Business Plan

IRVINE — City Council members last week unanimously approved a set of business-friendly initiatives. Some of the initiatives, which encourage local purchases, will be implemented in the coming weeks, while others were sent back to city staff for review. The council was presented with 15 initiatives intended to stimulate local business growth and consumer spending, including lowering fees and a cell phone application, at a total cost of $373,000, according to the staff report.

The owner and operator of Roy's in Newport Beach has announced plans to open Thaifoon, Taste of Asia, at the Irvine Spectrum. Randy Schoch, founder of Desert Island Restaurants, which owns Roy's, said the 285-seat Thai food restaurant will encompass 6,957 square feet, with an additional 1,303-square-foot patio. It is scheduled to open April 1, a year after the original restaurant opened in Scottsdale, Ariz. Plans for a third Thaifoon to open in the summer at Fashion Island in Newport Beach are also in the works.

Downey Savings and Loan slashed jobs from its Newport Beach headquarters this week. Downey announced Thursday that it would shut down its wholesale loan department, cutting about 200 positions companywide. Company spokeswoman Elizabeth Stover confirmed Friday that jobs had been cut from the company’s Newport Beach offices but declined to comment on the number of local layoffs. Downey’s wholesale loan department is based in Newport Beach, she said. Stover declined to comment further but confirmed that the loan department accounted for about 80% of Downey’s loan production.

The Costa Mesa Planning Commission unanimously denied an application for a proposed 7-Eleven near The Triangle on Monday night, citing the area's problems with homelessness and the convenience store's request to sell alcohol. Their decision was supported by the Police Department and city staff, who also alluded to potential parking and traffic problems, a concentration of 10 alcohol sale permits in the area, and the 7-Eleven's potential to "magnify exiting problems with transiency.

COSTA MESA — They brought in an artist rendering of their ideal recycling center, submitted paperwork to get it approved at a new location a block away, and by Mayor Gary Monahan's own assessment, they made progress toward moving the business. Despite all that, the Costa Mesa City Council in a 4-1 vote turned down Garcia Recycling Center's request to extend its stay at 739 W. 19th Street past Feb. 14, its deadline to close shop. Councilwoman Wendy Leece cast the dissenting vote and unsuccessfully recommended a 30-day extension.

Costa Mesa High School Les Miller Outstanding Student Awards MANDY NGUYEN GPA: 4.28 School Activities/Clubs: National Honor Society, California Scholarship Federation, ROP Emergency Medical Responder, ZOE academy Community: Mesa Verde Library, Heart of Jesus Retreat Center, part-time job at the Orange County Marketplace Honors: valedictorian, Balboa Bay Club Scholarship, Mustang Recognition Awards, Principal's Honor...

UCI business plan competition set Thinktank and the UC Irvine Graduate School of Management will kick off their annual Business Plan Competition with an information and networking event for UCI students from 6 to 8 p.m. Dec. 4. The competition aims to promote and support the entrepreneurial talent on campus, university officials said. Student teams will get free training during several workshops. The first-place winner will scoop up $50,000, and second-place winners will receive $10,000.

This corrects Gabrielle Herbosa's information. COSTA MESA HIGH SCHOOL Recipients of the 32nd annual Les Miller Outstanding Student Awards ANGELINE HONG School Activities/Clubs: Virtual Enterprise-Business Plan Team, Academic Decathlon, varsity tennis, Asian Club. Community: Vietnamese-American Philharmonic, National Piano Guild Auditions, Stand Up for Kids-Research Committee, FV Regional Hospital junior volunteer, CalTrans intern, Long Beach VA Hospital volunteer, beach cleanups.

A group of UCI students has become the first clutch of undergraduates at the university to win a prestigious award from the school's business academy. Five students from the Alpha Kappa Psi fraternity took second place at the UCI Paul Merage School of Business' 7th annual Business Plan Competition, becoming the first group of undergraduate students to place in the competition's top five. "We wanted to do well in this competition and knowing there were top-notch graduate students working on it, we knew it would take a lot," said participating undergraduate student Ronaldo Villalon.

A Costa Mesa High School student will be honored as the Coastline Regional Occupational Program Overall Distinguished Student of the year at a ceremony Friday. Kyle Herbertz, 18, will take home the award after students from 90 high schools were considered for the honor. “I am really happy,” Herbertz said. “[The Regional Occupational Program] motivated me in school and helped me to pursue every opportunity that comes my way.” Herbertz received the honor due to his leadership and management skills in his program, as well as his grades.