Sacramento Business Journal articles from October 2000

Sacramento Business Journal archives from October 2000

U.S. Home takes over Bickford Ranch.(Brief Article)
October 27, 2000... A huge seniors' housing project outside of Lincoln that environmentalists have called one of the state's worst real estate developments has been taken over by one of the nation's most powerful residential developers. U.S. Home Corp. has...

McLaren/Hart sells for a song.(Brief Article)
October 27, 2000... McLaren/Hart Inc., which was once the area's largest environmental engineering firm, has been sold out of bankruptcy court for a fraction of what the Rancho Cordova company was worth in its prime. The company sold its assets to J.A....

RCS Digital sending broadband downtown.(Brief Article)
October 27, 2000... RCS Digital, the broadband division of Roseville Telephone Co., is investing $22.5 million to run fiber-optic cable for broadband service into downtown Sacramento. The company will string broadband from its home base in Roseville to...

Sutter County project angers enviros, developers.(Brief Article)
October 27, 2000... Sutter County is carving out 3,500 acres of farmland for industrial, warehouse, office and retail development just north of the Sacramento County line. The zone could hold more than 32 million square feet of commercial space, or 50...

Cable TV news service is a week away, editor says.(California News Service)(Brief Article)
October 27, 2000... California News Service, which wants to start a statewide cable TV news operation in the old Woolworth's building on K Street, has been quiet the last few months while it tries to round up enough investors for the $23 million it needs. ...

Hyatt's ex-GM to run Sheraton.(Gunter Stannius,)(Brief Article)
October 27, 2000... The new general manager of the Sheraton Grand Sacramento is a familiar face in the local hotel. trade -- Gunter Stannius, who held the top job at the Hyatt Regency Sacramento for a decade until last year; He's coming back from a stint at the...

Lumpy Bizkit.(Wesley Shackelford lawsuit)(Brief Article)
October 27, 2000... A young Sacramentan has sued Bill Graham Presents, SFX Entertainment, Maloof Sports and Entertainment and the band Limp Bizkit. Wesley Shackelford alleges that he was lifted over a barrier by security at a Limp Bizkit concert in October 1999,...

Seven locals in cash pageant.(Brief Article)
October 27, 2000... Seven of the 23 startups pitching them selves to venture-capital investors this Sunday and Monday at the East Bay Golden State Venture Capital Conference are from Greater Sacramento. Among the locals, GotoInfo.com, EFX, eMonitoring...

Advertising with a powerful kick.(Brief Article)
October 27, 2000... A flier stapled to a local telephone pole advises "The Sacramento Knights: The season is still going on." Gosh!

PUC hears big Internet case.(Pacific Bell; Public Utilities Commission)(Brief Article)
October 27, 2000... Will Internet dial-up calls be charged the same as long-distance calls? That issue is on the table in front of the state Public Utilities Commission. It was put There by Pacific Bell, and Internet service providers are worried. They figure...

Old Sac's last fixer-upper.(Brief Article)
October 27, 2000... The Ebner Hotel building in Old Sac -- the gray one on K between Front and 2nd that looks like the "before" in a before-and-after urban renewal ad -- is due for some serious work. The Ebner is .the only unrestored building remaining in...

Internet investment banking startup seeks $17M.(Peyton Chandler Sullivan Group)(Brief Article)
October 27, 2000... A Roseville startup is building offices for a new Internet investment banking operation while awaiting a securities license and trying to raise up to $17.5 million in a private placement of stock. Peyton Chandler Sullivan Group plans to...

City moves to update its sign ordinance.(Brief Article)
October 27, 2000... More neon might be OK. Maybe in cahoots with a midtown mannequin. As long as the result is cool, not crass. That's one of the diverse concepts that business leaders and Sacramento City Hall could find themselves reviewing in the next few...

Patterson Aviation hopes to end air suit.(Brief Article)
October 27, 2000... After filing a lawsuit asking for up to $18.5 million in damages from a small Sacramento aircraft service company last week, the Sacramento Air Quality Management District is expected to settle this week for $18,000. The suit, filed Oct....

A profitable bill of health.(UC Davis Health System revenue drops)
October 27, 2000... UC Davis Health System revenue drops Martha Marsh, chief operating officer for the UC Davis Health System, admits the preliminary financials for the fiscal year ended June 30 are boring -- and she wants to keep them that way. The...

Fresh batch of suits filed over access for disabled.(Gottschalks Inc.)(Brief Article)
October 27, 2000... Gottschalks, Pacific Sunwear, Champs Sports, Rave and Eppie's are the latest local stores and restaurants to be sued for allegedly violating federal and state disability access laws. The suits, which seek money and remedies, charge many...

Beer giant sues biotech company in patent spat.(Carlsberg A/S has sued Applied PhytoLogics Inc.)(Brief Article)
October 27, 2000... The Danish beer brewing company Carlsberg A/S has sued Applied PhytoLogics Inc., Greater Sacramento's ninth-largest biotech company, claiming API stole trade secrets and patented technology that belonged to Carlsberg. The suit, filed Oct...

CORRECTIONS AND AMPLIFICATIONS.(Brief Article)
October 27, 2000... Quest Due to incorrect information provided to the Business Journal, Quest didn't appear on our Oct. 6 Computer Vendor Top 25 list With 165 local employees and 47 percent of its sales in computer hardware, the company should have ranked...

PCN to help run Nevada's new seniors drug program.(Pharmaceutical Care Network)(Brief Article)
October 27, 2000... A Rancho Cordova company has been aired to help manage a new prescription drug program for low-income seniors. Pharmaceutical Care Network will handle claims for the the SenioRx program when it kicks off on Jan. 1. Nevada will spend...

Roseville top office spot.(Brief Article)
October 27, 2000... Pace of leasing pushing ahead of Rancho Cordova This may be the year that the Roseville-Rocklin area tops Highway 50 as the hottest market for office leasing. It's also shaping up as another strong year for office leasing in the area...

Luring foreign travelers.(ATI Inc. markets Sacramento)(Abstract)
October 27, 2000... Key tour firm promoting Sacramento, Mother Lode Move over San Francisco, Sacramento is taking back the Gold Rush. Sacramento and the Mother Lode area are now being touted to international travel agents by ATI Inc., a Los Angeles...

Grocers showing interest in downtown developments.(Wild Oats Markets Inc., Safeway Food Stores Inc., Ralphs Grocery Co.)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
October 27, 2000... Paul Petrovich and Lux Taylor, two developers competing to put new grocery stores in downtown Sacramento, have each gained a few yards in their efforts. Petrovich confirmed he is negotiating with the Ralphs and Safeway grocery chains for...

New restaurant files Chapter 11, stays profitable.(TRSDS Inc., Damon's in Granite Bay, Tony Roma's)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
October 27, 2000... Profitability and a Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing don't usually go hand in hand, but they do at the new Damon's restaurant in Granite Bay. Open since the spring, the restaurant is part of a complicated bankruptcy filing by owner TRSDS...

Fuel-cell partnership opens West Sacramento HQ on Wednesday.(California Fuel Cell Partnership)(Brief Article)
October 27, 2000... The California Fuel Cell Partnership in West Sacramento plans to open its doors Wednesday morning, but visitors shouldn't expect to drive off in a fuel-cell-powered car anytime in the next 10 years. The Fuel Cell Partnership is a...

Employee leasing firm hit with $7 million judgment.(Rapidigm Inc., Syed Khadir)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
October 27, 2000... A former Folsom man has won a $7 million court judgment in a breach-of-contract suit against Pittsburgh-based Rapidigm Inc. It's thought to be one of the largest damage awards ever recorded in El Dorado County. Syed Khadir, a computer...

Objective Systems Integrators remains in the black.(fourth straight profitable quarter)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
October 27, 2000... It tops expectations in its fourth straight profitable quarter Objective Systems Integrators Inc. is clawing its way back to the promised land of profit. The Folsom company just put up numbers for the first quarter of its fiscal...

Thorough research takes terror out of tech fund.(Dresdner RCM Global Investors L.L.C., Global Technology Fund)(Brief Article)
October 27, 2000... Investing in technology is generally suited for investors with a strong stomach, but one way to minimize risk is to do your homework well. That's at the heart of the approach of Walter Price Jr. and Huachen Chen of Dresdner RCM Global...

Turner Volvo heading to Roseville.(new $5.5 million dealership location)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
October 27, 2000... A Volvo dealership is in the planning stages at Eureka Road and Rocky Ridge Drive, the first new-car dealership to be built in Roseville outside the auto mall. since the now-full mall was built in 1990. Patrick Turner, who owns Turner...

Deen+Black scores big.(Deen and Black Public Relations to recruit multi-ethnic teachers for state)(Brief Article)
October 27, 2000... PR agency wins its top contract with teacher campaign September was a $6.8 million month for Deen + Black Public Relations. The firm edged out Runyon Saltzman & Einhorn Inc. to snag a one-year, $6.1 million contract with the CalTeach...

Branching out.(NCG Porter Novelli Inc., new office in Los Angeles)(Brief Article)
October 27, 2000... NCG Porter Novelli, a locally based public affairs firm with offices in San Diego and Orange County, has opened a new office in Los Angeles. It is sharing office space with parent company Porter Novelli, the world's fourth-largest PR firm....

Davis dumps public access.(Governor Gray Davis vetoes legislation to make public records more accessible)(Brief Article)
October 27, 2000... Gov. Gray Davis has vetoed for a second time key legislation that would have made public records more accessible. Sen. Byron Sher, a Palo Alto Democrat, sponsored a bill that would have let citizens ask the state attorney general to...

Web site update.(thekcrachannel.com, Mallofsacramento.com)(Brief Article)
October 27, 2000... Want a lot of quick legal info? KCRA-Channel 3's Web site, thekcrachannel.com, has launched a legal resource directory, provided by West Legal Directory's LawOffice.com. It's touted as the Web's largest and also features a database of legal...

Kozimor scores.(Comcast Cable Communications Inc. hires Jim Kozimor as reporter for Fox Sports Net)(Brief Article)
October 27, 2000... Fox Sports Net, a 30-minute live regional sports report that was launched in July and airs at 11 p.m. on Comcast's cable Channel 17, has hired local sports talk radio host Jim Kozimor as a reporter. He'll be covering the Kings and other local...

Revised Legal Services still helps poor, sues less often.(Legal Services of Northern California)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
October 27, 2000... Legal Services of Northern California, known for filing lawsuits on behalf of the poor, has gone corporate. It still focuses on serving the poor. But it has learned over the last few years to do its job differently in the wake of huge...

Veteran lawyer: Working for the poor is better.(John Davis of Legal Services of Northern California)(Brief Article)
October 27, 2000... John Davis finds that the cases are similar at Legal Services of Northern California, but the clients are different. They aren't used to getting their way. After 30 years of business law and multimillion-dollar real estate transactions,...

Running craft fairs is a form of art.(Pam Lima, Ginny Forth operate craft fairs)(Brief Article)
October 27, 2000... Working without a check-off list, less than an hour until the final day of her craft show opens, Pam Lima walks purposefully from one model home to the next in Sun City Lincoln Hills. The flood is coming and it's her job to be ready. She...

Persuade your candidate to vote your way.(Brief Article)
October 27, 2000... It's generally assumed that big companies such as Microsoft have political clout, but at least one author maintains that the little guys can have their say, too. "If you're not in the business of politics, you may be out of business,"...

Credit gap for women-owned businesses.(Brief Article)
October 27, 2000... Women own 38 percent of all of the small businesses in the United States but receive only 12 percent of all the credit provided to small firms, reports a new study conducted by the Milken Institute for the National Women's Business Council....

A chip off the old Silicon Valley.(businesses migrate to Sacramento)
October 27, 2000... Santa Clara County's wild commercial real estate market hits Greater Scaramento Veteran commerical real estate broker Elaine Hartin recently asked a high-tech expert to dissect a fiber-optic cable and explain to her exactly what's...

Latest detailed Lot A plan pleases downtown officials.(plan for Sacramento office building)
October 27, 2000... Though no one is quite sure how the building will look, 601 Capitol Mall may be set to shed its lowly past as parking Lot A and emerge as a coveted Sacramento address for upscale office tenants and retailers. With an $11 million purchase...

MarketOne Builders snags telecom revamp contracts.(Sacramento, California)
October 27, 2000... MarketOne Builders Inc. has been in the right place at the right time. The year-old general contractor is snagging most of the local jobs on the telecom "co-location" buildings popping up here, as national companies lay groundwork for...

Bay Area revamps turning old digs into new offices.(Oakland retail complex transformed)(Brief Article)
October 27, 2000... Large mall gets multifaceted make-over Desperation makes for interesting bedfellows in Bay Area real estate. Financial District shops, former South of Market police stations and Oakland's green-filed I. Magnin building all have been...

Unease about mold problems grows.(California Job Journal sues Pacific Gulf Properties)(Brief Article)
October 27, 2000... During the Christmas season last year, 26 of 30 employees of the California Job Journal were out sick. The cause? According to the company, it wasn't just a nasty bug going around. It claims employees were suffering from reactions to mold...

In San Francisco, as here, record-breaking deals cut.(leasing rates reach new highs in Silicon Valley, Sacramento)(Brief Article)
October 27, 2000... Office space goes for $115 a square foot Office rents in San Francisco recently rocketed to a record - $115 per square foot per year. Greater Sacramento last week hit a record $52 a square foot sales price for an industrial building....

Old Roseville hopes Vernon revamp means better days.(retailers look to historic Roseville redevelopment for new business)
October 27, 2000... At 1 p.m. on a recent weekday, the door was open at Old Town Restaurant in Roseville, but not a single diner was inside. Obviously, the Mexican restaurant -- which seats 99 -- has seen better days in its 19-year history, said owner and...

Christmas parking effort may aid downtown stores.(parking restrictions relaxed in Sacramento)
October 27, 2000... Relaxed restrictions in their fourth year. There is no such thing as free parking, but try telling that to Sacramento shoppers making a choice between regional malls and downtown retailers. "Parking will always be an issue for us,...

West Capitol businesses aim for improvement district.(Sacramento)
October 27, 2000... Businesses along West Capitol Avenue, hoping to spark improvements and beautification along the West Sacramento drag, are taking initial steps to form a voluntary assessment district akin to Sacramento's Downtown Partnership. West...

Apple Computer likely to lease big-city retail sites.(Brief Article)
October 27, 2000... Apple Computer Inc. plans to open about a dozen company-branded retail stores in major U.S. cities starting next year, sources close to the company say. In an effort to raise brand awareness and build a direct relationship with...

Oakland, like Sacramento, seeks to reuse old railyard.(Brief Article)
October 27, 2000... Oakland, like Sacramento, is working to find a new life for its old railroad yard. While the plan has changed dramatically, in Sacramento -- from the ritzy regional retail center that Mills Corp. proposed there last year to more...

Boom will continue, mavens say.(Sacramento, California)(Brief Article)
October 27, 2000... Greater Sacramento's tech tsunami has produced stunning statistics complemented by bold predictions that it will continue. Experts say there is plenty of evidence that Sacramento is rapidly becoming a high-tech center to reckon with. ...

Sammy Cemo.(profile of Cemo Commercial CEO)
October 27, 2000... Cemo Commercial / president and CEO Quote: "Tough times never last, but tough people do." Movie: "Cat Ballou" Restaurant: The Kitchen, Sacramento Vacation spot: Carmel Hobbies: "I need to get some." Music: Soft rock...

PEOPLE ON THE MOVE.
October 27, 2000... REAL ESTATE Marvin Miller has joined Commonwealth Land Title Co. as county manager, while Don Keller was hired as assistant vice-president and regional manager of builder services for Northern California. Additionally, Lisa Newman...

Splcer-Baer Associates Inc.
October 27, 2000... Splcer-Baer Associates Inc. has released PerpetualBudget v1.00, a Windows 95/98/NT4 program for financial planning and budgeting applications. PerpetualBudget creates a networked system from existing Excel spreadsheets allowing remote users...

The Eskaton Foundation.
October 27, 2000... The Eskaton Foundation raised more than $100,000 in two fund-raising events this year. The annual June Garden Gala took in $51,000 to benefit Eskaton's Talking, Listening, Caring Program, a telephone reassurance program for isolated seniors....

4th Annual Sacramento Bee's KIDS DAY.
October 27, 2000... The 4th Annual Sacramento Bee's KIDS DAY raised $85,067 for the Shriners Hospital for Children, Northern California. More than 1,120 volunteers participated in selling 65,411 specially wrapped editions of The Sacramento Bee for $1.

Memory Walk 2000.(donations raised, Alzheimer's Association, Greater Sacramento Area Chapter)(Brief Article)
October 27, 2000... Memory Walk 2000 has raised an estimated $65,000 so far for the Greater Sacramento Area Chapter of the Alzheimer's Association. More donations are expected to come in before the end of the year. All funds raised by the walk goes to help the...

Fifteenth Annual Junior Achievement.(Junior Achievement of Sacramento receives fund raiser proceeds)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
October 27, 2000... The Fifteenth Annual Junior Achievement, KTXL Fox40 Helping Hand Fund Crazy Bowl, raised $140,000 for Junior Achievement of Sacramento. Junior Achievement helps young people gain the skills necessary to make good choices, create...

Arthritis Foundation Northeastern California Chapter.
October 27, 2000... The Arthritis Foundation Northeastern California Chapter will host the 10th Annual Jingle Bell Run/Walk for Arthritis on Nov. 4. The event will be held at William Land Park, across Freeport Blvd. from Sacramento City College. The days...

B.T. Collins Golden Hook Award.(Women Escaping a Violent Environment honors Joyce Mitchell)(Brief Article)
October 27, 2000... Women Escaping a Violent Environment honored Joyce Mitchell, executive producer at KOVR-Channel 13 News and owner/producer of 4 U Productions, with the B.T. Collins Golden Hook Award. The award honors individuals who demonstrate extraordinary...

Certificate of Achievement for Excellence.(Sacramento County Airport System receives Government Finance Officers Association award)(Brief Article)
October 27, 2000... The Sacramento County Airport System's Comprehensive Annual Financial Report for fiscal year 1999 received a Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting from the Government Finance Officers Association. This is the 11th...

The Dotties.(4th Annual Sacramento Web Awards, recipients)(Brief Article)
October 27, 2000... The 4th Annual Sacramento Web Awards, also known as The Dotties, honored Northern California businesses and organizations for creative and effective online services. Seventy-one finalists competing in 14 categories were reviewed by three...

2000 Distinguished Alumni Award.(Nancy Saracino receives University of California Davis School of Law award)(Brief Article)
October 27, 2000... Nancy Saracino, an attorney at Mennemeir, Glassman & Stroud LLP, was given the 2000 Distinguished Alumni Award by the University of California Davis School of Law. She also received the University of California Davis Cal Aggie Alumni...

Track 'n Trail Inc.(profits, stockholder information)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
October 27, 2000... The El Dorado Hills-based shoe and apparel retailer, which went public in the fall of 1997, has been stepping in hard times. In July, Track 'n Trail reported a net loss for the second quarter of $191,000, compared to a net income of...

Yes on 39.(Brief Article)
October 27, 2000... THE ISSUE: Local school bonds in this state require a two-thirds majority to pass OUR POSITION: Facing a crush of growth, we desperately need to ease that threshold The safest political statement a Californian can make in the 21st...

Yes on Measure R.(Los Rios Community College District, California, seeks funding measure passage)(Brief Article)(Editorial)
October 27, 2000... Speaking of school bonds, voters in the Los Rios Community College District have a chance to pass Measure R, a $215 million bond issue. The district serves 67,000 students now but projects 90,000 in 10 years, many seeking to cross the bridge...

Earlybird economists are bullish.(Brief Article)
October 27, 2000... The strong growth of the Sacramento region's economy should continue through next year, even if an expected slowdown comes in the national economy. That was the message distilled from 12 experts assembled on Tuesday of this week for the...

Folsom isn't rushing to judgment on growth.(Brief Article)
October 27, 2000... Folsom's sphere of influence application, which is pending before the Sacramento Local Agency Formation Commission, has received a significant amount of recent press attention (including "Folsom closes in on land south of 50," Page 1 news...

Commercial building developers.
October 27, 2000... [TABLE HAS BEEN CLIPPED]

STOCKS OF LOCAL INTEREST.
October 27, 2000... [TABLE HAS BEEN CLIPPED]

Huge losses at two PERS health plans.(Brief Article)
October 20, 2000... Consider it a big sign that health insurance costs are spiraling higher for 2001. The two self-funded health insurance plans offered by the California Public Employees' Retirement System have lost money on operations every year since...

Central city faces flood of private office space.(Brief Article)
October 20, 2000... Central Sacramento is about to see approximately 1 million square feet of private office space enter the market. Not because of new construction -- because of state public employees who are moving into two new public projects in...

Railyard plan changes track.
October 20, 2000... U.P. sees more homes, less retail More apartments, fewer offices, more flexibility about what goes where, and probably nothing like the snazzy regional retail center that Mills Corp. proposed there last year. That's the gist of the...

IndyMac Bancorp hires dozens from Money Store.(Brief Article)
October 20, 2000... IndyMac Bancorp, an online bank from Pasadena begun by a former Sacramento banker, plans to open a mortgage underwriting and approval center on Folsom Boulevard Monday. It'll employ 85 people, mostly veterans of The Money Store. They're...

31 square miles of ag land goes under the bulldozer.(Brief Article)
October 20, 2000... The Sacramento region lost 31 square miles of agricultural land between 1996 and 1998, says the state Department of Conservation. If all that urbanized land were in one place, it would be three times bigger than the city of Davis. The...

Now here's Mickey with sports.(Brief Article)
October 20, 2000... This week's sale of KRAK by Infinity Broadcasting to ABC Radio ended the AM station's run of country music. So what's the new format going to be? Insiders say it'll likely become an ESPN all-sports station or a kids' Disney station. ...

In the running.(Brief Article)
October 20, 2000... Sacramento Sports Commission chief John McCasey came home from the Australian Olympics feeling pretty optimistic about the capital's chances of landing the Olympic track and field trials again in four years. The trials this summer beat...

Peregrine pinching pennies?(Brief Article)
October 20, 2000... Some stockholders of Peregrine Real Estate Trust are grumbling about the company's offer to buy all the existing shares and take the company private. Peregrine is Sacramento's 10th-largest publicly traded company. Going private would...

Chicago Jones and the ziggurat.(Brief Article)
October 20, 2000... The company that bought the Money Store and later laid off a bunch of its workers has hired a big-time real estate outfit to lease and manage its West Sacramento ziggurat. First Union National Bank of Charlotte, N.C., hired Jones Lang...

Home Depot still homeless.(Brief Article)
October 20, 2000... Home Depot's foes are gearing up again in Auburn. Friends of Placer County Communities Inc. held a community meeting this week to start the latest fight against a Home Depot store in the Placer County seat. More than 60 people attended,...

Commercial waste haulers will likely hike fees 7%.
October 20, 2000... Most businesses in Sacramento County can expect to pay higher garbage rates next year, now that the county plans to begin charging franchise fees to commercial waste haulers starting Jan. 1. The hit will probably total about 7 percent....

'Traffic calming' complaints continue.(Sacramento, California street closures)(Brief Article)
October 20, 2000... Two years after Sacramento instituted a "traffic calming" plan for midtown, the mood is far from calm among midtown businesses. The debate rages on over the half-street closures that are part of the city's plan to slow traffic on certain...

High-tech complex fetches record price.(price for industrial building lease)(Brief Article)
October 20, 2000... South Placer County's standing as an emerging center for the high-tech industry hit a new high this week: $52. The number reflects the highest price ever paid, measured per square foot, for an industrial building in the Sacramento region....

Workers' comp fee rising?(hospital rate increase could raise workers' compensation costs)(Brief Article)
October 20, 2000... A proposed fee hike for hospitals that care for injured workers could add as much as $593 million in new costs to the state workers' compensation system by 2004. So say insurers, adding that the extra cost could lead to higher workers'...

Galleria lands Pier 1 for store outside the mall.(Galleria at Roseville)(Brief Article)
October 20, 2000... Now that the Galleria at Roseville has opened most of its shops and restaurants, development is moving to the mall's surrounding parcels. McDonald's Corp. was the first to commit to one of the mall's four outlying properties for sale....