Bren Scion to Head Home-Building Firm

Orange County’s largest home builder, California Pacific Homes, plans an unspecified number of layoffs and is replacing its longtime president. The Newport Beach company, owned by real estate tycoon Donald Bren, is putting Bren’s son, Cary, in the top position. The layoffs, announced to the firm’s 200 employees through an internal memo this week, are related to its decision to phase out home-building activities in San Diego and Northern California to focus entirely on its Orange County operations. Jeff Slavin, 54, California Pacific’s president since 1991, said in the memo that he was stepping down at the end of the year. Cary Bren, 38, has worked as a home builder for 17 years, most of them at California Pacific, and he is currently the firm’s second-ranking executive. His father is the billionaire developer whose Irvine Co. has helped transform the landscape of Orange County through the development of its vast Irvine Ranch holdings.