San Francisco Business Times articles from June 2001

San Francisco Business Times archives from June 2001

Hummer sued for defying Zero Gravity.(Zero Gravity Management sues John Hummer)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... Lawsuit claims venture capitalist tried to cripple find Venture capitalist John Hummer, already stinging from a series of soured Internet investments, is now being sued by a portfolio company that charges he sought to cripple its ability to...

Economy squeezes nonprofits.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
June 1, 2001... Groups brace for even bigger jolt as Bay Area clings to its cash Bay Area nonprofits that grew fat on a steady diet of handouts from the surging economy are beginning to feel famished as the downturn spreads. Donations are running...

Pro salaries heading out of the park.(athletes)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... A lot of success on the field and a bit of stardom off it haven't translated into top pay for Jason Giambi. Yet. Even with the American League's Most Valuable Player hardware and a $3.3 million average annual salary, Oakland A's star Giambi...

Accenture takes ax to its S.F. offices.(office space up for sublease)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... In an ongoing effort to tame costs as demand for its services slips, global consulting firm Accenture is puffing one fourth of its San Francisco offices up for sublease, the company confirmed this week. A little over 32,000 square feet of...

'Startup' gets the wind in its sails.(Challenge Business' New World Challenge)(International Pages)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... Volunteer crew's strategy for 18,000-mile race: Treat it like a business Michael Williams is at ease stabbing a sailboat through the Golden Gate's wall of wind. But even this -- one of sailing's best training grounds -- is child's play...

Supe aims to slam dot-com loophole shut.(Mark Leno introduces business space legislation)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... San Francisco Supervisor Mark Leno has introduced legislation to close one of the most controversial planning loopholes from the Internet boom by classifying "multimedia space" as offices and thus subject to San Francisco's development cap. ...

Four Seasons stitches its first retail deal.(St. John Knits opens location in hotel)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... Ritzy St. John Knits agrees to open store at upscale hotel Developers of the $350 million Four Seasons Hotel in San Francisco have taken a major step toward completion by signing their first tenant for the project's nearly 100,000 square...

Restaurant's approach to energy crisis: This is war.(Lapis)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... Looming blackouts are eliciting stiff upper lips and a sort of can-do camaraderie at one San Francisco restaurant, rather like those World War II movies where plucky Britons huddle in darkened tube stations as German bombs pummel the city. This...

DOT-COM REALITY CHECK, EPISODE 347.(former Internet employees attend unemployment workshop)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... In the latest indignity inflicted upon once high-flying dot-commers, some are grousing about having to attend the state-mandated workshop for the newly jobless. Several who once toiled in the Internet industry said California's maximum...

MY CEO CAN BEAT UP YOUR CEO.(Oracle Corp.'s low brow marketing)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... Oracle Corp. has always believed subtlety is wasted when it comes to technology marketing, but even by its own belligerent standards, its rival-bashing campaigns have reached new highs. Or lows, depending on your viewpoint. As for...

Texas big guns ride in to pull CHW out of IT mire.(Catholic Healthcare West )(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... After years of expensive trouble with its information systems initiatives, Catholic Healthcare West has decided to throw in the towel and look for outside help -- from a man who campaigned unsuccessfully for president. The San...

High-flying firm's crash leaves $10M in debris.(Adicom Wireless)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... A promising East Bay telecommunications firm has gone belly up just weeks after landing its most lucrative contract. Pleasanton-based Adicom Wireless, a privately held firm that built equipment for wireless networks, ceased all of its...

Corrections & Amplifications.(Schlumberger)(Brief Article)(Correction Notice)
June 1, 2001... A item in the May 14 real estate column stated that Schlumberger had leased space at 333 Twin Dolphin on the Peninsula. Schlumberger looked at the space but decided not to take it. The listing agent is Andrew Peceimer.

Biotech developer finds fertile fields in South S.F.(Slough Estates USA)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... Developer Slough Estates is tapping into biotech's rapid growth, developing large chunks of real estate and leasing 1.3 million square feet of lab space in South San Francisco. Slough has signed three major biotech companies for its...

ExecutiveProfile: JOHN CHEN.(Sybase)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... RESUME Name: John Chen Title: President and CEO. Company: Sybase, the Emeryville-based database software company. Education: Bachelor of science degree in electrical engineering from Brown University; Master's in Electrical...

West Oakland's transit village plan on track.(West Oakland BART station )(Government Activity)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... West Oakland's plan for a multimillion-dollar transit village plan is gaining steam, as various players debate the best way to strengthen the area's infrastructure and bring back retail services and well-balanced mixed-income housing. The...

Voters to decide whether San Bruno will reach new heights.(The Crossing, a mixed-use development )(Government Activity)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... San Bruno residents will decide June 5 whether their city will grow up. Residents in the city of 40,000 will go to the ballot box on that day to vote whether to allow for heights of up to seven stories as part of a planned $200 million...

Grubb & Ellis adds dash of international spice.(Grubb & Ellis Co.'s San Francisco office )(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... Adam Catchpole has joined Grubb & Ellis Co.'s San Francisco office to serve as a liaison between international businesses interested in expanding to San Francisco and San Francisco companies wanting to do business abroad. The native of...

GRUBB & ELLIS SLASHES PRICES.(250 Brannan St., a business services building )(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... Grubb & Ellis has cut the price on 250 Brannan St., a business services building with DoubleClick as its sole tenant by $10 million, said managing director Dan Cressman. The new asking price is $40 million. The three-story, 122,230-square-foot...

MOVING OUT.(City of Richmond's staff )(Government Activity)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... The City of Richmond's staff is packing it up for a move to the city's Marina district for the next five years. The city and the few hundred employees who work in its 38,000-square-foot building have to leave their home base by January for...

HR FOLKS ON THE MOVE.(BT Commercial )(Government Activity)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... In related news, BT Commercial recently helped Contra Costa County find 60,000 square feet of new space for its employment and human services department in Richmond. BT broker Jeff Leenhouls said the asking price stood at $21.60 per square...

REAL ESTATE ROUNDUP.(Falcon Real Estate, Urban Realty Co.)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... * A joint venture of Falcon Real Estate of New York and Urban Realty Co. of San Francisco has purchased One Montgomery St., a 79,000-square-foot building with Wells Fargo as its sole tenant. The price was around $300 per square foot, or $23.7...

Bankruptcy filings surge in rush to beat legal changes.(Quokka Sports Inc., Pacific Gas and Electric Co., NorthPoint Communications)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... Business bankruptcies surged 42 percent in Northern California in the first quarter, a sign of either anticipated changes in bankruptcy law or a weakening economy. Yet the figures are lower than the first three months of last year, even...

New CB&T chief Blackford: In California, we trust.(California Bank & Trust )(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... California Bank & Trust has named real estate lending executive David Blackford chairman, president and CEO, succeeding Robert Sarver, who is retiring. The bank, a unit of Salt Lake City-based Zions Bancorp, remains committed to California...

Union Bank CEO departs following eventful tenure.(Norimichi Kanari succeeds Takahiro Moriguchi as new president and chief executive of UnionBanCal Corp.)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
June 1, 2001... San Francisco-based UnionBanCal has elected Norimichi Kanari its new president and CEO, succeeding Takahiro Moriguchi, who was at the helm during some of the bank's most tumultuous years. Moriguchi became CEO in 1997, shortly after the...

GOLDEN GATE MAKES FIRST INVESTMENT.(golden gate capital invests in Celetron International Ltd.)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
June 1, 2001... The newly formed Golden Gate Capital, a San Francisco private equity fund, is participating in a $48 million investment in Celetron International, an electronic and optical manufacturing company. Other investors in the financing include New...

WEISEL PARTNERS CLOSES $255M FUND.(Thomas Weisel Partners)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
June 1, 2001... Thomas Weisel Partners, the San Francisco merchant bank, successfully closed a $255 million early-stage venture fund that will focus on technology infrastructure companies in the communications, software and Internet sectors. The firm...

ISHARES HAVE STELLAR FIRST YEAR.(Barclays Global Investors )(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
June 1, 2001... San Francisco's Barclays Global Investors has attracted more than $10 billion in assets to its exchange-traded funds, called iShares, since they were launched a year ago. "The results exceeded our expectations especially given the...

Rowdy biotech teens ready to grow up.(biotechnology industry)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
June 1, 2001... I know I'm getting older, and my kids are too, because when I hear the word "teenager," a jolt of fear runs up my spine. But when John McCamant uses the term, he means it in a good way. McCamant, editor of the Medical Technology Stock...

Lagging billings puts local Saatchi on the firing line.(Publicis is planning future of Saatchi and Saatchi)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
June 1, 2001... Global advertising network Publicis still teeters on the edge, of a decision about the fate of Saatchi & Saatchi/San Francisco. "In the not-too-distant past, Saatchi & Saatchi/San Francisco was one of the most forgetable, mediocre, sleepy...

Theater district hotel stages new act.(the Touchstone Hotel introduced)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
June 1, 2001... One of San Francisco's theater district hotels has hooked up with an international chain to get an extensive facelift and a new name -- the Touchstone Hotel. The former David Hotel at 480 Geary St. recently joined the 370-property Golden...

KIMPTON POPS CORK ON WINE BAR.(Kimpton Group introduces Kuleto's Italian Wine Bar)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... Adding to its extensive stable of hospitality offerings, the Kimpton Group Kuleto's Italian Restaurant will welcome a new addition June 1 that will cater exclusively to fruits of the vine. Kuleto's Italian Wine Bar will be nestled between...

EATING HALL OF THE GODS.(Rick Jones and Nunzio Alioto to reopen Valhalla)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... A Sausalito staple is expected to return to its former splendor under the direction of two San Francisco restaurateurs with a penchant for seafood and a sentimental streak. Rick Jones, general manager of Greens Restaurant, and Nunzio...

Lynx set to roar after $11 million stock placement.(Lynx Therapeutics Inc. receives financing)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
June 1, 2001... Hayward biotech Lynx Therapeutics has put more gas in the tank, thanks to an $11.1 million private placement of common stock and warrants to purchase common stock. The private placement was managed by Lynx and included seven investors led...

STANFORD CLINICS DUMPS AETNA HMOS.(Stanford University Hospital and Clinics cancels contracts to several health maintenance organizations)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
June 1, 2001... While Stanford University Hospital and Clinics has told employer groups and six HMOs that their patients won't be welcome in Stanford primary care clinics by the end of the year, the 3,800 Aetna members will be the first to go. Affected...

Providian Corp. makes pass at new Dallas Cowboys quarterback.(child welfare campaign)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... Following its "Touchdowns for Tots" campaign with the Oakland Raiders last season, San Francisco-based Providian Financial Corp. will hook up with the Dallas Cowboys' radio flagship for "Gaining Ground for Kids." The nation's fifth-largest...

Searching for high tech's holy grail.(return on investment)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... Software vendors in race to prove murky return-on-investment numbers to customers It's the scourge of every accounting purist. It's the salesman's strongest weapon. It's "ROI," and every tech company wants a big one this summer. While...

IBM embraces Linux system.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... San Franciscans recently came to learn that IBM has gotten involved in Linux, the Open Source operating system, through its unusual campaign of graffiti. But behind IBM's sidewalk vandalism that featured spray-painted symbols of peace,...

Tech startup with 'no competition' should wake up.(Full Degree)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... Reporting technology can be depressing these days. Calling company CEOs to get comments after they've laid off half their. staff because they can't find customers and are running out of cash just plain sucks. I recently met with...

Auction firms rake it in as dot-coms sell assets.(DoveBid Inc.)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... An auction of failed dot-coms' assets is a place to watch Silicon Valley reinvent itself. Companies that overspent on computers, servers, cubicle walls - and yes, foosball tables - are unloading at auctions all the stuff that couldn't make...

Veterans charge SBA hasn't delivered on promised assistance.(Small Business Administration)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... The Small Business Administration has done little to help veterans start and grow businesses, despite a 1999 law that called for the agency to provide them with technical, financial and procurement assistance, representatives of veterans groups...

Smooth takeoff.(Tony Friend, AirCraft Shopper Online)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... Partners ride 'big ticket' sales -- and pilot aircraft shopping site to full power Tony Friend has turned selling airplanes on the web into a $2 million dollar business, but five years ago, he felt like hitting the ejector seat. ...

Entrepreneur Profile: SUE FISHER KING.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... RESUME Name: Sue Fisher King. Title: Owner and president. Company: Sue Fisher King, a home furnishings, accessories and gifts store with two San Francisco locations. 2000 revenue: $4 million. Number of employees: 12. ...

Highest Paid Professional Athletes in the Bay Area.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... Highest Paid Professional Athletes in the Bay Area Athlete Average Total Team salary contract/ Rank Prior Position ...

Presidio's new planner digs for budgeting treasure.(Hillary Gitelman )(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... Hillary Gitelman sees history, beauty and leasing revenue in the Presidio's dusty brick buildings. The former environmental review officer for the city and county of San Francisco, Gitelman recently joined the Presidio Trust as the new...

BayAreaPeople.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... BANKING & FINANCE Bay View Capital Corp. announced the promotion of Carolyn Williams-Goldman to chief administration officer, general counsel and corporate secretary. She was previously executive vice president and director of...

Prime parcel sits idle as RE market slumbers.(real estate, San Francisco Bay Area)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... Even the choicest location in the TriValley -- namely, the 40-acre parcel at the crossroads of Interstate 680 and Bernal Avenue -- has to wait for the real estate market to return to life. The owner of this prime property, South Bay...

CHW's wounds just a symptom of ailing system.(Catholic Healthcare West)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... It's unfortunate to watch an organization with a humanitarian mission fight for financial survival. But that's what has happened with San Francisco-based Catholic Healthcare West. The huge hospital system, like many others, is struggling to...

Some dining tips to chew and swallow.('When the Little Things Count', a book on business dining etiquette by Barbara Pachter)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... Who hasn't had the experience of having one's boy of spaghetti suddenly slip out of control, fly through the air and land on an important business associate seated across the table? Sometimes one can recover from such a faux pas by quickly...

California college falls under curse of Montezuma.(political correctness abolishes mascot)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... At San Diego State, where my son and daughter earned their degrees, Monty Montezuma will no longer be running along the sidelines leading the cheers. Some Native American students complained that the mascot offended them. So, in classic style,...

Inoffensive proposition.(miscellaneous brief articles)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... It might be worthwhile to explore the possibilities of extending the name-changing process beyond the campus. * The United Nations has offended many by booting the United States out of its human rights group while installing Libya and...

Endless possibilities.(miscellaneous brief articles)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... The possibilities are endless and are already practiced by the Native Americans. At a 1994 PRI conference on school choice, Ben Chavis, an Alumbi Indian, said his people refer to the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the BIA, as the Bureau of Ignorance...

Media unfairly maligns Internet for dot-com foolishness.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... On ABC's "Market Place" recently, a television newscaster opened a story with "while the Internet may be dead... " and I rankled, as I often do lately, over how badly the media maligns the Internet. Who are these reporters who aren't...

Letters To The Editor.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... Spieker spokeswoman's quote insensitive: Paper pushers are people, too I am writing in response to the article "Spieker axes 15 percent of staff," in the May 18-24 issue. I am utterly appalled that Spieker Properties spokeswoman Margan...

DAVIS THREATENS TO SUE FERC.(Gray Davis, governor of California)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... Following his meeting with President George W. Bush this week, Gov. Gray Davis threatened to sue the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) if it doesn't implement temporary price controls on energy in order to provide relief to millions...

InsideTraders.(executives selling stock)(Brief Article)(Illustration)(Statistical Data Included)
June 1, 2001... Gregory Brown Chairman MicroMuse Inc. A look at selling of shares by Bay Area executives Shares sold: 175,000 Were shines sold options? Yes Options exercised price: $7.41 Shares sold price: $42.51 Shares...

Rise & Fall.(miscellaneous brief articles)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... A barometer of the region's movers, shakers and fakers Barry Bonds No electricity shortage for the Giants' slugger, whose May power surge etches his name alongside baseball's all-time home-run greats. Sitting in a darkened room, by...

SY GOES FOR NY.(Emeryville, California database and software company Sybase stocks listed on New York Stock Exchange)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
June 1, 2001... Sybase left Nasdaq for the New York Stock Exchange last week and CEO John Chen couldn't be happier. The Emeryville database-maker turned software company is now traded under the SY licker. While the shift hasn't affected Sybase's stock price...

THE FORGIVEN.(local executives do not have to repay loans)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
June 1, 2001... From Webvan to NBCi, board members of big tech companies are pretty sweet on heir CEOs. Even the ones that sour the company finances when they can't execute a business plan. Apart from fat severance packages that have gotten equally fat press...

WHERE'S YOUR HEAD?(Oakland A's star Jason Giambi bobblehead doll)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... You weren't one of the 15,000 into the coliseum May 19 to get your Jason Giambi bobblehead doll? Don't worry -- Pepsi and Albertson's supermarkets last month agreed to offer the doll as across-promotion with the Oakland A's. The bobblehead...

COURT REJECTS ENERGY PRICE CAPS.(for California)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected arguments by state legislative leaders urging it to order pride caps on the wholesale prices of electricity. A three judge panel of the San Francisco court said the issue, as presented, does not...

SUN MICROSYSTEMS ISSUES Q4 WARNING.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
June 1, 2001... Palo Alto-based server and software giant Sun Microsystems Inc. warned this week that its sales have been hit by the general economic downturn, and a slew of out-of-business Internet companies dumping Sun equipment at fire-sale prices. The...

LSI LOGIC TO ACQUIRE AMI ASSETS.(American Megatrends Inc.'s Redundant Array of Independent Disks business)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... Milpitas-based LSI Logic Corp. said that it will acquire the assets of American Megatrends Inc.'s RAID (Redundant Array of Independent Disks) business, including its proprietary software, host adapter-board products and over 200 employees based...

UNIONBANCAL APPOINTS NEW CEO.(Normichi Kanari )(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... San Francisco-based UnionBanCal will appoint Normichi Kanari as president and CEO effective July 1, succeeding Takahiro Moriguchi, who is returning to Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi, UnionBanCal's majority shareholder. Kanari, who has work experience...

BLUELIGHT.COM CEO STEPS DOWN.(Mark Goldstein )(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... San Francisco-based BlueLight.com, the e-commerce site of Kmart Corp., said that CEO and Co-founder Mark Goldstein has stepped down as CEO and will assume the role of long-term Internet advisor for Kmart Corp. The company hasn't named a new...

UTSTARCOM SIGNS $26M EQUIPMENT DEAL.(contract with Chinese regions)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... UTStarcom Inc., a provider of wireless, wireline and broadband-access equipment, said it signed contracts totaling about $26 million to provide its IP-based communications equipment to various cities in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region and...

XIGO SHUTS DOWN.(Xigo Inc.)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... San Francisco-based financial portal Xigo Inc. ceased operations this week due to a "difficult business environment," according to a message on its web site. The company will keep a few employees on board as it tries to sell its assets...

LOCKHART QUITS ORACLE.(Joe Lockhart )(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... Five months after arriving at Oracle Corp.'s Redwood Shores headquarters with almost presidential fanfare, former White House Press Secretary Joe Lockhart has quit as the software company's chief spokesman. The company said he resigned to spend...

HIGH-TECH PIONEER RETIRES.(Gordon Moore, Intel Corp.)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... The man who came up with "Moore's Law," which postulates the doubling of microchip power every two years, has stepped down from the company he helped start and build into the world's largest chipmaker. Gordon Moore officially retired from the...

OPENTABLE CUTS 17 PERCENT OF STAFF.(OpenTable.com)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... San Francisco-based OpenTable.com, which provides customer-relationship applications and online reservation services to restaurants, has cut 18 employees, or 17 percent of its staff, according to VentureWire. OpenTable said this was its third...

DAVIS DEMANDS HOUR WARNING.(Gov. Gray Davis wants warnings before blackouts hit Californians)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... Gov. Gray Davis issued an executive order demanding that Californians be warned one hour ahead of impending blackouts. The California Independent System Operator (Cal-ISO), managers of the state's power grid, had proposed a 30-minute blackout...

POLYCOM TO ACQUIRE PICTURETEL.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... Broadband communications company Polycom of Milpitas says it's acquiring streaming media provider PictureTel Corp., in a deal valued at roughly $362 million. Polycom CEO Bob Hagerty said PictureTel's PC-based video products will augment its...

FEINSTEIN FLOATS WATER LEGISLATION.(Sen. Dianne Feinstein, California)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... Saying California faces a serious water shortage that could make today's electricity shortages pale in comparison, Sen. Dianne Feinstein introduced legislation this week that would set into motion the largest water supply and conservation...

HAYWARD FIRM LOSES CEO.(J. Douglas Bailey, ST Systems Corp.)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... ST Systems Corp., a Hayward-based company that sells restaurant point-of-sale systems, said its Chairman, President and CEO, J. Douglas Bailey, resigned. No reasons were given for the resignation and no successor has been named for the CEO...

FINET.COM RESTRUCTURES, LOSES CEO.(Rick Cossano )(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... San Ramon-based online loan site FiNet.com Inc. announced that it will restructure its business operations to reduce its dependence on the wholesale mortage-banking business, significantly reduce its general and administrative expenses and take...

WESTAFF TO CLOSES 13 OFFICES.(Westaff Inc.)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... Walnut Creek temporary staffing firm Westaff Inc. has closed nine "of its regional offices and plans to close four more in response to a slowdown in business. The disclosure was made during the company's second-quarter earnings report, in which...

MARKETWATCH.COM TO LAY OFF 15 PERCENT.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... San Francisco-based MarketWatch.com said that it plans to reduce its workforce by more than 15 percent, and significantly reduce discretionary spending in response to changing dynamics in the Internet advertising market. The company currently...

CITIGROUP PRIVATE BANK NAMES CA HEAD.(Michael Davis to head California bank divisions)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... The Citigroup Private Bank has named Michael Davis, managing director, to head all of its California offices. He will be based in San Francisco, overseeing the company's expansion of private banking in California. Prior to joining Citigroup in...

TECH LEADERS UNITE AGAINST LEGISLATION.(California)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... Local technology leaders -- including Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers partner John Doerr and Marimba Chairman Kim Polese -- united this week to derail state legislation that they say threatens to expose their most valued trade secrets. The...

REDBACK ACQUIRES MERLIN SYSTEMS.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... San Jose-based broadband provider Redback Networks said that it will acquire Fremont-based optical products company Merlin Systems in a stock deal worth $57 million. The acquisition is expected to close in the third quarter of 2001. The...

High-tech leaders lay down the law.(TechNet lobbying group convinces California legislators to rewrite bills)(Brief Article)
June 8, 2001... Executives convince Sacramento not to divulge their secrets Silicon Valley went to Sacramento this week and came home happy. Lobbyists representing an all-star slate of 220 technology leaders, led by Cisco CEO John Chambers and venture...

No instant replay for Giants tix.(ticket resellers have a hard time finding profits)(Statistical Data Included)
June 8, 2001... In a McDonald's parking lot just a strong throw from Pacific Bell Park, Wayne Bak and Greg Hubley are pitching tickets for that night's Giants' game against San Diego. It's not going well. Hawkers say slide in demand puts them on new...

Countdown is on for serial entrepreneur.(Chris Kitze founds Yaga)(Brief Article)
June 8, 2001... Chris Kitze is doing it again. The five-time time Internet entrepreneur and former NBCi CEO scored $13 million in funding this week for Yaga, his newest company, designed to be a legal Napster of sorts for game software and other digital...

H-P takes wing with aviation venture.(Hewlett Packard, PricewaterhouseCoopers to team on Aviation Solutions Center)(Brief Article)
June 8, 2001... Hewlett-Packard may have decided not to marry PricewaterhouseCoopers, but it doesn't mean they can't live together. Despite abandoning thoughts of an estimated $18 billion acquisition of the consulting giant at the end of last fall, H-P...