Daily Business Report-May 21, 2014
Smartphone ‘Kill Switch’ Bill Passes Senate Vote
Several weeks after voting to squash a bill that would require anti-theft technology in all California cell phones, the state Senate Thursday morning voted to advance the “kill switch” bill.
The legislation got a second chance when Sen. Mark Leno, a Democrat, asked his colleagues to reconsider Senate Bill 962 with technical amendments that give manufacturers more time to comply with the new rules and clarify that the bill does not apply to tablets.
“We have a crime wave on our hands,” Leno said of the many cell phone thefts in the Bay Area.”We are trying to keep our constituents safe on their streets and in their neighborhoods. That’s why we’re here today.”
Although the proposal has drawn fierce opposition from the telecommunications industry, Leno said that Apple and Microsoft, two of the largest cell phone manufacturers, had removed their opposition to the bill.
A few of the Democrats who initially cast no votes against the proposal also changed their minds and voted in favor of the bill.
Leno says the bill is needed as a crime deterrent. Cell phone thefts, he said, are becoming more prevalent and more dangerous.
— San Jose Mercury News
Introducing the North San Diego Business Chamber
The San Diego North Chamber of Commerce name is no longer. The organization on Tuesday unveiled a new name, a new logo and a new tagline to better reflect its mission and geography.
Today it’s the North San Diego Business Chamber, with the tagline “Connections Start Here.”
Here’s the new logo:
“The old name and logo no longer defined our membership and was not representative of the area we serve,” the chamber said in a fact sheet. “It appeared as though we focused on the northern most part of San Diego. As one of THREE regional chambers in San Diego, with members all over the county, the majority of our members are north of the Interstate 8, with east-west boundaries that stretch from the coast to east of the 15 and as far north as Temecula.
“The new name reflects a much broader geographic area and we chose ‘Business Chamber’ vs. the traditional ‘Chamber of Commerce’ to better reflect our value proposition to members and to demonstrate that we mean business and that we’re proactive,” according to the fact sheet.
The chamber commissioned San Diego-based BottomLine Marketing to launch a brand development process that included a survey of area businesses. “We were impressed by the rigor of the branding process and the insight we received about our service area,” said Debra Rosen, chamber president and CEO. “They did a great job and we’re thrilled to share our new identity with the business community.”
Added Angelo Damante, board chairman, “Our new and exciting brand is the final step of a strategic transformation we’ve undertaken over the last five years. With our management team effectively executing our five-year strategic plan, we’re now positioned as a ‘connector’ and true regional advocate for our business community.”
San Diego Opera to be Audited by State
The San Diego Opera revealed Tuesday — a day after it announced it wasn’t shutting down — that it was being audited by the California attorney general, the U-T San Diego reports. The opera, which has been on the brink of closure, has been ordered to turn over certain records and retain all existing documents. Word of the investigation arrived Monday, addressed to the opera board’s former president, Karen Cohn, who resigned in April.
Planned Parenthood Gala
Raises More than $1.1 Million
Planned Parenthood of the Pacific Southwest’s May 8 “Main Event” fundraiser raised more than $1.1 million to support the services it provides in San Diego, Riverside and Imperial counties, the agency announced.
The fundraising event, which featured a boxing ring format, raised money that will go toward several services, including cervical cancer screening, emergency contraception, HIV testing and counseling, breast exams, STD testing and treatment and pregnancy termination.
Ellen and David Dolgen co-chaired the event. Ellen Dolgen described how she became involved with the organization and joined its board. “David and I are committed to ensuring that all women and men are able to choose what is best for their health, be treated with compassion, dignity, respect and receive the health care they need and deserve,” she said.
“We fight at the ballot box with facts and compassion,” said David.
Board Chair R. Elaine Hanson, M.D. thanked all the donors for “being in the ring with Planned Parenthood.” She and her family gave a $51,000 matching gift to kick off the Gift Challenge.
“No one does more to prevent abortion than Planned Parenthood,” said David Dolgen. “Those who hold a sincere desire to reduce the rate of abortion in this country should lend their support to Planned Parenthood rather than fighting against us.”
Richard Hausman Joins Rudolph and Sletten
Richard P. Hausman Jr. has joined Rudolph and Sletten as business development executive for the firm’s local office, which is now building some of San Diego’s significant new projects including UC San Diego’s Altman Clinical and Translational Research Institute and the $450 million courthouse in Downtown San Diego.
Hausman most recently served as director of business development with a Southern California construction management company, a title he held for 13 years following his previous positions as a superintendent and general superintendent of the company’s tenant improvement division. He has 30 years experience in the Southern California construction industry.
Hausman serves as a trustee and board member for the MS Society’s Pacific Southwest chapter, on the American Heart Association’s Executive Leadership fundraising team and as a member of the UC Irvine Paul Merage School of Real Estate Advisory Board. He is also on the advisory board for CT Realty Funds 7 and 8.
Study Shows Impact of Diabetes on S.D. Health Care Costs
Diabetes has been a growing health problem in the U.S. Now a new study by the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research finds that diabetes is also adding significantly to health care costs in California, KPBS reports.
The lead author of the study says statistics show that the rising rates of diabetes are not only devastating to patients, but to the whole
The report finds one in three hospitalized patients in California has diabetes. In San Diego County, additional hospital costs for patients with diabetes run up to $120 million a year.
A diabetic patient costs more during a hospital stay because he or she might not heal as well and requires additional medication, said Dr. Athena Philis-Tsimikas with the Scripps Whittier Diabetes Institute.
Philis-Tsimikas called Type 2 diabetes a skyrocketing problem. She said both Type 1 and Type 2, also called adult-onset diabetes, are caused by genetics.
“Controlling weight is the best way to prevent and control diabetes,” she said. “If people could lose seven to 10 percent of their body weight, that would probably prevent the onset of diabetes or at least manage it and stabilize it.”
Grand Jury Slams Council for Water Policy
The county grand jury Tuesday took the city of San Diego to task for not moving fast enough to enhance the local water supply, City News Service reports.
The grand jury report, which said the City Council needs to “assume the mantle of leadership and provide funding for future water projects,” called planning by the city’s Public Utilities Department and the water authority is meaningless if city officials won’t “pull the trigger” to implement their suggestions.
Among the recommendations are to junk a City Council-approved water recycling project demonstration project and get on with building actual plants; establish realistic funding timelines for water projects; support capital improvement projects that enhance water management; require dual plumbing systems in new construction for recycled water use; and creating a policy in which water rates are to go up when wholesale prices are increased by the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California.
Several hours after the report was released, the City Council approved a $1 million expenditure to hire a consultant and stage a public relations campaign to build support for recycled water. The council also called for voluntary conservation measures by residents in face of the drought.
The grand jury alleged “political posturing” on the part of City Council members for not passing along a wholesale rate hike to customers a couple of years ago, only to turn around recently and approve an increase of more than 7 percent for local residents and businesses over the next two years.
Tri-City Medical Center Cited for Achievement
The Commission on Cancer of the American College of Surgeons named Tri-City Medical Center in Oceanside as a recipient of its 2013 Outstanding Achievement Award. The medical center joined a group of 74 accredited cancer programs throughout the United States, and was one of only two named in San Diego, the other being Naval Medical Center San Diego. Award criteria were based on qualitative and quantitative surveys conducted last year.
Tri-City Medical Center was evaluated on 34 program standards categorized within one of five cancer program activity areas: cancer committee leadership, cancer data management, cancer conferences, clinical services and quality improvement. Tri-City Medical Center was further evaluated on seven commendation standards. To be eligible, all award recipients must have received commendation ratings in all seven commendation standards, in addition to receiving a compliance rating for each of the 34 other standards.
