LOS ANGELES COUNTY - News from May 14, 1986

John P. Singleton was named chairman and chief executive of Security Pacific Automation, the data-processing and telecommunications unit of the Los Angeles banking company. The job also carries the title of executive vice president of Security Pacific Corp.

Singleton, 49, replaces DuWayne J. Peterson Jr., who left the company to join Merrill Lynch.

Singleton joined Security Pacific in 1982 after working in data-processing and communications systems at several financial institutions and the Federal Reserve.