Puget Sound Business Journal articles from July 2001

Puget Sound Business Journal archives from July 2001

Boeing thrives on 'lean' effort.(Brief Article)
July 27, 2001... Faster factories boost margins The magic number in Boeing's second-quarter earnings release last week -- a 10.2 percent operating margin for Boeing Commercial Airplanes in the first six months of the year -- is tangible evidence that...

DirecTV deal might attract Microsoft.(Microsoft to invest in News Corp. to help it buy DirectTV)(Brief Article)
July 27, 2001... Analysts say Microsoft Corp. could give its slow-growing interactive television business a much-needed shot in the arm if, as Wall Street speculation suggests, the Redmond software giant helps Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. buy the popular...

Shaky recoveries.(Restaurant damaged by earthquake)(Brief Article)
July 27, 2001... No quick fixes for biz owners after quake Four days after the Feb. 28 earthquake, Seattle Mayor Paul Schell walked through Pioneer Square, pausing to comfort Chrystal McCoy. The temblor had extensively damaged McCoy's Firehouse Bar &...

Tax debts at Salty's grow.(Funsters Grand Casinos affected by)(Brief Article)
July 27, 2001... Bank also suing Kingen While local restaurateur Gerry Kingen prepares to open the much-promoted Funsters Grand Casinos in SeaTac next week, he's been served up a stack of debts and legal problems stemming from his long-established...

AOL buys $100M Amazon stake.(Amazon.com Inc. )(Brief Article)
July 27, 2001... America Online made a $100 million investment in Seattle-based Amazon.com Inc. as part of a new strategic alliance between the two online powerhouses. The investment represents a stake of about 2 percent, based on Amazon's recent stock price....

Internap retools.(Equity financing)(Brief Article)
July 27, 2001... High-speed internet routing provider Internap Network Services Corp. of Seattle plans to raise $101 million in an equity financing, eliminate 130 jobs and replace its chief executive. Eugene Eidenberg, chairman, was named interim CEO,...

Rosetta, Merck deal approved.(Rosetta Inpharmatics Inc. )(Brief Article)
July 27, 2001... Shareholders of Kirkland-based Rosetta Inpharmatics Inc. Worth about $620 million when first announced, the deal has a net equity value of about $540 million, Merck said. Rosetta, which combines informatics and genomics to accelerate the...

Hot spot for frozen juice bar.(Brief Article)
July 27, 2001... Creator hoping Cold Fusion creates reaction Just 30 months ago Collin Madden dreamed up the idea of a vitamin-enhanced frozen juice bar, while gassing up his car on Santa Monica Boulevard in Los Angeles. Now, after spending $600,000...

Betting on a real estate turnaround.(Diversified Property Investors L.L.C.)(Brief Article)
July 27, 2001... Fund ready to invest while demand for commercial properties is slack Believing that "cash is king" during economic slowdowns, a Bellevue-based real estate developer has raised a $13 million private equity fund that will acquire and...

Baseball wins worth their weight in diamonds.(Brief Article)
July 27, 2001... If you think a win isn't that hard to come by in Major League Baseball, just try to buy one. Through the All-Star Game break, the Seattle Mariners franchise paid $1.2 million for each of its 63 wins, based on the team's 2001 opening-day...

Can-tastrophe avoided.(Earthquake effects)(Brief Article)
July 27, 2001... Don't believe reports that last weekend's earthquake caused no noticeable problem in the Seattle area. Major damage was sustained by at least one structure, complicating matters for the engineering and construction firm that built it. Of...

Bumble recovery.(Nutrition bar)(Brief Article)
July 27, 2001... Aficionados of the humble BumbleBar will be relieved to know that recent outbreaks of too-gooey BumbleBars have been rectified. It seems the quality problems arose in April, after BumbleBar Inc. moved production of its organic candylike...

Calling City Hall.(Seattle government officials phone directory)(Brief Article)
July 27, 2001... Talk is cheap -- unless the conversation started with a telephone number from your own copy of the city of Seattle's directory of municipal officials. The city this week said it will sell copies of its municipal directory for $23.47...

Big warehouses change hands due to bankruptcy.(Brief Article)
July 27, 2001... A unit of a Japanese ocean carrier has acquired large warehousing operations in the Seattle and Portland areas from Auburn-based A&M Warehouses Inc., a former industry standout whose ambitious expansion ended in bankruptcy. United...

FIRM GRIP AT THE HELM.(Skipper's Seafood 'N Chowder House)(Brief Article)
July 27, 2001... Skipper's CEO Brad Barnett is plotting an aggressive new course for the seafood chain A revised strategic plan to steer the Edmonds-based Skipper's Seafood 'N Chowder House chain to profitability includes a new chief executive, new...

Accounting firm's local office will take on Big 5.(Brief Article)
July 27, 2001... An upstart accounting company with a new parent corporation and ambitious expansion plans has entered the central Puget Sound market. Milwaukee-based Jefferson Wells International Inc. in June opened an office with six employees in the...

Organizers of proposed Lakewood bank seek $5M.(Business friendly)(Brief Article)
July 27, 2001... There are plenty of banks in Lakewood, including a couple of smaller ones, yet the organizers of proposed Washington Commerce Bank claim theirs will offer small businesses better service. They're backing their claim with their money. ...

ZymoGenetics looks ahead to first drug trials.(ZymoGenetics Inc.)(Brief Article)
July 27, 2001... The appointment of biotechno1ogy luminary George Rathmann as chairman last week is the most visible change at ZymoGenetics Inc. since the Seattle-based company became independent in October. But behind the scenes, ZymoGenetics has hired...

With new CEO, refocused Loudeye Tech is all ears.(John Baker reorganizes Loudeye Technologies Inc., focus now on digitizing music)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
July 27, 2001... The parties may have stopped at Loudeye Technologies Inc., but the music hasn't. In April, the Seattle-based company unveiled a shift in focus -- from digitizing video for the Web to digitizing music. It slashed 135 of 300 jobs and...

Prolinx attracts nearly $17M for genomics tools.(Brief Article)
July 27, 2001... After completing a $16.8 million round of financing last week, Bothell-based biotechnology company Prolinx Inc. has stepped up its level of investment and is preparing to begin marketing two new products. The new funding round -- the...

Puget beginning search for a CEO.(Puget Energy Inc. looks for new chief executive officer)(Brief Article)
July 27, 2001... Puget Energy Inc. has started searching for a replacement for Bill Weaver, president and CEO of the Bellevue-based energy service company. Weaver will end his 33-year career with the company sometime next year. He will remain as president...

Largest Bremerton building will become parking garage.(Bremer Trust to redevelop old J.C. Penney building)(Brief Article)
July 27, 2001... After sitting vacant for more than a decade, the largest building in downtown Bremerton is being redeveloped into a parking garage, culminating years of deliberation over the property's fate. Bremer Trust, the owner of the former J.C....

Bothell device company denies patent infringement allegations.(McKesson HBOC Inc. sues NextRx Corp. and Autros Healthcare Solutions Inc.)(Brief Article)
July 27, 2001... Medical distribution and technology giant McKesson HBOC Inc. has sued Bothell-based NextRx Corp. for allegedly infringing on McKesson's patent for a mobile cart that dispenses and tracks medication given to hospital patients. The lawsuit...

Ski-maker K2 ships more Vashon jobs to China.(K2 Corp. layoffs)(Brief Article)
July 27, 2001... K2 Corp., the Vashon Island-based snow ski manufacturer, plans to fire 190 workers as parent company K2 Inc. of Los Angeles cuts 15 percent of its overall work force and ships the ski-making work to China. The cuts, scheduled to be...

Chris Ackerley assumes full president role at family biz.(Ackerley Group Inc.)(Brief Article)
July 27, 2001... The Ackerley Group Inc. of Seattle has named Chris Ackerley president. He will shed his co-president title as soon as 15-year company veteran Denis Curley, the other co-president and chief operating officer, retires next month. Ackerley,...

Tacoma executive pleads guilty in yacht tax evasion.(Michael A. Price)(Brief Article)
July 27, 2001... Finance executive Michael A. Price pleaded guilty to a felony count of filing false documents and will pay nearly $443,000 for his attempt to evade about $280,000 in state taxes on a 73-foot yacht, the state Department of Revenue announced....

Safeco finds buyer for its credit subsidiary.(GE Capital Commercial Equipment Financing to acquire Safeco Credit Company Inc.)(Brief Article)
July 27, 2001... Seattle-based Safeco Corp. has reached an agreement to sell its Redmond-based Safeco Credit Co. Inc. unit to GE Capital Commercial Equipment Financing, a subsidiary of General Electric Co. Financial terms were not disclosed. The transaction...

Weyerhaeuser's 2Q earnings, revenue lower.(Weyerhauser Co., reports second quarter 2001 earnings)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
July 27, 2001... Federal Way-based Weyerhaeuser Co. has reported that revenue and earnings in its second quarter were both lower than last year. Weyerhaeuser .reported second-quarter net earnings of $171 million, or 78 cents per share, on net sales of...

Infowave CEO provides $5 million loan to company.(Thomas Koll of Infowave Software Inc.)(Brief Article)
July 27, 2001... Bellevue-based Infowave Software Inc. has secured a six-month credit line of $5 million from Thomas Koll, the company's CEO. Koll also agreed to provide the first $1 million in an equity funding round that Infowave hopes to close in the next...

Alaska turns a profit in tough quarter for airlines.(Alaska Air Group Inc.)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
July 27, 2001... Seattle-based Alaska Air Group Inc., which operates Alaska Airlines Inc. and Horizon Air Industries Inc., reported it is one of the few airlines in the country to turn a profit in the second quarter. The company said that a decline in...

Plum Creek announces dates for Timber Co. deal.(Plum Creek Timber Co.)(Brief Article)
July 27, 2001... Plum Creek Timber Co. Inc. expects to merge Sept. 29 with The Timber Co., a unit of Atlanta-based Georgia-Pacific Corp. Seattle-based Plum Creek said shareholders of the two companies will vote in separate meetings Aug. 15. Under the...

Spieker's top local execs leaving after EOP merger.(Spieker Properties Inc., Equity Office Properties Trust)(Brief Article)
July 27, 2001... Most of Spieker Properties Inc.'s employees in the Puget Sound region are staying with Equity Office Properties Trust following the merger of the two real estate giants -- but the same can't be said of Spieker's top local executives. ...

Tech Tower saga continues.(Bellevue Technology Tower lawsuit)(Brief Article)
July 27, 2001... A suit filed by the developer of the Bellevue Technology Tower blames its former general contractor, DPR Construction Inc., for much of the turmoil that has made the office project the talk of the local commercial real estate community. ...

Seattle 4th in subleases.(Brief Article)
July 27, 2001... A new report compares Seattle's commercial real estate market to other major cities and demonstrates just how dramatic the sublease increase has been here. The amount of available sublease space grew faster in downtown Seattle than in...

A three-year wait?(Brief Article)
July 27, 2001... Here's a prognostication that could stop a few developers in their tracks: Kidder Mathews & Segner Inc. predicts in its mid-year forecast that as many as three years will pass before the Puget Sound region's office market is able to absorb...

Natural gas pipeline spur could boost competition.(PG and E Gas Transmission-Northwest)(Brief Article)
July 27, 2001... Washington natural gas users may benefit from increased competition if PG&E Transmission Northwest builds a proposed natural gas pipeline connecting Western Washington and Spokane. The Portland-based unit of PG&E Corp. is considering a...

New Northwest Airlines cargo center opens.(Seattle-Tacoma International Airport)(Brief Article)
July 27, 2001... Northwest Airlines moved into a brand-new cargo center and maintenance facility at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport earlier this month, just one of the series of moves allowing for airport expansion. The new operation consists of two...

China's business worries.(Brief Article)
July 27, 2001... In China, many business executives are worried about possible new competition after their country enters the World Trade Organization, while most farmers and factory workers aren't concerned, or aren't aware of the possible impacts of WTO...

FAST talkers.(Brief Article)
July 27, 2001... Puget Sound business and government leaders are good at collaborating on freight transportation agreements, and those skills have captured the attention of the federal government. This fall the Federal Highway Administration will sponsor...

Italians visit Seattle.(Brief Article)
July 27, 2001... A delegation of 15 Italians from the Umbria region visited Seattle on an economic mission last week, touring The Boeing Co. and other companies. The group also met with Office of Trade and Economic Development director Martha Choe, and...

Kent Chamber of Commerce hones efficiency.(Brief Article)
July 27, 2001... The Kent Chamber of Commerce has created the Puget Sound Freight Customer Association, part of a one-year project to improve delivery efficiency for companies. The association is gathering information from 21 of its members about their...

Kirkland's Evergreen hospital is on the mend.(Evergreen Hospital)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
July 27, 2001... As Evergreen Healthcare searches for a new chief executive, its new chief financial officer has taken a leading role in returning the Kirkland hospital to financial health. With CFO David Kiehn's assistance, Evergreen has moved to...

Law enables disabled to work and keep Medicaid.(Brief Article)
July 27, 2001... Gov. Gary Locke has signed into law a measure -- the "ticket-to-work" bill -- allowing incapacitated and disabled people to work without losing their Medicaid coverage. Rather than losing health benefits when they exceed wage and hour...

UW program will study lack of insurance.(University of Washington's Health Policy Analysis Program)(Brief Article)
July 27, 2001... The University of Washington's Health Policy Analysis Program last month landed a contract with the state as prime consultant on a study of residents lacking health insurance. The project is funded by a $900,000 state-planning grant to...

Family biz nominations are due soon.(FunKo Inc.)(Brief Article)
July 27, 2001... When I interviewed Michael Becker, president and owner of FunKo Inc., last month I thought his company would be an ideal nominee for the upcoming Washington Family Business Awards. The Everett-based business, which makes wacky wobblers,...

XTREME EFFORT.(Team Xtreme allows disabled children to enjoy video games)
July 27, 2001... Personal experience inspired Mike Andrews to develop a device that lets children with disabilities play Nintendo games When Mike Andrews started to develop Team Xtreme in the mid-1990s, he wanted to provide children with disabilities a...

SBA's new chief shows savvy and commitment.(Hector Barreto Jr. to head Small Business Administration)(Brief Article)
July 27, 2001... Barreto will need those qualities to square Bush's budget cuts with congressional demands Hector Barreto Jr. says his parents built a successful restaurant business in Kansas City, Mo., because they had ganas -- "an unrelenting desire to...

Choosing a mover is more than getting the best price.(things to consider when choosing a moving company)(Brief Article)(Column)
July 27, 2001... The Better Business Bureau reported on 1,059 types of businesses in 1999. Moving companies ranked 11th with a whopping 5,097 complaints -- a scary statistic if you're about to relocate your business. Even if you're just moving 10 miles...

Request a certificate of insurance.(for movers from moving company)(Brief Article)
July 27, 2001... * Insured movers Just as you would for equipment, make sure the movers are insured. Request a certificate of insurance on each mover to prove they're covered by worker's compensation.

Leased equipment.(office furniture)(Brief Article)
July 27, 2001... * Leased equipment. If any of your office equipment is leased, make sure the move doesn't go against your warranty or policy.

Tipping For Local Moves.(Brief Article)
July 27, 2001... * Tipping. For local moves, tip your movers 7 percent to 12 percent of the total bill. For long-distance hauls, movers should be tipped $3 to $5 per hour.

Ballot measure would make judges portable.(Committee for Cost Effective Justice )(Brief Article)
July 27, 2001... Courtroom advocates on July 5 formed a campaign committee that has the unenviable task of persuading Washington voters to change the state Constitution. Supporters say the constitutional amendment would help the busiest county courts...

Perkins adds Bay area staff.(Perkins Coie LLP grows within the San Francisco Bay Area)(Brief Article)
July 27, 2001... Seattle-based Perkins Coie LLP has raised its profile in the San Francisco Bay area and bolstered its intellectual-property practice with an acquisition and some strategic hiring. The firm announced this month that it acquired the Iota Pi...

Teaming with nonlawyers.(Washington State Bar Association split on issue of whether practicing attorneys can go into business with nonlawyers)(Brief Article)
July 27, 2001... The thorny issue of whether practicing attorneys should go into business with nonlawyers proved to be just as intractable for a special panel convened by the Washington State Bar Association as for the American Bar Association. After...

ACCOUNTING FIRMS.(ranked by area professional staff)(Directory)(Illustration)
July 27, 2001... ACCOUNTING FIRMS The largest in the Puget Sound area. Ranked by area professional staff Breakdown: Firm name Puget Sound audit staff/ ...

EASTSIDE ACCOUNTING FIRMS.(east side of the Puget Sound region)(Directory)(Statistical Data Included)
July 27, 2001... EASTSIDE ACCOUNTING FIRMS The largest on the Eastside. Ranked by area professional staff Firm name Address Eastside Phone professional Rank Web site...

Blue Heron isn't ready to seek a big nest egg.(Blue Heron Biotechnology Inc. cuts the amount of venture capital it plans to seek)(Brief Article)
July 27, 2001... Eight months after recruiting a former Amgen Inc. executive to lead the company's fund-raising efforts, Blue Heron Biotechnology Inc. of Bothell has lowered its sights and asked the new chief executive to leave. Peter Nicholson, the...

Bankruptcy bill would alter small-biz options.(bankruptcy reform in Congress)(Brief Article)
July 27, 2001... Creditors are close to victory in their four-year fight to toughen the nation's bankruptcy laws. The Senate cleared a procedural roadblock thrown up by bill opponents July 17 and sent the legislation -- which easily passed both the...

Bush adviser: Don't bet on small-biz tax cuts.(chairman of President Bush's Council of Economic Advisers R. Glenn Hubbard)(Brief Article)
July 27, 2001... The chairman of President Bush's Council of Economic Advisers says it is "not a foregone conclusion" that small business tax cuts will be included in legislation to raise the minimum wage. Senate leaders from both parties say a package of...

Postal official fails to deliver at hearing.(manager of delivery operations for the U.S. Postal Service was held hostage by the chairman of the House Small Business Committee until required form is found)(Brief Article)
July 27, 2001... The manager of delivery operations for the U.S. Postal Service was held hostage by the chairman of the House Small Business Committee at a hearing about government agencies that compete with small businesses. At issue was the post...

Health-care providers slow to standardize EDI.(standardized electronic data interchange transactions deadline is looming)(Brief Article)
July 27, 2001... A new Gartner Inc. study found that 85 percent of health-care providers have not completed assessments that are a critical step in meeting an Oct. 16, 2002, deadline for standardized electronic data interchange transactions. Because of...

Foes of estate tax repeal seek tax rebate donations.(United for a Fair Economy)(Brief Article)
July 27, 2001... The group that led the unsuccessful fight to stop estate tax repeal is asking Americans to donate their tax rebate checks to organizations that are working to overturn President Bush's $1.35 trillion tax cut or to social service providers in...

OSHA to crack down on exposure to lead.(Occupational Safety and Health Administration)(Brief Article)
July 27, 2001... The Occupational Safety and Health Administration will make targeted inspections in industries where there is high potential for exposure to lead, a leading cause of workplace illnesses. These industries include construction that involves...

Steep manufacturing slide levels off; rebound in sight.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
July 27, 2001... The outlook for the nation's manufacturing sector improved slightly last quarter, after dropping dramatically in the first three months of the year, according to the Manufacturers Alliance/MAPI Business Outlook Index. The index rose 1...

Titanic dinner at Kaspar's will float your boat.(restaurant review)(Brief Article)
July 27, 2001... "Don't worry," our server said with a smile. "It's almost over." We were having the Titanic First Class dinner at Kaspar's and some reassurance was appropriate. The meal was surprisingly good, considering it was from a menu dated 1912....

Nevada's growth leads West.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
July 27, 2001... The Far West's economic story is really two stories. One is Nevada's. The other is everybody else's. Nevada is a powerhouse. It earned five stars, the highest possible score, in Demographics Daily's economic ratings for July. The state's...

A bankruptcy story may improve in next chapter.(bankrupt companies trading on stock exchanges)(Brief Article)
July 27, 2001... There are now a surprising number of bankrupt companies trading on the various stock exchanges. What eventually happens to all these companies? Some of them just disappear, says The Turnaround Letter. "When there's little to rebuild...

Weak demand and excess capacity.(paper and forest products)(Brief Article)
July 27, 2001... * Weak demand and excess capacity hurt paper- and forest-products companies last year. But industrywide consolidation and cutbacks in supply have begun to turn things around, despite the slowdown in the U.S. economy. Profits at these six...

Energy utilities.(Brief Article)
July 27, 2001... * Energy utilities have begun issuing a new breed of convertible preferred securities with extra-high yields and good growth potential, observes Utility Forecaster newsletter (1750 Old Meadow Road, McLean VA 22102). "Known by acronyms such as...

Investors dumped high-yield bonds.(Brief Article)
July 27, 2001... * Investors dumped high-yield bonds last year when corporate defaults increased slightly. They've rebounded this year, but there's still plenty of bounce left; says Bruce Monrad, whose Northeast Investor's Trust has been the top-performing...

When searching for tax-efficient mutual funds.(Brief Article)
July 27, 2001... * When searching for tax-efficient mutual funds, pay attention to portfolio turnover, but don't fixate on it, advises Forbes. Turnover rates below 10 percent or so go hand-in-hand with tax efficiency. But there's little difference, at tax...

Buying some overseas stocks.(Brief Article)
July 27, 2001... * Buying some overseas stocks has always been a good way to diversify. And now it seems that they may actually produce higher long-term returns than portfolios made up solely of domestic issues. A recent study conducted by investment managers...

The Federal Reserve has cut.
July 27, 2001... * The Federal Reserve has cut interest rates six times in six months. The Fed has previously cut rates as many as five times in five months only five times in the past 61 years. Markets have risen an average 19 percent in the 12 months...

REGIONAL STOCKS.(Brief Article)(Illustration)(Statistical Data Included)
July 27, 2001... REGIONAL STOCKS Percent Closing price 52-week range Best performers change 7/24 7/17 High Cascade Financial 21.2% 10.00 8.25 9.00 Washington Banking ...

BRIEFCASE.(Brief Article)
July 27, 2001... * ACCOUNTING Stuart Ison has been promoted to partner at Ernst & Young in Seattle. Also, Stephen Day, Robert Haynie and Robert Wygal have been promoted to principal. Debra Doran, Kate Anderson and Kelly Nelson have joined myCFO to...

The city of Tacomas.(Brief Article)
July 27, 2001... The city of Tacoma's "America's No. 1 Wired City," marketing campaign recently won the International Association of Business Communicators' top "Business Issue" award. Tacoma's entry was selected for the award from among 951 entries from 17...

Three projects by marketing/graphic design firm Belyea.(Brief Article)
July 27, 2001... Three projects by marketing/graphic design firm Belyea in Seattle won awards in the 2001 Summit Creative Awards competition. Belyea received a silver award for a corporate brochure developed for financial boutique Quellos Group. Beyea also...

Western Washington University.(honors volunteers)(Brief Article)
July 27, 2001... Western Washington University's Western Foundation recently honored Bellevue insurance executive Vic Parker, Seattle television anchor Joyce Taylor and WWU legislative liaison Judy McNickle of Olympia as "volunteers of the year." They were...

Penford Corp.'s 2000.(Brief Article)
July 27, 2001... Penford Corp.'s 2000 annual report; designed by Methodologie Inc. of Seattle, took top honors in this year's "Black Book AR 100 Competition" for Annual Reports. The design firm also collected 10 national and international awards as part of...

Susan Howlett.(Brief Article)
July 27, 2001... Susan Howlett, a local fund-raising consultant who has done work for more than 500 nonprofit organizations and raised millions of dollars, has been awarded the Northwest Development Officers Association's Professional Achievement award for...

Master Builders Association of Pierce County.(Brief Article)
July 27, 2001... Master Builders Association of Pierce County recently received the 2001 Remodeling Excellence Award.

Runway delays all too typical.(Seattle-Tacoma International Airport)(Brief Article)(Editorial)
July 27, 2001... Another 'anti-business' example This week's statistics from the U.S. Department of Transportation suggesting that Seattle-Tacoma International Airport ranks No. 1 in the country for delayed incoming flights may or may not be exactly...

They're the problem, not the solution.(marketing "solutions")(Brief Article)(Editorial)
July 27, 2001... I have a request of anyone who uses "solutions" to describe whatever they sell. Please, 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...

Transportation goes nowhere without funding.(background facts)(Brief Article)(Column)
July 27, 2001... As this article is written, the fate of transportation funding in Olympia is not yet known. Win, lose or draw, basic facts remain valid: * Doing nothing is not an option. William Fulton, a leading "smart growth" advocate in California,...