Barbara Diamond
"Who are they? And what are they doing trying to influence our local
election?" folks demanded when Arbitech LLC jumped into the City
Council race with an aggressive campaign against incumbent Wayne
Baglin.
Unable to put a face with the name, locals labeled the company as
"outsiders."
"We've been here 4 1/2 years and we've been very active in the
community, but most of our customers aren't in Laguna Beach and we
didn't feel the need to advertise our presence or our [philanthropic]
activities," said Torin Pavia, chief executive officer, board
president and a founder of the company, which sells computer hardware
on a global scale. "'A Laguna Beach Company Reaching Around the
World' is one of our slogans."
The first time many locals ever heard of Arbitech were the
outraged cries when campaign donations were filed. Arbitech
executives had donated $35,000 to fund Citizens for Good, Honest
Government and Civility in Local Politics and Therefore Against Wayne
Baglin. More donations were reported in later filings, including
$15,000 from Ohana Holdings, an investor in Montage Resort and Spa,
to fund a poll.
The final accounting for all contributions and spending by
candidates and independent committees is due in January. All three
council candidates were the targets of "hit pieces" by independent
committees, over which the nontargeted candidates had no control.
"This past election was the worst on record in my 43 years in
town," said Eleanor Henry.
WHO KNEW?
Despite their low profile, the election was not Arbitech's first
foray into community affairs.
The company will be a Bronze-level sponsor for the Community Art
Project fundraiser in February.
This year, the company donated $1,000 to Laguna Outreach Community
Arts to support LOCA's service programs to local children and another
$1,000 to the family of a nanny who was killed in a traffic accident.
The company also has sponsored, for three years, the Jimmy
Campanis/Tommy Lasorda Charity Golf Tournament, which raises funds
for underprivileged children in Southern California, notably the Gary
Center.
In 2002, Arbitech donated 15 state-of-the-art flat-screen monitors
to the Laguna Beach Police and Fire departments.
"We are Guardian Angels [department award] of the Police
Department," Pavia said.
The company fields a softball team -- not nearly as successful as
the business -- and sponsors Little League teams here and elsewhere.
"One of our employees moved to Florida, so we have a team there,"
Pavia said.
