Del Taco is offering a Fried Pickle Taco. It’s a breaded dill pickle spear served with cheese, shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes and ranch sauce in a flour tortilla.

The Lake Forest-based chain launched it Tuesday, July 15 in observance of National Pickle Month, according to a news release.

It’s available for about $1.99 while supplies last at select locations in Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino and Ventura counties, the news release said.

The Fried Pickle Taco was somewhat under the radar when we went in search of it on Tuesday morning. It wasn’t prominently displayed on the Del Taco website, and signage wasn’t up yet when we arrived at our local drive-thru in Redlands. But we found it at the kiosk inside under tacos.

There were several upsell options available for 50 cents or a dollar more, including guac and jalapeños. We ordered one $1.99 version but decided to live large. We ordered a second with the “Go Bold” option, fries and a secret sauce for $1, as well as the “Go Cool” option, sour cream for 50 cents.

The warm pickle was almost buried with shredded cheese but we could still taste the dill.

Adding crinkle-cut fries and sour cream was almost too much for one tortilla on the second taco, and the pickle on the bottom wasn’t even visible.

With a $2.29 iced coffee, the order came to $8.45, including tax.

Del Taco has several other limited-time offers going on, including carnitas in tacos, burritos, street tacos and quesadillas. You can get Funnel Cake Fries for dessert, and red-white-and-blue Independence Poppers are still available.

Information: deltaco.com

Kirby joins former NFL player Chris Kluwe and Huntington Beach Councilmember Gracey Van Der Mark, who have already declared their candidacies for the open seat in 2026.

Kirby grew up in Riverside County and spent 12 years as a U.S. Coast Guard petty officer. After leaving the Coast Guard in 2023, he founded Krieger Gaming, a veteran and first responders nonprofit that aims to connect people experiencing mental health problems or facing isolation to come together through video games.

“One of my deep passions is mental health and actually getting people the help they need,” Kirby, a Huntington Beach resident, said.

Kirby recently earned a bachelor’s degree in science and environmental science from the American Military University. But in mid-June — after watching the military intervention during the protests in L.A. and growing unhappy with what he called the Trump administration’s “misuse of power” — Kirby said he decided to run for office.

“Prior to that, I had no interest in being a politician,” Kirby said. “But I feel like this is going to be the best way for me to actually push forward ideas that I believe are going to benefit all Californians, not just picking sides or playing party politics.”

Kirby, who is running as a Democrat, said he has always been unaffiliated with a political party, but running as an independent would pit him against both parties. He said his voting behavior and platform mostly align with the Democratic Party.

His priority focus is protecting individual and constitutional rights, especially the freedom of speech and the importance of giving everyday citizens a voice, he said. Kirby also wants to improve the problem of homelessness in the 72nd Assembly District.

“We have all of these things that we’re not actually solving, we’re just moving them around from place to place,” Kirby said.

In addition to focusing on mental health and protecting the coastlines and water systems, Kirby said he wants to invite the people affected by state legislation into the lawmaking process itself.

“I want to start a program that I want to push forward to the state of California, where we peer review all of our documents,” Kirby said. “It should be peer reviewed by people that it affects.”

The 72nd Assembly District spans from Seal Beach to Laguna Beach and juts inland to include  Aliso Viejo, Lake Forest and Laguna Woods. Assemblymember Diane Dixon, R-Newport Beach, is running for a spot on the Orange County Board of Supervisors.

Like Kirby, Kluwe — a former player for the Minnesota Vikings — is also a first-time candidate. He announced his bid for election after his recent arrest during a Huntington Beach City Council meeting regarding the installation of a plaque with a MAGA acrostic outside the city library.

Van Der Mark was the first to announce her campaign for the open Assembly seat. She sits on the Huntington Beach City Council and previously served one year as the city’s mayor.

Joybird, a subsidiary of La-Z-Boy, is leasing 4,643 square feet of space from SoCo owner Continental Realty Corp. The retailer opened its first Orange County showroom on June 5. The company has 12 U.S. locations.

Shoppers at Joybird can customize their furniture choices for the living room, bedroom, home office and outdoor areas.

Coverings come in 75 color choices ranging from woven fabric to leather for sofas, sleepers and sectionals and accent chairs. Furniture choices also include side tables, beds and dressers.

Purchases come with free design services, which include using a 3D space planner, sofa builder, and room scanner.

Other shops at SoCo include BoConcept, Design Within Reach, La-Z-Boy, Brown Jordan, Natuzzi Italia and Room & Board. Food concepts include Arc Food and Libations, Butcher’s House, Greenleaf Kitchen & Cocktails, Moulin, Il Girasole and Portola Coffee.

Address: 3303-3323 Hyland Ave.

Salvation Army thrift opens in Foothill Ranch

The Salvation Army opened a thrift store Thursday, June 26 in Foothill Ranch.

The 15,000-square-foot store at 26662 Portola Pkwy. takes the place of a home consignment furniture store. It’s the fifth Salvation Army retail location in Orange County.

Store hours are Monday-Saturday, 9 am to 8 p.m., and Sunday, 10 am to 6 pm.

The nonprofit said every purchase and donation at the Foothill Ranch store supports the Anaheim Adult Rehabilitation Center, a 179-bed residential program for men and women.

“If you’ve never shopped at a thrift store, you’ve got to stop by — you’ll be amazed at the incredible finds and unbeatable prices,” said Captain Timothy Pemberton, Administrator for Development at The Salvation Army Anaheim ARC. “And the best part? Every purchase helps change lives right here in our community, bringing real hope to those overcoming life’s toughest challenges.”

State program pays 90% of auto A/C repair costs

Does your car’s air conditioning need a fresh blast of cold?

The year-old Cool Air Rebate (CAR) Program offers financial assistance to qualifying, low-income Californians who need a particular coolant leak fixed in cars made between 1993 and 2019.

“Low-income families are often the most impacted by extreme heat, and this program makes it possible for them to fix their car A/C and avoid the heat-related risks that come with driving in extreme heat,” said Nathan Perrine, the executive director of the Car Care Council, which manages CAR.

The program offers a discount that amounts to 90% of the overall repair costs, according to program coordinators.

Here’s who and which cars qualify:

—Residents must meet household income requirements. If they already are recipients of Medi-Cal, CalFresh, CalWorks, or California Healthy Families, they automatically meet the income requirements. A family of four, for example, would qualify with an annual income of $64,300 or less. A family of two would require an annual income for $42,300 or less.

—Proof of income can be the last six months of income (pay stubs), a copy of a customer’s 2024 tax return, a 2024 W-4 or a Social Security benefit letter.

—If the car (no older than 1993) is leaking R-134a refrigerant – a greenhouse gas – it qualifies for the program. Older cars or light trucks that were retrofitted to use R-134a also qualify.

The program coordinators note that not all vehicles use this refrigerant, and not all air conditioning failures are due to refrigerant leaks.

“The primary goal of this program is to directly reduce the amount of air pollution caused by the release of R-134a refrigerant in our atmosphere,” according to CAR.

Don’t know if your car is leaking that particular refrigerant? A host of repair shops will test the vehicle system for free. Applicants can find out where by going to the CAR website.

CAR debuted as a pilot in Fresno in July 2024. It has since repaired 1,067 vehicles, providing nearly $1.2 million in subsidies to participating auto repair shops across the state. A quick search of area ZIP codes found nearly 230 participating repair shops in Southern California.

The program is paid by consumers who fail to claim can deposits for R-134a they buy in California. That funding system was authorized by the California Air Resources Board in 2024.

We asked program coordinators to explain the program a bit more. Their answers have been lightly edited for length.

Q: What’s the average cost per participant when the rebate is factored in?

A: The cost of each repair varies depending on the repairs needed and the shop completing the repairs. The average repair cost is about $1,100 and the customer is responsible to pay 10% (or $110) of that cost at the completion of the service. The program pays the rest directly to the certified auto repair shop.

Q: How long does the whole process take?

A: Once a resident has received their approval letter from the CAR Program, they work directly with the certified auto repair partner to schedule the diagnostic and complete the repairs.

If the parts needed to complete the repairs are in-stock, the customer can receive their diagnostic and repair completed on the same day. If parts need to be ordered, the certified auto repair partner works directly with the customer to schedule the return appointment, often in the next day or so.

Q: How do people apply for the service?

A: The quickest way to apply is to visit the program’s website at CoolAirRebate.org to complete a five-question survey to see if they pre-qualify. The customer then completes a full application, which includes income verification.

The CAR Program will send an approval letter via email to the customer, and the customer has 120 days to bring their vehicle into a participating auto repair shop.

If the customer needs additional support or would like to complete the application process via mail, they can send an email with that information via the Contact Us link on the website or call 888-534-4728 during business hours.

Q: Will customers get an estimate before committing to the service and payment?

A: Yes, the customer will receive and approve an estimate from the automotive repair partner before any work begins.

Q: Where is the program available?

A: CAR is available in more than 110 cities statewide at participating auto repair shops, which can be found on the shop locator at CoolAirRebate.org.

On the move

Belin Robertson has joined UBS Wealth Management US as a financial adviser in the firm’s Irvine office. He brings 25 years of industry experience, specializing in trust matters and planning around liquidity events for clients and their families. Robertson spent the past three years with Wilmington Trust and previously spent much of his career at firms such as Merrill Lynch and Neuberger Berman.

Top Workplaces nomination period extended

The Orange County Register has extended its nomination period for the 18th annual Top Workplaces 2025 survey.

The workplace survey is open to any organization with 35 or more employees in Orange County (public, private, nonprofit, government).

There is no cost to take part in Top Workplaces, and anyone can submit a nomination.

For the final categories and winners, companies are broken down from small (50 to 149 total employees), midsize (150 to 499 total employees) and large (500 or more total employees).

To participate, go to ocregister.com/nominate or call 714-442-2768.

The deadline for nominations is now Aug. 1.

To see last year’s winners, click here.

Status Update is compiled and written by Business Editor Samantha Gowen. Submit items and high-resolution photos to sgowen@scng.com. Allow at least one week for publication. Items are edited for length and clarity.

A 29-year-old man was acquitted Wednesday on charges stemming from a stabbing in a Lake Forest home that injured a man and his mother four years ago.

Jose Daniel Zuniga Castro was acquitted of mayhem and two counts of assault with a deadly weapon, all felonies, as well as a misdemeanor count of battery. Jurors, who deliberated for about a day, also rejected sentencing enhancements for inflicting great bodily injury on his accusers.

Zuniga Castro had been in custody since his arrest Feb. 23, 2021. Defense attorney Cameron Talley asked Orange County Superior Court Judge Patrick Donahue to release his client immediately, but the judge ordered him back to jail so deputies could process him out.

“Hopefully by tonight they can release him,” Donahue said.

Talley said Zuniga Castro would buy marijuana from Stephen Trembley, and on the night Zuniga Castro was arrested, he apparently got the drug laced with methamphetamine and was acting erratically, Talley said.

Deputy District Attorney Shane Henry said Zuniga Castro was “screaming” in front of his home on the 100 block of Primerose in Lake Forest on Feb. 23, 2021, when his mother told him to come inside.

Zuniga Castro slapped her and fled in sweatpants to Trembley’s house on Rue Fontaine, claiming he had been kicked out, Henry said.

Trembley let him in the house, and from there, the facts of the case diverged.

Henry argued that Zuniga Castro was “agitated” and wanted to leave, but the door lock was sticky, prompting Zuniga Castro to get a knife from the kitchen and stab Trembley and his mother.

The mayhem charge, which would have carried a life sentence, stemmed from Trembley later losing his spleen in surgery for the knife wound.

But Talley argued that Trembley was dealing drugs out of the house with his mother’s knowledge, and they took him in quickly so he wouldn’t arouse the suspicions of neighbors and draw unwanted law enforcement attention to stolen goods in the house.

Talley said Trembley approached Zuniga Castro with a gun to try to cower him into submission, but Zuniga Castro felt threatened and acted in self-defense.

Talley pointed to a plea deal prosecutors cut with Trembley on the eve of trial as motivation for him to lie about what happened. Court records show Trembley failed to follow through on a DUI plea deal and, after admitting a probation violation, did not report to jail for a 150-day sentence on Jan. 7, 2022.

Trembley landed back in jail in May of this year and was sentenced to 180 days in jail. However, on June 16, he was given a plea deal for his immediate release to testify in the trial against Zuniga Castro.

Talley confronted Trembley with a long text message thread he had with a friend of Zuniga Castro’s that indicated he was willing to sell her drugs and get a ghost gun for her and warned of “consequences” if she told anyone.

“He didn’t know we had that text,” Talley told jurors in closing arguments.

When confronted with it, Trembley said, “That was altered,” according to Talley.

Prosecutors “cut a deal with this creep,” Talley said. “He’s supposed to be in jail until August.”

And if Trembley lied on the stand, then there would be no consequences, Talley argued.

“Honest to God, this is so bad,” Talley said. “This is wrong.”

Talley told jurors, “Those two alleged victims are liars.”

Chubby Group’s upcoming restaurant will be an all-you-can-eat affair combining Japanese Wagyu, Korean barbecue and hot pot dining with tiered pricing at $35 to $45.

Guests can grill, dip and/or simmer a seemingly endless supply of beef using a hot pot and grill pan (Yakiniku-stye) at each table. Other menu highlights will include a self-serve taco station, fried chicken, egg tarts and xiao long bao.

ALSO READ: San Clemente’s Sugar Blossom Bake Shop unveils new location, with new and expanded delights

While Wagyu, noted for its high ratio of fat marbling that lends the meat its signature tenderness, is pretty pricey compared to other types of beef, like Angus or Hereford. According to Eater LA, Chubby Group offers lower prices of the prized meat because “the company sources Wagyu in such large quantities that it can command better pricing, but also raises their own cattle in collaboration with domestic ranches.”

Thirty-two years ago, the first Wagyu cows, native to Japan, came to America for breeding purposes. It has since become a popular menu item, albeit one that often gets confused with Kobe beef, intentionally or otherwise. “Wagyu beef is sometimes erroneously referred to generically as ‘Kobe beef’; that term is reserved for a specific strain of Wagyu raised in Japan’s Hyōgo prefecture,” according to a 2023 Texas Monthly article.

Chubby Group was founded in Las Vegas in 2014 by Harby Yang and David Zhao. This will be the restaurant collection’s first Orange County location.

Find it: 23621 El Toro Road, Suite C, Lake Forest

The Texas-based company, with $2 billion in debt, blamed a “rapidly evolving trade environment” and the “impact of tariff policies” for its decision to restructure and downsize.

President Donald Trump’s tariffs have retailers on edge, with many of them postponing sales forecasts for 2025. Retail sales in May fell sharply, The Associated Press reported Tuesday, as consumers pulled back on shopping that spiked ahead of anticipated tariffs.

Also see: California tariff experts warn of heightened economic uncertainty

At Home said it will close 26 stores nationwide by the end of September. With 13 stores in California, the retailer had auspicious plans to add at least 80 to the state when it first expanded to Lake Forest in 2019. Locations in the Inland Empire are, so far, not included in the closure list.

At Home debuted in California with an 85,000-square-foot store in the Foothill Ranch community. The sprawling stores, most of which are the size of a Costco, sell a wide array of housewares ranging from décor to furniture.

“California is an amazing state of economic opportunities,” then-Chief Executive Officer Lewis “Lee” Bird told columnist Jonathan Lansner in 2019. “Great economy. Fantastic tastes. And residents who love to decorate. We can be their value option.”

The company sells mostly store-branded merchandise, enabling it to underprice name-brand products. Most of At Home’s merchandise is made abroad.

Bird retired in late 2023, replaced in mid-2024 by retail veteran Brad Weston, the former CEO of Party City and Petco.

In the bankruptcy filing, At Home said it would transfer ownership of the Coppell, Texas-based company to its lenders. In return, at least $200 million will be set aside to keep stores operational during the reorganization.

“We are pleased to have reached this agreement with our lenders, which represents a critical and positive advancement of our work to best position At Home for the future,” Weston said in a statement.

He said the company has undergone a new level of “operational discipline” aimed at sustaining sales growth, inventory management and efficiency.

“While we have made significant progress advancing our initiatives to date, we are operating against the backdrop of an increasingly dynamic and rapidly evolving trade environment as we navigate the impact of tariffs.”

At Home operates 260 stores in 40 states. The stores closing in California include:

—Tustin: 2505 El Camino Real

—Costa Mesa: 2200 Harbor Blvd.

—Foothill Ranch: 26532 Towne Center Drive

—Long Beach: 2900 N. Bellflower Blvd.

—Pasadena: 3795 E. Foothills Blvd.

—Sacramento: 8320 Delta Shores Circle

—Chico: 1982 E. 20th St.

—San Jose: 750 Newhall Drive

California stores that do not appear on the At Home closure list include locations in Temecula, Rancho Cucamonga, Riverside, San Diego and Clovis.

Local property owners have a combined 4.2 million square feet slated for conversion to either industrial or multifamily use, according to the report tracking 58 office markets nationwide. Local conversion projects equal 4% of all Orange County office space, and only two other regions in the nation (Cleveland, Ohio and Cincinnati ) had a higher concentration of conversions.

In total, 23.3 million square feet of space in these markets are slated for demolition or conversion, CBRE says.

Markets in the Top 10 for office space conversions included, from one to 10: 1 Manhattan, Washington, D.C., Houston, Chicago, Dallas/Fort Worth, and New Jersey, Orange County, Atlanta, Phoenix and Cleveland.

Here in Orange County, 26 overall projects include 19 aimed at a multifamily flip. They are either underway, planned for conversion or ready for demolition this year, CBRE says.

Strikingly, only 168,000 square feet of office space is under construction, all of it at OC Vibe in Anaheim.

As a result, CBRE says, Orange County will see its net office inventory fall this year, “just like nationally but to a greater extent.”

“We are seeing the ongoing trend over the past few years of specific office properties situated on a significant amount of land being reimagined for new uses,” said Anthony DeLorenzo, vice chairman at CBRE. “The combination of the irreplaceable location of the property and the mixed-use overlay zoning contributed to strong demand from the residential development community, like the building at 2020 East First Street in Santa Ana.”

Meritage Homes is planning to demolish the office complex at 2020 E. First St. for residential use, building 86 townhomes in its place. Meritage bought the property near the convergence of the 55 and 5 freeways from Harbor Associates for $19.2 million. The deal closed April 29.

Another project submitted in late March in Lake Forest would convert the former Loan Depot headquarters at 26632 Towne Centre Drive in Foothill Ranch to housing units. The plan would replace three buildings called Town Center Plaza with 181 attached multifamily units. Notably, that housing would be in walking distance to a proposed Costco at Foothill Ranch Towne Center.

CBRE researchers note the office conversion trend will likely slow as the cost to complete such projects goes up with tariffs and wages.

“The conversion trend faces a few headwinds,” says Mike Watts, CBRE Americas president of Investor Leasing. “The pool of ideal buildings for conversion will dwindle over time. And costs for construction labor, materials and financing remain high.”

Here’s a list of some of Orange County’s office conversions, provided by CBRE:

—16715-16969 Von Karman Ave, Irvine, to industrial.

—VKCC, Irvine, to multifamily.

—Towne Centre Plaza, Foothill Ranch, to multifamily.

—Town Center Corporate Park, Aliso Viejo, to multifamily.

—The Volt Campus, Orange, to industrial.

—Pacific Commercentre, Lake Forest, to industrial.

—Parkcenter, Santa Ana, to multifamily.

—Park 55, Santa Ana, to multifamily.

—95 Argonaut, Aliso Viejo, to multifamily.

—15 Argonaut, Aliso Viejo, to industrial.

—The Residences at 1300 Bristol St, Irvine, to multifamily.

—MacArthur Square, Irvine, to multifamily.

Perhaps the county’s first completed office conversions was the demolition of Elevate@Harbor at 3100 and 3130 S. Harbor Blvd. The two-building complex has since been replaced by a logistics warehouse.

Other highlights from the report:

—Seventy-six percent of active conversion projects in the U.S. are multifamily.

—Hotels account for only 8% of the conversion projects.

—Life sciences labs, which once were among the top options, fell to 3% of the pipeline

—Other uses make up 10% of projects and industrial and logistics just 4%.

For a retail chain that makes changes in baby steps, a relatively large leap for Costco is coming to Mission Viejo.

The membership-only retailer will build what city officials say is the chain’s largest gas station and its first fuel-only location.

Yes, there are many Costcos selling fuel under the chain’s Kirkland brand. It’s a popular membership amenity because the prices are often among the lowest in the market.

Costco also sells gas at one of its warehouses just 2 miles down Cabot Road from the planned site at the Mission Viejo Freeway Center at 25732 El Paseo. However, Mission Viejo documents show that Costco’s new location will be a 40-pump facility – gasoline only, with no retail space or convenience store. And yes, it’s just for Costco members.

The station will be constructed at a shopping center off the 5 freeway between La Paz Road and Oso Parkway. It’s a retail spot best known for South County’s lone Krispy Kreme doughnut shop. The plan includes demolishing a shuttered Bed, Bath & Beyond store.

City spokesman Robert Schick says the city approved the overall plans in March, with grading and building permits now being reviewed. Construction is expected to begin in the fall, with a planned spring 2026 opening.

No-brainer?

Now, selling fuel near one of the nation’s busiest freeways may seem like a no-brainer. But a gas-only location is an against-the-grain tactic.

We’d love to hear the “why?” from Costco. Sadly, the merchant doesn’t comment on store development plans.

Let’s consider industry data. Four out of five gas stations nationwide have a store, too. And while two-thirds of a typical gas-food-beverage store’s sales come from fuel, 60% of the profit usually comes from drinks, food, etc.

Gas-only stations buck two trends: the future of gas-powered vehicles and the higher profitability of non-gas sales. Airports are the spot where the gas-only station grew, because limited competition allows higher profits on fuel, says Jeff Lenard, spokesman for NACS, a trade group for gas-station operators.

David Hackett, an energy expert from Stillwater Associates in Irvine and a regular Costco fuel buyer, likes the gas-only idea. He says one reason California pump prices are so high is that the state has twice as many drivers for every gas station compared with the rest of the nation.

“I think Costco sees this new venture as an opportunity to serve their gasoline-buying members in a new way,” he says. “It will be successful because they are filling a need for more gas stations.”

Price matters

Costco may not need to attach a beloved food court to this Mission Viejo gas station because bargains on gas are a powerful lure.

“It gets people happier than just about anything in commerce,” says Lenard of NACS.

Ponder industry research showing 72% of gas buyers say price is the top motivation for where they buy, but that rises to 86% for shoppers of “big box” stores such as Costco.

“There’s a strong emotional caché with gas prices,” Lenard says. “Costco may be looking to tap into it” with the gas-only store.

Costco also seems to view southern Orange County as a laboratory, of sorts. There’s a car wash at the San Juan Capistrano location – 9 miles down the freeway from the planned gas-only location – one of only 15 nationwide offering that service.

And it’s not the only expansion in this area. Costco is planning a new store in Lake Forest, 10 miles north of the proposed gas station. That would be Costco’s 14th Orange County warehouse store, plus its business center in Westminster.

Curiously, designs for a gas station at the Lake Forest warehouse were dropped after the Mission Viejo plan was approved.

Jonathan Lansner is the business columnist for the Southern California News Group. He can be reached at jlansner@scng.com

In a commencement ceremony at the campus, families and friends cheered as the graduates walked across the stage, marking the end of their high school careers and the beginning of their bright futures.

Graduations in the county continue next week, check the schedule here.

The warehouse retail giant Costco – a favorite of shoppers and city budget directors alike — wants to build its 14th Orange County store in Lake Forest.

The chain that’s known for offering family-sized goods, food samples and a $1.50 hot dog-and-drink deal provided a glimpse into its plans in Lake Forest’s public planning documents. Costco typically does not comment on new store developments.

According to the paperwork, the company intends to demolish a shuttered movie theater at the Foothill Ranch Towne Centre and replace it with a 160,811 square-foot store on the 16-acre site that includes the entertainment facility and its parking lot. The theater, which operated under the Regal and Cinemark brands, last showed films in September 2024.

The store, if approved as suggested, would be slightly larger than a typical Costco, which is around 140,000 square feet. The proposal also includes a tire center at the Lake Forest site.

• Also see: Not a Costco member? Shoppers have tips to skip new entry scanners

It’s clear the Lake Forest plan is evolving. A project summary from January showed Costco wanted a gas station at the site. Plus, rooftop parking above the store was included, an amenity likely necessary to make up for spaces lost to a fuel center. However, a Costco filing with the city from May 27 talks only of a one-story building, traditional ground-level parking, and no gas station.

Cities typically welcome a Costco due to the significant sales tax revenues its huge stores generate. Annual sales can run $250 million or more.

“The project is still in the early stages, but we’re excited about the potential of having a Costco in Lake Forest,” said Jonathan Volzke, the city’s spokesperson.

The Foothill Ranch shopping center, situated in the northern part of the city a block north of the 241 toll road, lies between Bake and Alton parkways. This center would provide a new Costco with “big box” competition from nearby Walmart and Target stores.

The nearest Costco is 6 miles away in Irvine, close to the 5 freeway. A Lake Forest location would shorten the drive for Costco fans, not just in the city, but also in Rancho Santa Margarita, the Saddleback foothills and parts of Mission Viejo and Irvine.

Across Orange County, Costco also has two traditional stores in Laguna Niguel and Tustin, along with locations in Cypress, Fountain Valley, Fullerton, Garden Grove, Huntington Beach, La Habra, San Juan Capistrano and Yorba Linda. It also has a business-oriented location, open to all members, in Westminster.

Costco is willing to think outside the norm for its Southern California expansions. In South Los Angeles, a new 185,000-square-foot Costco will be the first floor of a high-rise mixed-use project that also contains 800 apartments.

Jonathan Lansner is the business columnist for the Southern California News Group. He can be reached at jlansner@scng.com