Maria, her precocious 14-year-old, gets in before curfew every night. You know how teen-agers are. She checks in almost daily on her first grandchild, 6-week-old Victoria Lynn. Who wouldn't?

Can it be? A new twist on the world's oldest profession? So say Garden Grove police, who--after a four-week investigation--have arrested 12 people on suspicion of prostitution at three area tanning salons. Massage parlors have traditionally held the distinction as covers for prostitution. But now, local authorities said, the trend may be changing, with the illegal trade shifting to businesses that purport to offer more 1990s-style pampering--like tanning salons.

A proposed alliance between Orange County's two giant concert amphitheaters has prompted an investigation by the U.S. Justice Department's antitrust division, concert industry officials said Friday. But the deal, if approved, could end years of bitter rivalry between the Pacific Amphitheatre in Costa Mesa and the Irvine Meadows Amphitheatre.