Wait for the Movie

Bernard Striar, who as Don Erickson headed D&B; Investments in La Mesa and reportedly garnered nearly $10 million in unaccounted-for investors’ funds, is in the Metropolitan Correctional Center on a charge of mail fraud.

But he still has dreams.

Striar, according to federal law enforcement sources, is contemplating writing a book about his experiences, which include seven different identities, five wives, a 20-year history of investment schemes and 13 years of evading FBI agents.

More on Striar

The jailed financier is now undergoing a psychiatric examination to determine his competency to stand trial on the federal mail fraud complaint issued against him last month. (A federal grand jury is expected to soon indict Striar on several charges of fraud.)

The psychiatrist examing Striar is Dr. Mark Kalish, the same doctor who is now determining the mental competency of former financier J. David (Jerry) Dominelli.

Speaking of Dominelli . . .

A recent visitor to the Metropolitan Correctional Center spied Dominelli reading in the facility’s “day room.”

But Dominelli’s reading fare these days is the stuff of dreams: A road atlas. The location: Hearst Castle in San Simeon.

Both Lips Stiff at TraveLodge

They conduct business a bit differently in England.

Take, for example, the resignation of Roger Manfred, chairman, president and chief executive of San Diego-based TraveLodge Inc., whose stock is 96%-owned by New York-based Trusthouse Forte Inc., a subsidiary of London-based Trusthouse Forte Ltd.

Manfred resigned in October, but few people knew about it until last week.

Rocco Forte, chief executive of Trusthouse Forte Ltd., wrote a six-paragraph memo announcing Manfred’s departure on Oct. 29 to the firm’s “partners, franchisees, management and staff.”

The London firm also told the lodging trade press of Manfred’s resignation.

But no mention of Manfred’s leave-taking was made to the financial press or to the general public, even though a press release had been prepared for that purpose. “The London office play things low-key,” one former executive with the company said.

Indeed, Trusthouse has a history of keeping personnel matters hush-hush.

For example, Giuseppe Pecorelli, a Trusthouse director, was named president of TraveLodge in November, 1981, but no announcement was made. Stockholders knew of his selection only by closely reading the 1982 proxy statement.

In the 1983 proxy, Chairman Manfred was also listed as TraveLodge president. No mention was made of Pecorelli or of the fact that he had resigned during 1982.

San Diegans can likely expect more of the same from TraveLodge and its parent firm.

According to Forte’s memo, a copy of which has been obtained by The Times, he tells management that “It is my intention that I and my colleagues will be even more closely involved in the United States affairs of (Trusthouse) and we plan to visit on a monthly basis.”

Snowbird Land Makes Discovery

With thousands of Canadians already in San Diego for the winter--the so-called snowbirds from the north--it seemed strange that Canadian officials should choose this month for two presentations designed to lure San Diegans to Canada.

Nonetheless, Andre Pascal, the Canadian consul and trade commissioner, hosted a reception last week to talk about his country’s efforts to increase tourism. In addition, a three-day “Discover Canada” travel fair opens Wednesday at the downtown Imperial Bank Tower.

The bottom line for the tourist push: Canadians spent $3.7 billion in the United States last year, while U.S. citizens spent only $2.7 billion in Canada, spelling a $1-billion spending deficit.

Competition and Non-Smoking

Rohr Industries and General Dynamics are the targets of doctoral psychology student Marlene Maheu’s dissertation on the impact of competition and reward gratification in the battle to stop smoking.

Workers at both plants are divided into 10-member teams and asked to attend stop-smoking sessions, for which they pay $50, over a four-month period.

There is a small-change reward for the winning team from each plant--$160 per team.

That is all the General Dynamics workers get.

But at Rohr, Maheu offers workers a variety of goodies should they complete the program successfully. In addition to the $160 for a successful team, anyone who attends most of the sessions receives a $20 refund, gains companywide publicity, and gets a Rohr “Smoke Busters” T-shirt. Plus, there is a grand prize: a trip for two to a Mexican resort city. (At each session, participants receive a raffle ticket for a drawing for the trip. The more sessions people attend, the better their chances of winning.)

The profit motive also is entering the sessions from without. Maheu has received a $5,000 grant from the makers of Nicorette, a nicotine gum that supposedly helps smokers break the habit. Participants in Maheu’s program get as much of the gum as they can chew.

Kratos Still Here

Kratos Inc.’s plan to move its La Jolla headquarters to New Jersey is about two months behind schedule and it now looks as though the troubled La Jolla company will not leave town until the end of February.

“There’s still a lot of accounting work to be done” as part of the precision instruments firm’s year-end audit, according to Lawrene J. Kirk Jr., director of corporate planning.

Only four corporate executive are still housed in the La Jolla headquarters. The rest of the company’s staff is already in Morristown, N.J., home of Keuffel & Esser, an engineering equipment maker that is Kratos’ only remaining operation.

Kratos’ annual shareholders meeting will be held Jan. 31 at K&E.;