Meet In CommonNews

Local news in and around Irvine, CA

Orange County Business Journal · Irvine, CA

Anduril Says Company Workforce 12K and Growing

HomeDefense DefenseNewsletter Feed Anduril Says Company Workforce 12K and Growing Celebrating 10th anniversary next year By Kevin Costelloe November 12, 2026 35 Defense company Anduril Industries says veterans make up 13% of its workforce, which has jumped to 12,000 people and growing. The latest total headcount number represents a major increase since the summer. Business Journal data showed Anduril had 9,360 employees as of June. Anduril got its start in Irvine almost 10 years ago. “Today, we’re far from a 200-person company — we’re 12,000 and growing,” Chief Administrative Officer Matt Kaplan said in a note on the Costa Mesa-based company’s website issued in conjunction with yesterday’s Veterans Day. Kaplan, himself a U.S. Army combat veteran, added: “The mission appeal is obvious. But plenty of technology and defense companies hire veterans.

The Skidmore News · Irvine, CA

Olivia Rodrigo has “Real Big Expectations” and Yet She Keeps Exceeding Ours

Graphic by Casey Byrne On August 29 in Irvine, California, singer-songwriter and philanthropist Olivia Rodrigo hosted Daisy Chain Fields, one of the most successful not-for-profit music festivals this year. The festival was inspired by Sarah McLachan’s 1997 festival Lilith Fair. Rodrigo, as she has often done in the past, honors the artists that have inspired her by inviting them to perform on stage with her. McLachan was no exception as she sang with Rodrigo an homage to Dolly Parton, who passed just four days before the festival. Both Rodrigo’s and McLachan’s festivals only had female artists performing. It is important to note that every artist that performed during Daisy Chain Fields did it for free. The lineup included Olivia Rodrigo, Chappell Roan, Doechii, Garbage, Mitski, The Breeders, Bikini Kill, Die Spitz, Eli, Not For Radio, Quiet Light, Rachel Chinouriri, Santigold, and special guests.

Orange County Business Journal · Orange, CA

Nearby: Orange, CA

LoanDepot Founder’s Newport Coast Home Hits The Market for $125 million

Anthony Hsieh, founder and CEO of Irvine’s loanDepot, has put his 18,700-square-foot custom mansion in one of Newport Beach’s exclusive neighborhoods up for sale at $125 million. The six-bedroom, 12-bathroom home sits on a two-parcel lot and covers nearly an acre at 15 Del Mar in the guard-gated community of Crystal Cove. Hsieh bought the home in October 2020 for $61 million, setting a record then for the highest-priced residential estate sold in Orange County. Hsieh founded the mortgage giant in 2010 and served as CEO until 2022, before returning to the position in 2025. Rex McKown and Marcy Weinstein from Compass are the listing agents.

Orange County Business Journal · Orange, CA

Nearby: Orange, CA

How Hoag’s Top Lawyer Helped Win $207M Ziggurat Deal

Eric Cheung is more comfortable behind the scenes than in the spotlight. But as senior vice president, chief legal officer and general counsel of Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian, he has been instrumental in many of the nonprofit health system’s major decisions, from restoring its independence to pursuing major expansion across Orange County. “I’ve never been one to seek attention,” Cheung told the Business Journal. “I prefer to put our leaders and people on my team up ahead of myself.” Since joining Hoag in 2021 as its first in-house general counsel in nearly a decade, Cheung has guided legal strategy behind Hoag’s largest investments, including raising $900 million in bond financing to support Hoag’s $1.2 billion Sun Family Campus expansion in Irvine. Most recently, he oversaw Hoag’s $207 million acquisition of the 89-acre Ziggurat property in Laguna Niguel, capping a two-year battle that included a lost bidding war, a legal challenge and a canceled federal auction.

Orange County Business Journal · Orange, CA

Nearby: Orange, CA

Ritz-Carlton Laguna Sale Sets OC Hotel Record

Strategic Hotels & Resorts has sold the Ritz-Carlton, Laguna Niguel to private equity firm KSL Capital Partners for $600 million, marking the largest hotel sale in Orange County history. The Dana Point hotel traded hands for $1.6 million per room, according to CoStar, which assessed the property’s value at $447.6 million earlier this year. The deed lists the real estate portion of the transaction at $378 million. KSL declined to comment on the deal. Management firm Peregrine Hospitality, previously known as KSL Resorts and based in Denver, will operate the four-story Ritz-Carlton on behalf of the new owner, CoStar reported. Marriott International will continue to manage the resort. Peregrine, which rebranded from KSL Resorts in 2025, was involved in Orange County’s previous record sale of the Waldorf Astoria Monarch Beach Resort & Club to Ohana Real Estate Investors. The 400-room resort traded for nearly $500 million at the end of 2019.

Orange County Business Journal · Newport Beach, CA

Nearby: Newport Beach, CA

Newport Beach Estate Hosts Tiffany & Co. Pop-Up

Tiffany & Co. is hosting a pop-up this month at a private estate in Newport Beach to showcase the brand’s latest high jewelry pieces from its Blue Book collection. The 2026 iteration called Hidden Garden, designed by Nathalie Verdeille, pays tribute to the creative relationship between Tiffany & Co. designer Jean Schlumberger and heiress Rachel “Bunny” Mellon. The gemstones will be on display through Nov. 15, by appointment only. New York City-based Tiffany & Co. this year relocated its boutique to a redesigned 15,000-square-foot space at South Coast Plaza and opened the first Blue Box Café on the West Coast at the Costa Mesa shopping center.