Also . . .

Smart & Final Inc. warned that fourth-quarter earnings will be “significantly below” analyst forecasts, but did not give a specific estimate. The Los Angeles-based operator of grocery warehouse stores blamed weak results from its food service distribution units and costs related to ites.

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Align-Rite International Inc. said it expects third-quarter earnings in the range of 15 cents to 18 cents per diluted share, down from 30 cents a year earlier, citing a slowdown in revenue caused by a “prevailing lackluster rate of new design activity” in the semiconductor industry. The Los Angeles-based maker of photo masks--glass plates used to help transfer circuit patterns onto silicon wafers in the production of semiconductors--said revenue will be down from the previous quarter and up only slightly from a year ago. But the company said it believes it grew market share this year and expects stronger revenue growth in the fourth quarter.

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Hewlett-Packard Co. cut prices on its personal computers and notebook computers as much as 20%, effective immediately. The cuts cover HP Vectra corporate personal computers, HP Brio business personal computers, HP Kayak Personal Computer Workstations and HP OmniBook notebook personal computers based on Intel Corp.’s Pentium II and Celeron processors.

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The Los Angeles branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco has named Russell Goldsmith and William D. Jones to its board. Goldsmith is chief executive and chairman of Beverly Hills-based City National Bank. Jones is president and CEO of San Diego-based CityLink Investment Corp.

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