South Coast Plaza Sees Brighter Side of Sears Meltdown
Sears might be slouching toward obscurity, but its one-time store at South Coast Plaza could be a booster rocket for the globally renowned enclave of upscale retail as it looks to remain someplace special compared with digital offerings in the ever-competitive future … That’s the word around the South Coast Metro district, an area that counts on the Segerstrom Center for the Arts along with the plaza and its $1.8 billion a year in retail sales as twin anchors. Recent buzz suggests the possibility of a luxe condo development and hotel taking the place of the low-slung 241,000-square foot Sears store, which recently shut its door as its parent continues to wind down its once-venerable operations. The store takes up the corner of South Coast Plaza facing Bristol Street and Sunflower Avenue, and comes with several smaller buildings that house various additional operations spread over a parking lot, covering 22 acres of one of the world’s marquee retail centers.
Gensler veteran Bryce Osborn, who now serves as South Coast Plaza’s director of architecture and planning, is said to be thinking big about the Sears store. The plaza isn’t far from John Wayne Airport, so there is a height limit of about 20 stories, and word has it that ambitions could reach that high. How much thought has been given such a plan? Enough to prompt one local observer with some knowledge of the situation to mention that signage atop a 20-story building at the spot would be seen by about 360,000 vehicles a day—an interesting and perhaps indicative tidbit … Osborn couldn’t be reached and South Coast Plaza Public Relations Manager Lisa Liddane declined any comment on the Sears site… Fast-fashion retailer Forever 21, which subleases a chunk of space from Sears, remains in operation and might have to be given other options as part of a redevelopment plan— although that shouldn’t be too high a hurdle for the Segerstrom family members who own the center … Sears paid $1 in 1967 for the store and land. The retailer sold it back last year for $187 million, according to the Orange County Business Journal.
Speaking of South Coast Metro
State Senator John Moorlach is slated to address the annual luncheon meeting of the South Coast Metro Alliance, a long-serving advocacy group for businesses in the area, on Feb. 8 at the Center Club.
Speaking of Moorlach
Any Republicans struggling to see a future for the party in California—and that’s not a clear picture at all—should give some serious thought to Moorlach for statewide office. State Controller or Treasurer would be natural spots for the one-time CPA, but the GOP just might be hard-pressed to find a better candidate for governor next time around. Check out Moorlach’s review of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s proposed budget at moorlach.cssrc.us and note the command of facts and financials as well as the reasonable tone. No partisan lean on my part here—just an assessment of what looks to be prime political horse flesh, with a note that everyone is better off if California has at least two viable political parties competing for votes.
Wind-Down for LA Weekly?
Is LA Weekly in a tactical retreat or simply caught short on cash flow under Brian Calle and his backers in Semanal Media, the entity that acquired the publication a little more than a year ago and has seen little go smoothly since? Tough to say since Calle hasn’t responded to requests for comments on indicators that the publication has cut back on distribution of its print edition. Some sources telling me it’s gone from 60,000 copies a week to 40,000 and others say it’s down around 30,000 …
Word on the street says contractors who deliver the publication have been told to spread copies thin over indoor locations and skip street racks altogether. There’s no disputing that LA Weekly has been absent from street racks in significant swaths of its circulation territory in recent weeks, and the bit about going light on indoor locations also appears to be accurate, based on a limited foot-leather survey of locations … Any publisher would have plenty of room to make a decent case for trimming the print run in these days of digital ascendance, but no word from Calle, who also oversees the recently launched Irvine Weekly, which incumbent OC Weekly has accused of infringing on its distribution system … Recent issues of the LA Weekly, meanwhile, have been noticeably thinner–the January 11th edition ran 24 pages–suggesting a significant drop-off in advertising revenue …
A couple of more possible problems for Calle could be in the offing based on talks of a recent staff trimming – the publication doesn’t run a masthead these days, so it’s difficult to track personnel–and rumblings that remaining members of the newsroom are considering taking steps to organize under the banner of the Communications Workers of America, which recently managed to sell journalists at the L.A. Times on forming a NewsGuild. LA Weekly was a union shop before Calle’s arrival, when the structure of Semanal Media’s acquisition gave the new owners an out on the labor deal. Representatives of the CWA and NewsGuild declined comment.
Coyote Cool
The constant swish of passing traffic lets you know you’re in the city even if this visitor to Elysian Park pays no mind.
Virtuous Cycle for Echo Media Trio
It’s one thing to put your best efforts into work for a client you believe in. It’s another thing when an example of why your wok matters passes out of the blue before your very eyes in the middle of a meeting …
That’s what happened to Kim Sherman, president and CEO; Vivian Slater, senior vice president; and Nancy Andrews, executive vice president and managing director of Echo Media in Tustin the other day. The agency handles some of the digital portions of the public relations of developer FivePoint Holdings LLC’s Great Park Neighborhoods in Irvine, where every new household is offered a decidedly Orange beach-cruiser bicycle as part of a push for healthy communities. The Great Parker who pedaled past the Echo Media trio must be in pretty good shape – the agency’s offices are a good 6 or 7 miles from the development.
Roman Runaways Reunited
I’m pleased to say that this column played a role in the recent reunion of Italian star Sophia Loren and local PR pro Arlene Howard over the recent holiday. The two renewed a friendship that started in Rome in the 1960s, when the Eternal City was where Hollywood went for runaway production. Loren lives in Geneva now, and was in Brentwood to visit her sons – filmmaker Eduardo Ponti and classical conductor Carlo Ponti Jr. I’m told she and Howard got on as though Rome was just yesterday – and that Loren might be back in SoCal to star in a film Eduardo has in the works.
Cheung Adds LAEDC Role
Congratulations to Stephen Cheung, president of World Trade Center LA, who last week added duties as executive vice president of the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corp. The World Trade Center is a subsidiary of the non-profit LAEDC, and Cheung’s move is billed as a way to ensure domestic and international efforts to retain and attract businesses to the area get the advantage of both sides in tandem when appropriate on the increasingly globally oriented business landscape of SoCal. No other changes in staff are expected at either unit s part of the move, according to the LAEDC.
Sullivan Says
Please click here for a bonus column on the federal investigation into 14th District Los Angeles City Councilmember Jose Huizar.