Conejo Valley Camarillo Semtech Corp. has partnered with Comcast Corp.’s Internet of Things network service to co-sponsor a program for city government agencies to develop and deploy smart city products and services. The Startup in Residence program from City Innovate Foundation, in San Francisco, connects startups with city government agencies to come up with technology to address such issues as reducing parking congestion, monitoring waste management and controlling street lights remotely. Semtech, in Camarillo, along with Comcast’s machineQ network service, will provide long-range wireless technology to the Startup in Residence program for the San Francisco area. Marc Pegulu, vice president and general manager of the Wireless and Sensing Products Group at Semtech, said that with innovation touching every part of our lives, city governments need long-range, low-power technology. “By co-sponsoring (Startup in Residence), we are bringing cities into the digital age and an opportunity to adopt a leading Internet of Things platform, such as Semtech’s LoRa technology, to support a variety of smart city applications,” Pegulu said in a statement. Newbury Park US Nuclear Corp. has signed an agreement with a Newbury Park company for the non-exclusive rights to sell its chemical sniffers. US Nuclear, in Canoga Park, serves many of the same markets as Electric Sensor Technology Inc. with its zNose portable odor analysis detector. Both companies cater to homeland security, worker safety and environmental monitoring clients. The zNose can measure salmonella and E. coli contamination in food, as well as detect chemical warfare agents, bombs, carcinogens and petroleum vapors, among other uses. The detector uses advanced sensors and ultra-fast gas chromatography to separate and analyze vapor samples in near real-time. Westlake Village HUB California has hired Mark Dobbs as a vice president for its national Real Estate Specialty Practice in Westlake Village. HUB is an insurance and risk advisory firm. In his new position, Dobbs will sell insurance covering development, property management, acquisitions and brokerage to clients in the real estate industry. Previously, Dobbs was vice president of construction and real estate insurance at Marsh & McLennan and Alliant. He also worked in the real estate operations for Goldman Sachs. “Mark will join the HUB Real Estate Specialty providing HUB client’s tools and resources to help reduce premium costs and administrative burdens,” James Stuart, HUB California’s chief sales officer, said in a statement. “He will have access to exclusive new HUB insurance programs for real estate owners and managers in Southern California.” HUB California is a wholly owned subsidiary of HUB International Ltd. in Chicago. San Fernando Valley The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority will receive $75 million from the state’s gas tax to help fund improvements to the Orange Line busway, officials said May 18. The California Transportation Commission voted May 16 to disperse the funding to the authority, also known as Metro. The enhancement for the busway, scheduled to begin in the 2019 fiscal year, will include one aerial grade-separated structure over five intersections; railroad-style gating systems at 34 intersections; and elevating the existing bike path. Total cost of the project is about $320 million. Metro Chief Executive Phillip Washington said the agency’s projects depend on funding from both the state and federal governments. “These SB-1 (gas tax) funds will help us leverage our local funding commitments to fully and quickly implement our region’s critically needed transportation improvements,” Washington said in a statement. Other projects receiving money from the commission include $5 million to Metro to construct four sound walls along the 210 Freeway in La Canada-Flintridge and $8.9 million to build a new Metrolink station at Vista Canyon in Santa Clarita. SB-1 is the bill signed into law last year that raised the gas tax by 12 cents a gallon. Glendale RMH Franchise, a major owner of Applebee’s Grill and Bar franchises, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, according to a report by the Associated Press. The Lincoln, Neb. company owns more than 150 restaurants in 15 states including Arizona, Florida, Pennsylvania and Texas, accounting for nearly 8 percent of all Applebee’s globally. Applebee’s is owned by Glendale-based Dine Brands Global Inc., which also owns IHOP. In the bankruptcy filing, RMH Franchise said it owes between $100 million and $500 million, according to the Associated Press. Applebee’s restaurants across the country have struggled in recent years as consumer tastes have changed. Domestic same-restaurant sales decreased by 5.3 percent last year, according to filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Sales for the first quarter of this year rebounded slightly, however, growing 3 percent year-over-year. In the face of declining revenues, Dine Brands closed 99 stores last year and announced plans to close an additional 60 to 80 this year. In February, Dine Brands changed its name from Dine Equity and announced a comprehensive plan to return to growth. The plan includes investments in advertising, store remodels, new technology and data analysis to better understand consumers. Tarzana A 52-unit apartment complex at 6251-6267 Reseda Blvd. has traded hands for nearly $11.3 million. CBRE’s Laurie Lustig-Bower and Kadie Presley Wilson represented the buyer, Xenon Investment Corp. / Mehta Family. The seller, a private investor which CoStar identifies as Raymont G. Wong with Jong G. Wong & Sharon Wong Revocable Trust, was also represented by Lustig-Bower and Presley Wilson. CoStar also reports that Jong and Sharon Wong had bought the property 20 years ago. Known as Reseda Gardens, the 1960-built, two-floor multifamily property is comprised of one-, two- and three-bedroom apartment units totaling about 42,000 square feet. “The property’s location (near the 101 freeway and Ventura Boulevard) was a big draw,” said Lustig-Bower in a statement. Van Nuys MGA Entertainment Inc. Chief Executive Isaac Larian has withdrawn his offer to purchase hundreds of Toys R Us stores after he was unable to come to terms with the bankrupt retailer’s creditors. In April, Larian led a group of investors in making a $675 million bid to acquire 274 of Toys R Us’ 735 U.S. stores, which are currently in the process of being sold through liquidation proceedings. “We have officially withdrawn our bid to Save Toys R Us as we were unable to reach a fair agreement with the current lenders, who I believe did not provide a fair valuation of the remaining U.S. assets,” Larian said in a statement. Larian, whose toy manufacturing company MGA is based in Van Nuys, made the offer after initially pledging $200 million to an online public crowdfunding campaign he created to save Toy R Us. The goal was to raise $1 billion by May 28, but the effort netted only about $62,000 in public pledges. Larian has said that a healthy Toys R Us is essential for the toy industry and that MGA relied on the retailer for almost 20 percent of its sales. “As the maker of the No. 1 selling toy in the country, L.O.L. Surprise, Toys R Us has played a large part in growing our business and their absence will be felt by the toy industry at large,” he said. Simi Valley Simi Valley Revolution Lighting Technologies Inc. will expand its Simi Valley production facility to meet the demand for its LED lighting products. Revolution, in Stamford, Conn., will double the footprint of its area manufacturing plant to 125,000 square feet. The Simi Valley factory, which opened last year, produces LEDs compliant with the Buy American Act and Trade Agreements Act that require federal agencies to first consider American-made products over foreign ones. Revolution Chief Executive Robert LaPenta said the Simi Valley location was opened to provide opportunity for its business in the federal, military and municipal markets. “As a result of this success, we are expanding our facility to increase capacity, positioning our company to support increased revenue opportunities for not only LED tubes, but the anticipated demand growth for (Buy American Act and Trade Agreements Act) LED fixtures, which we believe can be a key revenue driver moving forward,” LaPenta said in a statement.
