Irvine Co. sets new lineup for public relations

June Casagrande

A change in communication is in the works for the Irvine Co.

Among those changes, Daily Pilot columnist Byron de Arakal has

accepted a job in public affairs, and Rich Elbaum, who has been the

company’s main spokesman for the past several years, will be leaving

his post to work in consulting.

De Arakal’s Wednesday column will be the last for the Pilot.

“This was just a plum opportunity,” said de Arakal, whose title

will be senior director of entitlement communications. “They’ve got a

lot of neat stuff going on that will make my participation really

stimulating and exciting.”

In this high-profile position, de Arakal will oversee the

company’s outreach efforts, keeping the public informed about such

issues as the company’s land reserve and aspects of its developments.

De Arakal has been a columnist for the Pilot for nearly two years

while also working as a communications consultant and writing

professionally for other outlets. He will start his new job Aug. 19.

Before writing for the Pilot, de Arakal racked up a long list of

credentials in journalism and communications.

“I’ve had a really colorful career. I’ve done a lot of different

things in journalism, public affairs, media relations,” he said. “In

all my journalism aspirations, being a columnist was the thing I

wanted to do most. It’s a neat gig. I’ll miss that.”

Among the issues he wrote about for the Pilot, de Arakal said the

death of Costa Mesa High School football player Matt Colby was the

one that touched him most. He added that covering Costa Mesa, too,

has been memorable.

“Covering Costa Mesa politically has been very interesting,” he

said.

Irvine Co. spokesman John Christensen said the company hopes to

put de Arakal’s talents to good use.

“Byron’s a very gifted writer and an extremely talented individual

and will be a tremendous asset to our organization,” Christensen

said.

Elbaum will begin communications consulting, and he is expected to

do some special projects for the Irvine Co. Also, Francine Pares, who

has worked with the company’s Investment Properties Group, is

returning to her consulting work.