San Francisco Business Times articles from August 2001

San Francisco Business Times archives from August 2001

S.F. firm dials un huge broadband deal.(Yipes Communications Inc. buys broadband access rights to 3,500 U.S. office buildings)(Brief Article)
August 3, 2001... Snapping up access to 3,500 buildings for just $5.4M hypes Yipes Yipes Communications Inc. has purchased broadband access rights to 3,500 office buildings across the nation from a bankrupt competitor, a deal that provides the San Francisco...

Sears Point races for its trophy.(Sears Point International Raceway marketing startegy)(Brief Article)
August 3, 2001... Who will rename racetrack? Racing under an economic yellow flag, Sears Point Raceway is still revving, its sponsorship engines in search of corporate backers. The Sonoma County speedway's long-term sponsorship roster and revenue have...

City schools roll up sleeves to teach mall owner a lesson.(Urban Retail Properties Co., San Francisco Unified School District case)(Legal Beat)(Brief Article)
August 3, 2001... The operators of the plush Nordstrom-anchored San Francisco Shopping Centre are locked in a dispute with their school district landlord, who wants to impose the first rent increase in 18 years. Racking up an estimated $1 million in legal...

Gump's gets tossed into bargain bin.(Hanover Direct Inc. to sell Gump's Corp.)(Brief Article)
August 3, 2001... Gump's, one of San Francisco's oldest shopping emporiums, is on the auction block again as its financially ailing East Coast parent company struggles to raise cash. Hanover Direct Inc., which purchased the store in 1993 from Charter House...

Kaiser faces time crunch to fill slots.(California's nursing crisis affects Kaiser Foundation Health Plan and Foundation Hospitals)(Brief Article)
August 3, 2001... Kaiser wants more time to fix its nursing problem. Already working to fill 900 to 1,200 empty nursing jobs at its California hospitals, officials at the Oakland-based hospital chain and HMO have asked the state to delay enforcement of...

Sign of the times.(Oakland mixed-use housing project)(Brief Article)
August 3, 2001... Plans trimmed for huge Oakland mixed-use project East Bay developer Rick Holliday has radically scaled back plans for a massive mixed-use project at the abandoned West Oakland train station. Plans for up to 3 million square feet of...

VC firm manages to raise two funds.(San Francisco venture capital firm will invest in information technology and life sciences)(Brief Article)
August 3, 2001... Alta Partners, a San Francisco venture capital firm, has raised two funds totaling $450 million that it will invest in information technology and life sciences. Alta Partners III and Alta BioPharma II are follow-on funds to earlier...

Few happy endings for BofA executive dramas.(Bank of America's executive departures)(Brief Article)
August 3, 2001... Bank of America's personnel department could give Hollywood a run for its money when it comes to the spin and creativity used to explain executive departures. Much like other offices gossip about who's next to get bumped off from...

FROM NEW ECONOMY TO NEW ECONOMIES.(Society for Internet Advancement )(Internet/Web/Online Service Information)(Brief Article)
August 3, 2001... The Society for Internet Advancement San Francisco could use a little advancing itself these days. The 2,000-member group hosted a social networking shindig with the help of AOL, DoubleClick and Venture PR Group at The Cellar last week,...

Swig condo project dodges foreclosure -- for now.(Prudential Investments delays foreclosing on condominium development)(Brief Article)
August 3, 2001... Prudential Investments said it has delayed foreclosing on developer Kent Swig's massive condominium development site, but is pressing forward with a lawsuit against him. Swig defaulted earlier this year on a $20 million loan from...

Brisbane software firm nabs $14 million.(Trigo Technologies gets $14 mn in second round of venture funding)(Brief Article)
August 3, 2001... Brisbane-based business software company Trigo Technologies has secured $14 million in a second round of venture funding led by Mayfield of Menlo Park. The one-and-a-half year old company will use the capital to expand its sales,...

Oracle raises its voice with new tech plans.(Oracle expanding dialogue and linguistics research lab in Chicago)(Brief Article)
August 3, 2001... Oracle plans to intensify its commitment to voice technology by working with the sector's leaders and expanding its dialogue and linguistics research lab in Chicago. Starting in November, Oracle9i servers will come outfitted with the...

New York developer close to purchasing First Street luxury condominium site.(Atlantic and Pacific and Sapphire Properties sell condominium complex)(Brief Article)
August 3, 2001... New York condominium developer Crescent Heights has put under contract 333 First St., a site entitled for a $60 million 342-unit luxury condominium complex, according to the project's design firm. The sellers of the 32,000-square-foot site,...

Corrections&Amplifications.(InsWeb sells only auto insurance)(Brief Article)(Correction Notice)
August 3, 2001... Clarifying the story "Thinking Inside the Box" (July 6-12 edition), InsWeb's agency sells only auto insurance. It refers customers to other agencies for its life, home and other insurance products. In "Doctors swallow new medicine to ease...

Study: Job growth rolls on despite tech blowout.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
August 3, 2001... Judging from the reports of dot-com downsizings and the exodus of the unemployed, one might assume that jobs are dwindling in San Francisco. Not so, according to a study to be released by the San Francisco Partnership. From second-quarter...

Area wireless company hunts for financing under cloud of lawsuits and frozen stock.(U.S. Wireless)(Brief Article)
August 3, 2001... Like other unprofitable startups, U.S. Wireless is used to working against a ticking clock. Problem is, those ticks have become much louder in recent weeks. The San Ramon company is now under the gun to raise additional financing while...

DAVE De WALT.(CEO of Documentum)(Brief Article)
August 3, 2001... RESUME Name: Dave de Walt Title: CEO Company: Documentum, a Pleasanton-based content management software company. It posted $197.6 million in sales and $8.7 million net income for fiscal 2000. Education: Computer science and...

Hines backs away from Mission high-rise site.(Brief Article)
August 3, 2001... Developer Hines has indefinitely put off completing the pricey purchase of a prime development site at 535 Mission St. Hines is still interested in buying the property, but the closing with seller Blackstone Real Estate Advisors is being...

Court orders sale of SoMa site after one-year legal battle.(Doheny-Vidovich Partners and A.F. Evans Company Inc. legal suit)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
August 3, 2001... An ugly legal battle between two South of Market developers has resulted in a court-ordered sale of the developers' land. The sale of 675 Townsend St. marks a step toward the end of a more than one-year legal battle between San Francisco...

Developers chase Oakland's $500M port project.(Brief Article)
August 3, 2001... Developers Interland Corp. and Shorenstein Co., which teamed up for an oh-so-close but unsuccessful tilt at the Presidio's prime development site two years ago, hope to find better luck together in Oakland. Operating as Oakland Harborwalk...

BLACKBURN HAS NO REGRETS.(Ann Blackburn of Presidio Trust)(Brief Article)
August 3, 2001... Former deputy real estate director Ann Blackburn, who was recently ousted from her Presidio Trust post, is pursuing jobs in the private sector. The real estate veteran said she's proud of her accomplishments at the Presidio, where she was...

CRIME DOES PAY FOR RICHMOND.(state Department of Justice acquires space at Richmond Tech Center)(Brief Article)
August 3, 2001... For once, crime has helped bring in new business to one Richmond neighborhood. The State of California's Department of Justice recently signed up for 68,000 square feet. of space formerly occupied by Pixar at the Point Richmond Tech...

APARTMENT RENTS DOWN ACROSS BAY.(RealFacts apartment market information)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
August 3, 2001... Data just released by apartment research firm RealFacts shows the softening of the apartment market is a Bay Area-wide trend. In San Francisco County, average rent for all types of apartments averaged $2,157, down from $2,316 in the first...

Rate cuts batter community banks, depositors feel squeeze.(interest rates cut again)(Brief Article)
August 3, 2001... The Fed's most aggressive easing of interest rates in two decades is hurting community bankers' bottom lines as the margin tightens between what they pay on deposits and earn on loans. And real estate borrowers -- a huge segment of a...

Report: Internet mergers and acquisitions rebound slightly, while shutdowns slow.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
August 3, 2001... The rate of Internet company shutdowns slowed dramatically in July to its lowest level since September, according to a new report from Webmergers.com, a San Francisco-based web property marketplace. Though July included the high-profile...

Inside Traders.(San Francisco executive's stock sales)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
August 3, 2001... Inside Traders A look at selling of shares by Bay Area executives Shares sold 45,000 Were shares sold options? Yes Options exercised price $32.50 Shares said price $59.15 Shares sold...

Visa, hungry bankers get hip to the 'un-banked'.(VISA U.S.A. Inc. payroll card)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
August 3, 2001... Everyone wants the "un-banked." Visa U.S.A. -- through Bank of America, U.S. Bancorp and a handful of other institutions -- is rolling out a "payroll card," aimed at workers who don't deposit money in bank accounts. Employers...

NEXTCARD GETS SECURED.(NextCard Inc. secure card accounts)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
August 3, 2001... NextCard Inc.'s secure card -- the San Francisco-based online credit card issuer's attempt to gather higher-risk customers -- has garnered 40,000 accounts in the year since its introduction. "It's still in its infancy," says CEO John...

E-TRADE'S MORTGAGES ON THE RISE.(Brief Article)
August 3, 2001... The new mortgage unit of Menlo Park based E-Trade Group's banking subsidiary has funded more than $2 billion in mortgage originations since E-Trade acquired the former LoansDirect in February. E-Trade Mortgage's quarterly volume reached...

Wells Fargo adds juice with loans for energy-saving equipment.(Wells Fargo and Co. new service in California)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
August 3, 2001... Wells Fargo is tapping into California's power shortage with a new loan program to help small business owners finance energy-saving equipment. The loan program, called Wells Fargo Equipment Express, waives its initial $150 documentation...

ANOTHER BOFA EXEC DEPARTS.(Bank of America management shakeup)(Brief Article)
August 3, 2001... Jeanine Brown, executive vice president overseeing online banking in San Francisco, is leaving Bank of America as part of the housecleaning under way by new CEO Ken Lewis. She joins the growing sisterhood of top female executives who have...

VCS HIRING DESPITE RECORD LOSSES.(venture capital companies)(Brief Article)
August 3, 2001... Several Bay Area venture firms are adding top investment professionals with operational experience and related skills that are of even greater value amid the tech shakeout. Bessemer Venture Partners brought on board Chris Risley as...

CEO: FUTURE IS ONLINE PRIVATE BANKING.(D.R. Grimes, NetBank)(Brief Article)
August 3, 2001... D.R. Grimes, an early Internet pioneer who saw the opportunity for an Internet-only bank with the 1996 launch of NetBank, now believes there's an opportunity to deliver online private banking services to the wealthy and emerging affluent. ...

FCB shakes up San Francisco office after parent company posts big-time losses.(Interpublic Group of Companies Inc. loses accounts and posts second-quarter losses)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
August 3, 2001... FCB San Francisco last week sent executive creative director Rooney Carruthers packing back to England, promoting Tom O'Keefe in his stead. The shakeup is no surprise, considering that FCB's parent company, Interpublic Group of Cos.,...

S.F. APPAREL GIANT TAKES LUMPS.(Robert Hanson is moved to Levi's North America as president)(Brief Article)
August 3, 2001... San Francisco apparel giant Levi Strauss & Co. is still facing an uphill baffle. Signs of a sustained recovery have been spotty at best, and by now, many feel CEO Phil Marineau's honeymoon period with the battered brand may just about be...

SHOW GOES ON FOR INFOMERCIAL GURU.(Lenny Lieberman)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
August 3, 2001... Lenny Lieberman may not be a household name, but if you're a dedicated television grazer you've likely seen his work. Lieberman, the CEO of Lieberman Productions in San Francisco, is considered one of the top names in the rough-and-tumble...

Nursing shortage gives unions more leverage.(deal for nurses at Alameda Hospital)(Brief Article)
August 3, 2001... Nurses at Alameda Hospital are feeling a little more secure about their future. Not only has the union approved a new deal for the 165 RNs at the hospital, but one of the provisions includes retirement benefits, which the nurses will get...

IKNOWMED.COM DROPS ITS SPACE.(puts office space on market for leasing)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
August 3, 2001... There is one thing that IKnowMed.com knows: dot-coms don't grow like they thought they would. The private Berkeley-based application service provider (ASP) seller, which devotes itsell to cancer patients and physicians, has placed 35,000 square...

Former Giants group out with collusion-award tax ruling.(baseball team owners)(Brief Article)
August 3, 2001... The reach of Major League Baseball's historic collusion case is proving longer than a first baseman's stretch. Following an April U.S. Supreme Court ruling that denied an employment tax refund for the Cleveland Indians, the Internal Revenue...

2012 TECH: IT'S GOTTA WORK.(technology for Summer Olympic Games)(Brief Article)
August 3, 2001... Leaders of the movement to bring the 2012 Summer Olympic Games to the Bay Area have one main objective: Make sure the technology works. To that end, Bill Schlough, technology theme leader the Bay Area Sports Organizing Committee (BASOC) and...

Voice from the future.(AT and T Labs introduces speech synthesis software)(Brief Article)
August 3, 2001... AT&T Labs premieres own Products, including speech software designed to sound more human When you call your bank again to check your balance, you just might get Darth Vader telling you that you are overdrawn. For that matter, when you need...

ISPs to SBC: Stick your 'clenching' some place else.(California ISP Association complaint against SBC Communications)(Brief Article)
August 3, 2001... Already embroiled in a battle with Pacific Bell's parent, SBC Communications, over contracts for digital subscriber line service, the California ISP Association is turning up the heat in a complaint filed with the California Public Utilities...

GOING FOR THE GOLD.(U.S. businesses to help China prepare for 2008 Olympics)(Brief Article)
August 3, 2001... China's successful bid for the 2008 Olympics could make companies here big winners. That's the bet of Hong Lu, president and CEO of the Alameda-based telecommunications equipment maker UTStarcom Inc., which presently does about 98 percent...

JUICED OVER CITRIS.(Center for Information Technology Research in the Interest of Society gets budget funding)(Brief Article)
August 3, 2001... The Center for Information Technology Research in the Interest of Society -- also known by its fruity-sounding acronym CITRIS, survived the state budget process to get $20 million in fiscal 2002 and a commitment for $100 million overall. ...

Google CEO sings praises of being private company.(Larry Page)(Brief Article)(Interview)
August 3, 2001... Google's holding the firewall between editorial and advertising content in the search world. The Mountain View company delivers search results based on the number of links, type of page and other relevant factors, powering Yahoo, International...

Changing with the tide.(shifting business strategies)(Brief Article)
August 3, 2001... Firms chart new courses in today's blustery economy Bay Area companies have Bay grabbed headlines and investor attention by shifting strategy amid tight capital markets, with mixed results. In an another era, many of these companies...

Bebe struts its stuff with new products, new prez.(John Parros)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
August 3, 2001... Bebe Stores Inc. is growing up. But the saucy designer/retailer, which swanned through its formative years as a favorite of Wall Street analysts and customers alike, has learned that adolescence is never easy. Brisbane-based Bebe faced...

Sybase strikes back: Tech firm turns losses into profits in three years.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
August 3, 2001... After losing market share to young tech upstarts throughout the '90s, Sybase Inc. is back in the black. The Emeryville-based database software maker went from a net loss of $93.13 million in 1998 to posting a net income of $72.1 million in...

COR heats up revenues while keeping its cool.(COR Therapeutics)(Brief Article)
August 3, 2001... Sometimes discretion is the better part of valor. Although revenues at COR Therapeutics have increased by a galloping 150 percent since 1998, the South San Francisco company isn't afraid to rein itself in when necessary. Most biotechs...

Engineering firm strikes a shaky path to growth.(Degenkolb Engineers )(Brief Article)
August 3, 2001... Seismic projects stand the test of time Degenkolb Engineers has built a fast-growing business on the shakiest of grounds -- seismic engineering. The San Francisco engineering firm has prospered by helping reduce the havoc earthquakes...

Largest Bay Area Biotech Companies.(ranked by number of empployees)(Statistical Data Included)
August 3, 2001... While some biotech firms are grabbing headlines in their medical advances, with stem cell research making a recent splash, staff growth among the companies on this week's List of Largest Biotech Firms in the Bay Area remained modest. Biotech...

BayAreaPeople.(Executive Changes)
August 3, 2001... BANKING/FINANCE California Pacific Bank promoted Michael Johnson to president. He was previously executive vice president of the firm, and has also served as executive vice president and senior credit officer at the Bank of Contra Costa....

Group offers lots at advice for new SBA chief Hector Barreto.(Brief Article)
August 3, 2001... Hector V. Barreto Jr. was sworn in July 27 as head of the Small Business Administration. Barreto, who previously owned a financial services business in Los Angeles, dodged controversy by avoiding specifics at his confirmation hearing. He...

Tea time.(Mighty Leaf Tea)(Brief Article)
August 3, 2001... Couple turns hobby into thriving business, carries tea ritual into modern world When Gary Shinner and his wife-to-be Jill Portman bought their engagement rings, the jeweler performed an ancient tea ceremony. They were hooked. The...

STEPHEN MACMILLAN.(Brief Article)
August 3, 2001... RESUME Name: Stephen MacMillan Title: CEO, co-owner. Company: Potrero Brewing Co., San Francisco; a brewery, restaurant and beer manufacturer. 2000 revenue: $2.6 million. Number of employees: 60. Year founded: 1999....

CEO opens new chapter at document firm.(Dave De Walt, Documentum)(Brief Article)
August 3, 2001... Pleasanton-based Documentum's president has moved to the center of the ring to fight another round for market share. Dave De Walt replaced Jeffrey Miller as CEO of the ontent management company after Miller was named chairman. "We have...

Developer seeks to buy back land it sold.(Trumark Commercial sold land a year ago to Asyst Technologies)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
August 3, 2001... Simply by being in the right place at the right time, Trumark Commercial may have played its cards right -- by selling a prized chunk of land at the height of the market and now trying to get it back -- likely at a much lower price. The...

Sun may shine on Bay Area housing shortage.(Sun Microsystems)(Brief Article)(Column)
August 3, 2001... Those who need housing in the Bay Area, and those who build it, are used to plenty of doom and gloom. They may be about to get a welcome bit of Sun shine. The reasons why the planets rarely line up for housing here are no secret Good...

Some problems don't need a solution.(all companies should not describe what their company does as a solution)(Brief Article)(Editorial)
August 3, 2001... I have a request of anyone who uses "solutions" to describe whateverthey sell. Stop. You are torturing your potential customers, and you sound silly. You might as well brag that you sell "stuff." I know the theory. The word is supposed...

Traffic woes choke off San Francisco's job growth.(transportation affected by downtown infrastructure)(Brief Article)
August 3, 2001... Downtown San Francisco, the traditional job center in the region, is headed for trouble. The problem is simple: the transportation routes to and from downtown are filled to capacity. We are quickly approaching the point at which it...

Anti-union agenda hurts Californians.(response to article by Eric Christen)(Brief Article)(Column)
August 3, 2001... Lobbyist Eric Christen's recent opinion in the Business Times ("Unions play the villains in state's energy tragedy," July 13-19 edition) blames California's electrical shortages on contractors, construction workers and their unions. Don't...

Letter To The Editor.
August 3, 2001... Webvan dream over Thank you for your Webvan article. It's nice to know that there are many of us who feel -- how shall I say it -- shafted by Webvan's disappearance. My friends and family wonder that I didn't see Webvan's downfall...

H-P LAYS OFF 6,900 WORKERS.(Hewlett-Packard Co.)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
August 3, 2001... Hewlett-Packard Co. said it will slash 6,000 jobs in an effort to save $500 million annually as the computer giant warned that global economic weakness and anemic technology spending will result in revenues that are 14 to 16 precent lower then...

JDS UNIPHASE LAYS OFF 7,000.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
August 3, 2001... JDS Uniphase, which is co-headquartered in Ottawa and San Jose, said that it expects to reduce its work force, by 7,000 jobs, adding significantly to the 9,000 workers it has already laid off. The company is also reducing manufacturing...

GOV. DAVIS SIGNS $101B STATE BUDGET.(Gray Davis, $101 billion budget for state of California)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
August 3, 2001... Gov. Gray Davis signed the $101 billion state budget bill, which increased education spending by $2.5 billion and includes $4.3 billion in tax relief. Added education spending -- to the tune of $250 million -- was set aside to help schools and...

SUN TO ELIMINATE 300 JOBS.(Sun Microsystems Inc.)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
August 3, 2001... As many as 300 jobs are expected to be eliminated by computer workstation maker Sun Microsystems Inc., the company said in a memo to employees this week. A spokeswoman for Palo Alto-based Sun said the layoffs are part of an ongoing redeployment...

PROSPECT VENTURE CLOSES $500M FUND.($500 million venture fund, Prospect Venture Partners)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
August 3, 2001... Palo Alto-based Prospect Venture Partners, a venture capital firm focused on medical technology and life science companies, said it closed its second fund at $500 million. The firm's prior fund -- $100 million Prospect Venture Partners I --...

BANG NETWORKS NAMES CEO AND CHAIRMAN.(Kirk Dunn, Vince Vannelli)(Brief Article)
August 3, 2001... San Francisco-based Bang Networks said it has filled its CEO and chairman roles, both new positions at the 2-year-old company, with former Inktomi executives. Kirk Dunn, most recently vice president of North American field operations at...

DIGITAL THINK CEO STEPS DOWN.(Digital Think Inc. CEO and president Pete Goettner resigns, is replaced by Jon Madonna)(Brief Article)
August 3, 2001... Digital Think Inc., a San Francisco-based online learning company, said that co-founder Pete Goettner will step down as CEO and president Jon Madonna will take over the position. Goettner the company's CEO since 1996, Will remain chairman....

BLUELIGHT.COM STOPS FREE SERVICE.(Internet access service)(Brief Article)
August 3, 2001... BlueLight.com, the San Francisco-based online retail site for Kmart Corp., said it is lowering the price of its Internet access service and discontinuing its free service. When it originally launched, the company provided unlimited Internet...

BART ASKS FOR ANOTHER COOLING OFF PERIOD.(Bay Area Rapid Transit system)(Brief Article)
August 3, 2001... In an effort to stave off a strike which could shut down the Bay Area Rapid Transit system (BART), managers of the commuter rail system again asked Gov. Gray Davis to impose a 60-day cooling-off period, this lime for talks between BART and the...

BAY AREA SNAGS LESS VENTURE FUNDING.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
August 3, 2001... Northern California companies snagged only 29.5 percent of total venture capital investments in the second quarter, or $3.1 billion, down from 34.14 percent in the prior-year quarter, according to a report by Venture Economics and the National...

NETCENTIVES SLICES ROSTER BY NEARLY HALF.(layoffs, reorganization)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
August 3, 2001... San Francisco-based Netcentives, which provides online loyalty and marketing services, said it will cut its workforce by 47.8 percent -- from 345 employees to 180 -- as part of a company restructuring. Other steps in the restructuring include...

CRAIGSLIST MAY INTRODUCE FEE SERVICES.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
August 3, 2001... San Francisco-based community site Craigslist is looking for ways to increase its revenues, and may start charging $10 to $20 for car and truck listings, $1 to $5 for personals-postings and $100 to $200 for monthly subscriptions to access...

WORLD WIDE WIRELESS LOSES CEO.(Brief Article)
August 3, 2001... Oakland-based World Wide Wireless Communications Inc. said that Jack Cutter, the company's president; chairman and CEO, has stepped down, along with directors Robert Bowman and Sonny Rath Eugene Davis, the chairman of turnaround consulting firm...

ADAPTIVE BROADBAND FILES FOR CHAPTER 11.(Brief Article)
August 3, 2001... Sunnyvale-based Adaptive Broadband Corp. said it has filed for reorganization under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code. The company plans to wind down its business and sell its assets through the Chapter 11 process. Four of the five company...

A BAD WEEK FOR AVANT.(Brief Article)
August 3, 2001... Early last week, Avant Corp. was ordered to pay $182 million in restitution to Cadence Design Systems for charges of trade secret theft and several current and former executives were handed jail sentences for their involvement. Since then, the...

INFINEON TO CUT JOBS.(worldwide)(Brief Article)
August 3, 2001... Geman semiconductor maker Infineon, which has its North American headquarters in San Jose, said it will reduce the size of its worldwide full-time work force by 5,000 jobs. It expects the cuts and other cost-saving measures to save more than...

FCC APPROVES FOX TAKEOVER OF CHANNEL 44.(Fox Television Stations Inc. )(Brief Article)
August 3, 2001... San Francisco's KBHK (Channel 44) will come under the flag of Fox Television Stations Inc. after the Federal Communications Commission ruled Wednesday that Fox could buy nine stations from Chris-Craft Industries. The controversial $5.35 billion...

BIOSCIENCE FIRM TO CUT JOBS.(Hyseq Inc.)(Brief Article)
August 3, 2001... Hyseq Inc. said it will trim 20 percent of its work force after posting a second-quarter net loss of $8.4 million or 55 cents per share. The actual number of positions to be eliminated was not revealed by the company. The Sunnyvale company --...

Rise & Fall.(San Francisco Giants, Kaiser Foundation Health Plan Inc.)(Brief Article)
August 3, 2001... A barometer of the region's movers, shakers and fakers Brian Sabean In hindsight, it was quiet out there: too quiet. Giants GM had implied he'd be less than his usual wheeling-and-dealing self this year as baseball's trading deadline...

Big S.F. transit plan runs into detour.(Brief Article)
August 10, 2001... Caltrans, L.A. lawmaker aim to derail $1B Transhay Terminal A classic north-south California political clash threatens to throw a $400 million monkey wrench into plans for the Bay Area's new $1 billion Transbay transit hub. The...

Red ink a black eye at BroadVision.(software company loses revenue)
August 10, 2001... Profits were king, but now losses rule After glittering through the Internet golden years, BroadVision has lost its luster. It's not just another round of layoffs, which have halved staff at the once fast-growing company to 1,200 last...

Assessments tax owners' patience.(value judgment appeals)(Brief Article)
August 10, 2001... They rush to appeal against local cities' value judgments In 1999, Baker Hamilton Properties was riding high. It had leased 601 Townsend St. to web design firm Organic Inc. for about $10 million a year, making the $23 million assessment for...