Mr. Issa moved to Vista, Calif., in 1985, where he built his car alarm company, Directed Electronics, into a colossus.
Two companies, Directed Electronics of California and Audiovox of Hauppauge, dominate the car alarm industry and produce alarms under several brand names.
Issa stood with Bardella at the booth for Directed Electronics, where he is still on the board of directors, and talked to some of his former employees.
Ken Gammage, the corporation communications manager for Directed Electronics, said some devices include keychain remotes that beep or vibrate in an owner's pocket or purse within half a mile of the car.
Soon afterward, he left to start another car-alarm company, called Directed Electronics, Inc. D.E.I. shared Issa's initials and his voice, which he recorded for the company's signature product, the Viper, an alarm that warns potential car thieves (as well as passing trucks and bursts of wind), "Please step away from the car".
DEI, then known as Directed Electronics, sought less money than any of the other 19, although one of the other issues raised less after Goldman cut both the size of the offering and the price in response to weak investor demand.
His Vista, California-based Directed Electronics Inc. (projected 1998 revenues: $90 million) is the nation's biggest car-alarm maker.
A few months back, Directed Electronics launched an iPhone app that, when paired with Viper remote start system, would allow you to start your car from just about anywhere on earth.
As it happened, Darrell Issa's own company, Directed Electronics, had moved its corporate headquarters to Florida to avoid paying California taxes.
Issa made most of his fortune in the 1990s while leading Directed Electronics Inc., a Vista-based manufacturer of vehicle antitheft devices that he created.
