TACO LOVER? In New York, The Donald...

TACO LOVER? In New York, The Donald may mean Trump, but here it’s Irvine Co. Chairman Donald Bren, who’s much more publicity shy. (D1) But Bren did have something to say this week about Taco Bell, which has been threatening to move out of its Irvine headquarters: “It is an important business in Orange County, and we are encouraging them to stay. I believe they will stay here.” . . . One reason he’s interested: If Taco Bell stays, Irvine Co.’s Irvine Spectrum office park is considered a likely new home.

WEEKEND WARRIORS? Golf or tennis or the beach may be in your plans today, but Debra Walters pleads for a different kind of Saturday from you next week. She’s with the Volunteer Center of Greater Orange County and is grinding her teeth a little that figures show a 29% volunteer rate here, well below the 54% national average. . . . April 23 is the annual volunteer day for community projects, and Walters wants a big boost in last year’s 6,000 volunteers. If you don’t know your city’s cleanup project, you can call (714) 647-2600.

JUST BEAUTIFUL: When Susan Egan was a senior at the High School for the Performing Arts in Los Alamitos in 1988, instructor Ralph Opacic says he knew she’d succeed. “She not only had great talent, she had tremendous drive,” he says. After a string of increasingly stronger roles, Egan has hit it big: She’s Belle in the much anticipated “Beauty and the Beast,” which opens Monday on Broadway. . . . Opacic, now director at the school, spoke to her recently: “You bet she’s excited; this is a performer’s dream come true.”

SHARP COACH: Maybe you’ve noticed on TV as Magic Johnson coaches the Lakers: He gets a little excited at the referees, and his threads look mighty fine. But it pays him to dress well. Johnson just signed with David Rickey & Co., based in Irvine, to wear its clothes along the sidelines. Says its spokeswoman Debra Olshan: “Our clothes are for the man who wants to walk into the room looking like Cary Grant.”