CONEJO VALLEY CAMARILLO Channel Islands Aviation added a Cessna Citation CJ3 jet to its charter fleet flying out of the Camarillo Airport. The light business jet can carry up to eight passengers and has a range of 2,200 miles. The aircraft has a list price of $8.3 million. The Citation is the first jet in the Channel Islands Aviation charter fleet. The firm also operates two Islanders and a Socata, both propeller planes. Mike Oberman, chief pilot for Channel Islands Aviation, said the jet will create three or four pilot jobs. SAN FERNANDO VALLEY BURBANK Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Ann Jones, who was hearing a lawsuit filed by three Burbank residents against the City of Burbank against Wal-Mart Stores Inc. to block the retailer from moving into its new space without further environmental research, was reassigned Dec. 14. The residents filed the suit in June claiming the company needs to improve local streets before the store can open. An injunction is in place to prevent Wal-Mart from beginning construction on the property pending the outcome of the lawsuit, an injunction lawyers for the Bentonville, Ark. company say they will appeal. It is unclear how long the reassignment will delay the case. CHATSWORTH Cesar Garcia, chief executive of medical diagnostics company Iris International Inc., was awarded the Tom Hopkins Award for Excellence in Mergers and Acquisitions on Dec. 13. He is the second person to receive the annual award presented by Woodland Hills-based Association for Corporate Growth. In 2007, Garcia announced a five-year growth plan for Iris that culminated in its $379 million acquisition in September by Washington, D.C. technology company Danaher Corp. Lynda Roth, president of ACG, said the acquisition was positive for shareholders. GLENDALE A 208-unit multifamily complex is scheduled to open in the spring. The Eleve Lofts & Skydeck building is designed for young adults who live with roommates. The 170,000-square-foot complex is at Maryland Avenue and Broadway in the southern section of downtown. It is designed to appeal to technologically and environmentally conscious professionals. Cardio equipment in the fitness center will have iPod docks and the building will be Wi-Fi equipped. The project is certified by U.S. Green Building Council as a LEED, or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, building. NORTH HILLS Galpin Ford, a division of Galpin Motors Inc. and the largest Ford dealership in the world, announced a partnership Dec. 11 with LoJack Corp. of Canton, Mass. LoJack will install its stolen vehicle recovery system on Galpin’s fleet of vehicles. LoJack’s Chief Executive Randy Ortiz said the installation will protect cars on the Galpin lot and will be standard equipment for customers who purchase the cars. Galpin Chief Executive Bert Boeckmann said the partnership was driven by the area’s high rate of car thefts. STUDIO CITY Following the November election in which California voters approved Measure B, which requires adult actors to use condoms on the set, the adult film industry announced Dec. 11 that it will appeal the measure. Steven Hirsch, founder of adult film industry giant Vivid Entertainment, said the industry has organized a team of attorneys that will argue the law is a violation of First Amendment rights. The law took effect Dec. 14. Violations can result in fines and revocation of studios’ health permits if the Department of Public Health finds public safety risks on location. – Compiled by Bailey Brewer
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