With UTStarcom’s news and likely move to China over the next few weeks, it’s worth asking: what companies can be expected to stay around the Island for a while?

Perforce Software – with its bright yellow and purple buildings on Blanding (off Park) — could be one such company.

The company does not have publicly traded stock, so its plans and financial condition are not public news, which makes it hard to follow. And it could be bought up by another larger firm, especially if its current success continues.

However, it doesn’t do most of its business in Asia, as UTStarcom does, though its international operations include Europe, Japan and Australia.

In 2009, it was ranked as the tenth best place to work by the Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal and the San Francisco Business Times – for companies with 50-100 employees. (Half of its executives are women.)

Its software is used by game developers and software developers in industries like electonics and pharmaceuticals. It has 320,000 users at 5,000 client organizations.

Perhaps best of all, it set up and supports Little House Cafe, right next to the company’s headquarters. The cafe is a nice place for software types and residents alike to enjoy a break and appreciate Alameda.

Let’s hope this restaurant and the operations that brought it to life hang around.

Although calls to the New Zealander Restaurant and Pub on Webster Street have not been returned, there seems to be some effort to resurrect the establishment.

Conversations on the restaurant review site Yelp include a discussion about its possible return.

Mike T. of San Ramon says, ”I’m currently in the process of working with the new owner on getting this place open.  We are currently looking to refresh the restaurant, while keeping the same concept and same chef.”

He notes that this effort could take a while:  “We ask that you be patient with this change over as there have been paperwork bottlenecks, (especially with the liquor license), that need to get cleared up.  Please visit the [restuarant's]website, which will be updated with further information, and we look forward to seeing all of you back when we reopen.”

Well OK, mates, there’s the latest. We’ll hope to see the doors open sooner rather than later.

It’s a pity the pub’s had troubles. It had the privilege of being visited by some members of the New Zealand All Blacks rugby team just late last year.

In one of its latest announcement, UTStarcom — now based on Harbor Bay Parkway — says the company’s headquarters could be relocated to Beijing, China, by March 31.

As goes the global economy and flow of capital, so goes this business — which sells the vast majority of its Internet Protocal and other high-tech products to telecommunications firms and television/entertainment entities in  Asia.

Earlier this week, UTStarcom said it entered into agreements with Beijing E-town International Investment and Development Co., Ltd., an investment company established by the Beijing Municipality. The deal  includes an investment of $48.5 million by BEIID and two unrelated investment funds, Ram Max Group Limited and Shah Capital Management.

As part of the investment, UTStarcom will issue some 22 million shares of common stock at a price of $2.20 per share, with BEIID investing $25 million, Ram Max Group Limited investing $12.5 million and Shah Capital investing $11 million.

When the transaction closes, Baichuan Du, a former deputy chief engineer of China’s State Administration of Radio, Film and Television, will join the company’s board of directors, along with Xiaoping Li, executive deputy general manager of BEIID, and William Wong, a managing director at Yellowstone Capital.

Li and Wong will replace Allen Lenzmeier and Jeff Clarke, who will resign from UTStarcom’s board of directors at that time. The total number of directors on the board will be increased from six to seven in connection with the transaction.

“We are very pleased to announce this relationship with and commitment from the Beijing Development Area and the investment from Ram Max and Shah Capital,” said UTStarcom CEO and President Peter Blackmore.

“UTStarcom’s growth strategy is in good alignment with the series of guidelines recently issued by China’s State Council to push forward network convergence among telecom, cable television, and internet companies,” Blackmore explained.

In connection with the transaction and UTStarcom’s strategic goals in China, Jack Lu has been appointed the new CEO and president of the company — and he will assume this post either three months after the closing of the investment or on June 30, 2010. Before then, he will be the company’s chief operations officer.

Consistent with its previously announced plans, UTStarcom says it move its headquarters to Beijing, China, as part of an agreement with Beijing Development Area. This shift will take place upon the closing of the investment, which should be by March 31, 2010, according to UTStarcom.

The Alameda County Registrar of Voters has released preliminary, mail-in results on Measure B, the Alameda Point Initiative.

The No votes are ahead, with 80-percent plus of the roughly 8,000 votes tallied so far.

This blog hasn’t weighed in on the issues. Instead, we’ve let the Alameda Journal take a stand (against B) for the full media organization that includes/runs this blog — MediaNews/Bay Area News Group.

While all Alameda residents want to see Alameda Point redeveloped, they want a plan that is fiscally sound, environmentally sensitive and historically in sync with other parts of the Island — as well as with its own past; Measure B/SunCal’s plans didn’t cut it.

And, to be sure, for SunCal and for the city, coming up with such a plan is proving  to be incredibly difficult.

So, as we put the Measure B election behind us, let’s start looking for ways to redevelop the point that start with Alameda’s needs and work to build a plan based on that foundation.

Outsiders will be sure to offer suggestions. But it’s up to us, not them, to develop the ideas behind what we really want. They can come in later and fill in the details, if needed. 

If we can come up with preliminary plans and concepts for the former naval base, then maybe we won’t have to waste so much time, energy and money on reviewing what SunCal or other developers propose.  And we’ll probably get a project that won’t be as contentious as SunCal’s plans have been — and that will be clearly advantageous for this community and its future.

And just one more thing: If we want a project for Alameda Point that goes beyond the typical developer “box-like” planning, we will have to be willing to think and work outside the box. Otherwise, we’ll get boxed into another lengthy debate over another cookie-cutter project that’s neither sweet nor yummy enough for this blogger to support.

Michael Horse –  of Yaqui, Mescalero Apache and Zuni descent — will be demonstrating some of his artistic techniques and discussing the folk art of ledger painting from 6:30 to 8 p.m. this Wednesday, February 3, at the Main Library.

His work is on exhibit at the library through Saturday, February 20.

Horse, an award-winning artist, jeweler and actor, has shown his work in fine galleries and museums across the United States and throughout the world.  He is considered an expert and lectures regularly on ledger painting, the pictorial history of Native life. 

He is also a well-known actor whose credits include “Twin Peaks,”  “X-Files,”  ”Walker Texas Ranger”  and ”Passenger 57.”

Horse lives in the Bay Area. He and his wife own the Gathering Tribes  gallery in Albany.

“I’m very excited to share my ledger art with the Bay Area”, says Horse. “It is a fascinating art form that many people who are knowledgeable about Native art are not familiar with.”

Horse is also a talented jeweler, who uses only the best stones available and works in both silver and gold.

For the ledger art,  Horse uses vintage watercolor and pen and ink on vintage documents from earlier times.  He has been creating ledger paintings since the late 1970s. 

He became familiar with the form while working as a cultural consultant with the Heye Foundation in New York and the Southwest Museum in Los Angeles.  In the museum, he was shown old ledger paintings and realized that it was something he could continue to do. 

“It is our history from our point of view.  We first painted on hide, then in the 1800s with the introduction of paper, we started to use this medium”, says Horse. 

Initally, when Native people were put on reservations they were not allowed to leave or to have weapons.  Prior to that time history was recorded on hides and via the oral tradition. 

When the hides were no longer available the people started to record either what they saw around them or what life was like before the reservation.  “It is actually a type of internment art”, says Horse.

He is still involved in film and has most recently been working on a television series pilot called “Sons of Tuscon” to be on the air some time this year.  Horse serves on the board of the American Indian Film Institute in San Francisco, which presents the oldest Native American film festival in the world every November.

Friends and neighbors of the New Zealander Restaurant and Pub say the popular West Alameda spot closed its doors in late January.

The New Zealander had been open for several years at 1400 Webster Street, next to Croll’s Pizza in the Croll’s Building.

 The proprietors were Clive and Donna Hitchens. The pub’s website explains that Clive was named New Zealand’s Chef of the Year in 1988.

Bands like “The Lost Cats” played there regularly on Fridays.

We are looking into what factors, like the weak economy, may have contributed to its closure.

Rooster’s Roadhouse at the corner of Clement and Grand will be hopping tomorrow, January 30, from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Bands that include Alameda High School students will be taking the stage: A Conorted Smile, ThatJustHappened, Finish Ticket and DJ Madizon.

Tickets are $6-$10.

The bar features a big band every Wednesday night, which has some community members celebrating.

There’s quite a lot of talk online about the place, not all of it positive, but much of it coloful (like the place itself, or at least it’s reputation.) 

Let us know what you think of the bands and the scene there.

Students at Alameda High School are bring lots of talent — and fun to the Kofman Auditorium, 2201 Encinal Ave., at 7:30 p.m. this Friday, January 29.

They will present the Peter Pan Talent Show — which will feature many of the most talented students performing songs, dances and instrumental music from around the world.

The cost is $7-$10, and all the proceeds will benefit the school’s next show, “Peter Pan.”

Please come out to support this group of talented teens and the high school’s next musical.

The managers and owners of High Street Station coffeehouse say they have expanded hours to 7 a.m.-7 p.m.

The group has also applied for a liquor license with the city, so it can serve beer and wine.

In addition, its grand opening this weekend — from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday — will include live entertainment, as well as music on its recently added jukebox and two pianos.

The group hopes to draw a community crowd next weekend as well, when it hosts a ’50s-’60s musicians, the  Jukebox Band from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. on February 6.

Three cheers for Alameda’s La Pinata Mexican Restaurant on Park Street.

Today, the restaurant planned to give part of its earnings to the Red Cross’ Haiti Relief Effort to help victims of that island’s recent earthquake.

The traffic at La Pinata today, Monday, wasn’t as busy as it can be on Fridays and Saturday. But, hopefully, the steady crowd was enough for the restaurant to be able to make a generous contribution.

The Guzman family know how to treat its local and global communities right, often donating funds, food and drink for charities.

Just a few months ago, for instance, the owners shared a large supply of margaritas to the Dance for the Cure breast-cancer benefit.

Gracias, amigos.