San Fernando Valley Chatsworth SolarCity Corp. has opened its first San Fernando Valley facility. The 16,800 square-foot operations center at 21040 Nordhoff St. serves as a Valley hub for the San Mateo company’s installation crews. The firm already has several major contracts in the area, including with the Los Angeles, Glendale and Simi Valley school districts. The facility employs 61 full-time people with additional positions available. SolarCity is one of the nation’s largest installers of solar panels. It was founded in 2006 and is chaired by Elon Musk, the billionaire entrepreneur behind Tesla Motors Inc. Glendale Walt Disney Co. is laying off up to 175 employees at its Disney/ABC Television Group. Job cuts from the Burbank company are expected to take place at primarily ABC-owned television stations, which operate in most major markets including Los Angeles. The round of cuts follow the layoff of about 400 employees at sports cable network ESPN and about 100 when Disney closed its LucasArts video game studio. Disney said the layoffs were to gain efficiencies and better position it for future growth. Sylmar Tutor Perini Corp. and its joint venture partners have signed a contract to construct the first segment of the state’s bullet train. The contract with the California High-Speed Rail Authority is valued at about $985 million, with another $53 million in payments for possible additional work. Tutor will get about $500 million of the deal, with its partners Zachry Construction Corp. of San Antonio and Parsons Corp. of Pasadena receiving the rest. The joint venture won the contract despite having the lowest technical capability rating among the five finalists because it was the lowest bidder. The construction will include about 30 miles of the track bed between Madera and Fresno in the Central Valley. Quallion LLC has received a $511,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Energy to develop a lightweight battery for use in electric vehicles. The company plans to develop a lithium-ion battery with safety features that can prevent overheating, isolate damage and reduce the need for additional shielding. Quallion, which also has operations in the Santa Clarita Valley, was co-founded by billionaire Alfred Mann. Van Nuys Maguire Aviation, the largest tenant at Van Nuys Airport, has been sold to national aviation operator Signature Flight Support in a deal valued at $69 million. The sale of Maguire’s assets, which includes leases for hangar and other space on 48 acres at the Valley airfield, will end real estate mogul Robert Maguire’s involvement in the aviation business at the airport. Signature has a facility at Van Nuys for aircraft management and maintenance and fuel sales. The company is owned by British firm BBA Aviation plc. When the sale closes by the end of the year, Signature will have nearly 2 million square feet of hangar, ramp, passenger lounges and offices space. Woodland Hills Great American Group Inc. will manage store closings at nine additional Orchard Supply Hardware locations, including three in the greater San Fernando Valley. The Woodland Hills liquidation company announced last month that it would sell the inventory at eight OSH store closings. All of the 17 total stores are located in California, including ones in Burbank, Canoga Park and Santa Clarita. The closings stem from the acquisition of OSH by home improvement chain Lowe’s Co. Inc. The company paid $205 million to buy OSH out of bankruptcy. Lowe’s plans to continue to operate some OSH stores. Santa Clarita Valley Santa Clarita Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors gave its approval last week for Walt Disney Co. to build a movie production studio in the Santa Clarita Valley. The studio will feature 12 soundstages and enough space for up to six one-hour dramas to be filmed simultaneously. It also will include production and administration offices, a commissary and talent bungalows. The Burbank media giant is making an undisclosed multimillion investment in its Disney ABC Studios at the Ranch project, which is on its 800-acre Golden Oak Ranch property in an unincorporated valley off State Route 14. Shows have been filmed at the Golden Oak Ranch property since the late 1950s, including the “Mickey Mouse Club” and scenes from “Pirates of the Caribbean.” Valencia The Villa Metro, a 315-home development, has opened in Valencia. The project was constructed by New Home Co. of Aliso Viejo and has homes starting at about $300,000. Villa Metro is next to the Santa Clarita Metrolink station and is being marketed to commuters. The development features a community recreation center with pool, spa and community garden. It is the final village to open in the original Valencia Master Plan. New Home has developed several projects in the state, including Lambert Ranch in Irvine and Trails in Folsom, with additional plans for Thousand Oaks and Calabasas. Conejo Valley Thousand Oaks Amgen Inc. has agreed to purchase cancer drug maker Onyx Pharmaceuticals Inc. for $10.4 billion. The Thousand Oaks biotech giant will pay $125 a share for the South San Francisco company. On June 30, Amgen offered $120 a share for Onyx, which was rejected by the Onyx board, saying it undervalued the company. Onyx has three primary commercial drugs: Kyprolis, a treatment for some blood cancers; Nexavar, a drug for liver and kidney cancer; and Stivarga, a colon cancer drug. Amgen plans to expand the global market for Kyprolis in particular. The deal is expected to close by Oct. 1. Around the Valleys To be considered for publication, submissions should be emailed to: [email protected]. 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Around the Valleys
