Antelope Valley Lancaster Dr. Lisa LaVange has joined the board at Simulations Plus, according to a statement from the Lancaster company. She will replace Dr. Ted Grasela, who resigned from the board. He remains president of Cognigen Corp., a Simulations Plus subsidiary, and will continue to grow the company’s consulting practice. LaVange brings 35-plus years of expertise in biostatistics and academia, as well as commercial organizations like Quintiles, the largest pharmaceutical outsourcing company in the U.S. Currently, LaVange is a professor at the Department of Biostatistics in the Gillings School of Global Public Health at the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill San Fernando Valley Calabasas The Calabasas Chamber of Commerce is looking for a new leader after Pamela Kissel, the former chief executive, unexpectedly stepped down last month. Bridget Karl has stepped in as interim chief executive, a post she will hold until starting a new job in July. Karl led the Calabasas Chamber from 2012 to 2016. Kissel is now serving as marketing and events director at the Greater Conejo Valley Chamber of Commerce in Westlake Village. “We’re so happy to have Pam Kissel,” said Conejo Valley Chamber Chief Executive Jill Lederer. “She did a stellar job in Calabasas and has hit the ground running here at the Greater Conejo Chamber.” The move comes as the Greater Conejo Chamber’s marketing department grows from two people to three — Sophie Battershell was recently hired as marketing and communications coordinator. Lederer said her staff has grown to 11 people in step with expansion of the chamber’s programs and services. Northridge Porto’s Bakery & Café is coming to Northridge. Owners Margarita Navarro and Betty Porto plan to repurpose the 14,854-square-foot Sears Auto Center in the parking lot of Northridge Fashion Center as its next location, though they have yet to sign a contract finalizing the deal. The Northridge announcement comes just as the Cuban bakery opens in West Covina. While there is no official opening date for the Northridge location, Navarro, whose mother opened the original Porto’s in 1976, said it will happen soon after the new West Covina location settles in. Porto’s, famous for its Cuban sandwiches and savory pastries, has additional locations in Burbank, Glendale, Downey and Buena Park. San Fernando Rexford Industrial Realty Inc. has acquired the San Fernando Business Center for $118 million. West Los Angeles-based Rexford, a real estate investment trust, paid about $200 a square foot for the property, which consists of three single-tenant industrial buildings and two three-tenant industrial buildings, totaling 591,660 square feet on 28.7 acres. The industrial business park is located at 635 8th St. and was 88 percent occupied at the time of sale. The seller was Barings Real Estate Advisers. Rexford intends to complete cosmetic and functional enhancements to drive the current below-market rents higher as leases roll. Westlake Village Exer Urgent Care has opened its newest location in Westlake Village. The center, located at 111 S. Westlake Blvd., will be open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. seven days a week. The Westlake location marks the company’s 11th facility in Southern California. Staff at Exer locations aim to help patients avoid trips to an emergency room if the matter is non-life threatening. “In just over two and a half years, we’ve grown from four centers to 11 centers and we are not slowing down by any means,” said Rob Mahan, chief executive at Exer. “Our on-site expertise and service capabilities at each Exer location enable us to stabilize and treat 80 percent of the cases seen daily in a local ER.” Tri-Cities Burbank Walt Disney Co. broke box office records with its latest Marvel film, “Avengers: Endgame.” The movie from the Burbank entertainment and media giant grossedmore than $350 million in its first weekend in domestic box office, while its total global take was estimated at $1.2 billion. No film has reached those numbers before. The previous record holder was “Endgame’s” predecessor film, “Avengers: Infinity War,” which brought in nearly $258 million domestically and $641 million globally. “Infinity War” needed 11 days to reach $1 billion in global receipts versus the five days for “Endgame.” “Endgame,” directed by Joe and Anthony Russo and starring Robert Downey Jr., Scarlett Johansson, Mark Ruffalo and Josh Brolin, is the 22nd film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe that started in 2008 with “Iron Man.” Glendale The City of Glendale has signed a contract with Santa Ana-based Iteris to design and integrate changes to improve traffic flow. Under the contract, Iteris is tasked with updating the city’s traffic management centers, relocating and recommissioning existing fiber optics, deploying a new video management system and integrating it with field management systems. Glendale will also get an upgrade and reconfiguration of its existing Cisco network for communications, as well as a new signal system supporting 240 signalized intersections. “The cities of Inglewood and Glendale are demonstrating their commitment to finding smart city solutions to improve traffic safety and efficiency in these thriving Southern California transportation networks,” Scott Carlson, vice president of Transportation Systems at Iteris, said in a statement. Santa Clarita Valley Santa Clarita AMG & Associates, a Santa Clarita-based firm, has been awarded a $41 million contract to construct a new elementary school in Santa Maria. The public works contractor recently announced that it was building the school in Enos Ranch in the Santa Maria-Bonita School District. When completed in 2020, the school will consist of three new buildings spanning more than 67,000 square feet, with 26 classrooms designated toward 900 pupils, kindergarten through sixth grade. The school will include ample multipurpose space devoted to therapeutic learning and special education as well as two softball fields, four basketball courts and a soccer field. Construction is expected to commence soon. Ventura County Camarillo Harbor Freight Tools is shutting down its Camarillo distribution center, resulting in the loss of 51 jobs. The Calabasas discount tool and equipment retailer notified the state Employment Development Department that the layoffs would take place between June 22 and July 1. “The current operation is being relocated to our existing Moreno Valley distribution center where we will be adding positions to support our direct-to-consumer operation,” the company said in the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification. Employees have been told they are eligible for positions elsewhere in the company and have started offering transition classes through Ventura County Rapid Response Services and Harbor Freight’s internal talent acquisition team, the company said. Simi Valley The Simi Valley Town Center may be heading toward foreclosure after defaulting on payments. A notice of default from January said Simi Valley Town Center’s owners must pay $42.7 million to avoid a foreclosure, according to the Ventura County Star. The notice also said the property is subject to be sold if payment hasn’t been received by 90 days after the document was recorded. The 612,000-square-foot shopping center has been struggling for years. It was purchased in 2010 by Walton Street Capital, which assumed the center’s $112 million debt. At the time, the mall had 85 percent occupancy, a number that has dropped to about 50. However, the property has been more active recently, including the opening of a Studio Movie Grill theater in 2017 and a Huarache Xpress Mexican restaurant in March. The center is expected to welcome a ZoZo Baking, Surf Boba and Feel Good Bakery & Sandwich Shop. It is currently unclear whether management has arranged to pay the debt or to accept foreclosure. – Compiled by Andrew Foerch