Local arm of company says it will...

Local arm of company says it will cut 100 jobs

Semiconductor maker Conexant Systems Inc. will cut nearly 100 jobs

from its office at MacArthur Boulevard and Jamboree Road, where it

has operated for about 35 years, company spokeswoman Gwen Carlson

said.

The job cuts are among 200 at Conexant’s four major facilities

following a February merger with New Jersey-based Globespan Virata

Inc. The cuts were announced Monday along with a report of $243

million in earnings for the second fiscal quarter of 2004.

The company has already begun letting employees go and expects to

finish laying off workers by the end of the year, Carlson said. She

did not know exactly how many people would be laid off.

“It’s really a consolidation of overlapping positions,” she said.

“We expect that these actions and some other actions that aren’t

head-count-related will save the company about $25 million a year in

operating expenses.”

Jobs are being reduced from the communications, finance, sales,

information technology and other departments. After the reductions,

Conexant will retain about 600 employees in Orange County, Carlson

said.

The good news was the second fiscal quarter earnings of $243.8

million, which was an increase of 38% over the first-quarter revenues

of $177.3 million. The company also estimated that if the merger

completed Feb. 27 with Globespan Virata had closed on Jan. 1,

earnings would have soared to $293.3 million.

Revenues for the third fiscal quarter are predicted to grow by 5%

to 10% over the second quarter and reach between $308 million and

$323 million, according to the company.

Sage travelers, authors to speak at local school

Nathan Gebhard, Mike Marriner and Brian McAllister, originators of

the “Road Trip Nation” book that spawned a television series, will

bring their bright green recreational vehicle and numerous

experiences to Sage Hill School Thursday for the final Community

Speaker Series program of the year.

The trio, who launched the book and PBS series “Road Trip Nation,”

will explain how they traveled across the country after graduating

from college in their quest for direction. Along the way, the Laguna

Beach natives interviewed a Supreme Court justice, the chairman of

Starbucks and a Nike shoe designer, to determine how they succeeded.

Three crews of three friends will make similar cross-country

jaunts this summer for another PBS documentary scheduled to air next

year.

The program will begin with the RV tour at 6 p.m. followed by the

speakers’ presentation at 7 p.m. at Sage Hill School, 20402 Newport

Coast Drive, Newport Coast. Advance tickets are $5 for students and

$10 for adults, or $12 at the door. For reservations and information,

e-mail hadley926@aol.com or call (949) 219-1395.