Kathryn Thompson Development Co

A developer, a municipal court judge and a mayor were among the accomplished women of Orange County honored Sunday at the YWCA's "A Tribute to Women." About 200 people attended the celebration at the Hyatt Regency Irvine. The $60-per-person luncheon was co-sponsored by the YWCA of North and South Orange County. Role Models Kathryn Thompson, chairman and chief executive officer of the Kathryn G. Thompson Development Co.

Well, it's official. The California Building Industry Assn., in a survey of home builders across the state, has found that 1991 was a "trying year" for the industry. In Orange County, the past year was a bit more than trying for the residential development industry. Still, a few builders did well during the year.

Laguna Audubon residents, many of whom bought their homes thinking they would be living in Laguna Beach and later discovered they were not, will ask the City Council this evening to consider annexing their community. The annexation bid is the latest chapter in an ongoing saga involving Laguna Audubon residents, the Kathryn G. Thompson Development Co. and the adjacent city of Laguna Beach.

The Village Arcadia, a 20-unit gated development of eight three-bedroom single-family houses and 12 three-bedroom duplex units, opens today in Arcadia east of the Santa Anita Race Track. Offered in three two-story floor plans ranging in size from 2,002 to 2,316 square feet, the houses by Century Pacific Associates are priced from $229,900 to $399,900.

Birtcher, which got its start as a small, family-owned Santa Ana home builder and later became one of the largest commercial developers on the West Coast, has come full circle. The Laguna Niguel developer said Tuesday that it has named former Kaufman & Broad executive Frank J. Scardina to head its new home-building unit, marking its return to its origins.

"You gotta get down in my hometown!" So said Detroit-born Mary Ann Miller, her blond hair smoothed into a delicate bun, her lithe figure wrapped in a turquoise gown--the picture of a demure, sophisticated gala chairwoman. Then she kicked into a bent-kneed, arm-swinging twist. Such was the mood in the main ballroom at the Irvine Hilton on Saturday night, where chefs from local restaurants prepared and served regional delicacies in 13 elaborately decorated booths.

With a host of local elections and a potentially controversial ballot measure looming on the Orange County political horizon, observers of varied political views agree that the outcomes could depend largely on how the development community plays its cards. "There is tremendous influence in the political contributions by developers," said Tom C. Rogers, a slow-growth advocate from San Juan Capistrano. "The question is whether that money will start having a greater negative impact."

Hundreds of men who put drywall in new homes all over Southern California have walked off the job, shutting down work at housing tracts from Los Angeles to the Mexican border. The men, most of them Latinos, say they are paid less now than 10 years ago, before home builders and their subcontractors broke the union during the last recession. Since then, the labor force for the Southern California drywall business has become overwhelmingly Latino.

William Lyon Co., California's largest home builder for the past four years, is undergoing a major restructuring in an effort to satisfy its major banks' demand for repayment or increased security for more than $200 million in land acquisition and development loans. As part of the restructuring and the shrinking of the company's Northern California operations, company President Dick Randall is resigning and will become a full-time consultant to the company as of Jan. 1.

LITTLEROCK: Phase 8 of Little-rock Ranchos, Narcissa Corp., 30 of 158 single-family homes; 16 pre-sold; 3-4 bedrooms, 2 baths, 1,489-1,896 square feet; $129,000-$148,000, decorated model open daily at 36947 94th St. East; exit Antelope Valley (14) Freeway at Pearblossom Highway, east to 96th Street, left to model.