Daily Business Report-Jan. 10, 2020
The team developed a convolutional neural network.
How quickly could you take over a self-driving car?
UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering
Electrical and computer engineers at UC San Diego are working to understand how long it would take a non-attentive human to assume control of an autonomous car in an emergency.
Led by electrical engineering professor Mohan Trivedi, the team developed a convolutional neural network that tracks the driver’s and passenger’s hands, wrists and elbows to understand how quickly they could assume control of a self-driving car if necessary.
“The approach is capable of highly accurate, and very efficient hand detection, localization, and activity analysis in a very wide range of real-world driving situations, involving multiple humans and multiple vehicles,” said Trivedi. “This project is part of our larger research effort on the development of safe autonomous vehicles.”
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Help send SDSU student journalists
to ACP College Media Convention
The Daily Aztec, student newspaper at San Diego State University, is sponsoring a GoFundMe campaign to raise funds to send its staff to the ACP College Media Convention in San Francisco.
In years past, the newspaper has managed to send a handful of reporters to the three-day convention where they attended back-to-back lectures, networked with professionals, and took home numerous awards — but this year’s budget doesn’t allow for a single student to attend.
All money raised by this GoFundMe will go towards sending at least 10 staff members to San Francisco for this year’s convention in February. They aim to pay for staffers’ registration fees at the very least (early-bird registration costs $135) but would hope to be able to supplement the costs of lodging and transportation as well.
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USD professor scheduled to address
FTC on non-compete clauses in workplace
Orly Lobel, professor of law and director of the Employment and Labor Law Program at University of San Diego School of Law, was scheduled to speak today on non-compete clauses in the workplace at a public hearing before the Federal Trade Commission in Washington, D.C.
The issue at the FTC hearing is whether the agency should adopt a rule limiting non-compete clauses as an unfair method of competition. Last year, Lobel helped draft a petiton to the FTC calling for such a rule.
Lobel is the recipient of several research grants from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the American Bar Association litigation Fund, the Searle-Kauffman Fellowship, the Southern California Innovation Project, and Netspar, University of Tilburg.
She is a member of the American Law Institute and serves on the advisory boards of the San Diego Lawyer Chapter of the American Constitution Society, the Employee Rights Center, and the Oxford Handbook on Governance.
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The Sky Deck to bring 20,000 additional square
feet of dining to Del Mar Highlands Town Center
Candice Woo | Eater San Diego
Currently scheduled for a spring debut, The Sky Deck is bringing 20,000 additional square feet of dining to Del Mar Highlands Town Center. Part of the complex’s $120 million expansion, the project is modeled after grand food emporiums including Barcelona’s El Nacional.
Situated above Jimbo’s market, the food collective will hold a variety of stand-alone eateries, ranging from 500 to 3,000-square-feet, that will each offer distinct seating areas. There will also be a central cocktail bar along with a mezzanine-level beer garden shared by Northern Pine Brewing, Boochcraft Kombucha, and Rough Draft Brewing.
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Sue Reynolds announces retirement as president
and CEO of Community Housing Works
, president and CEO of Community Housing Works for the past 23 years, has announced her retirement, effective in the fourth quarter of 2020. She will continue to lead the organization through 2020 and plans to depart after a successor is chosen.
When Reynolds first came to lead Community HousingWorks in 1997, it was a regional North County housing and community development corporation with 300 apartments in ownership. During her tenure, the agency grew to become a nationally recognized multifamily housing developer, owner and service provider, serving over 9,000 children and adults in over 3,600 homes across California.
“My time at Community HousingWorks has allowed me to put social justice into action in a way that I never even dreamed was possible,” said Reynolds. “I am in awe of the challenges that our residents face and overcome every day, and I am still motivated by the challenges and the possibilities that our affordable housing movement faces. I look forward to continuing to do some part of that work, from a different seat, 11 months from now, at a slightly less urgent pace.”
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San Diego’s Modi Marketing merges with KWSM
San Diego-based Modi Marketing has merged with KWSM, a digital marketing agency with offices in Orange County, Atlanta and Las Vegas. The two companies will move forward under the KWSM brand.
Since its inception six years ago, Modi has served local clients under the leadership of owner and marketing strategist Krystina Feucht. The agency provides small to mid-sized companies with marketing strategies and ongoing support designed to generate leads and grow revenue. Feucht joins the KWSM team as a marketing solutions manager.
“Combining our organizations gives KWSM more resources and a larger foothold in Southern California,” says KWSM President Katie Wagner. “The partnership also gives existing Modi clients an expanded range of services and a larger team providing outsourced marketing solutions.
“The opportunity to join the KWSM Team couldn’t have come at a more perfect time,” says Feucht. “As Modi Marketing’s business has grown, so has our continual need for expanded creative resources. The in-house team of journalistically trained storytellers at KWSM means that my clients, like me, now have a larger team of experts creating solutions for them.”
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December home sales rise
year-over-year in San Diego County
Home sales in December 2019 were significantly higher than a year ago, despite inventory being at a two-year low, according to housing statistics compiled through the San Diego Multiple Listing Service by the Greater San Diego Association of Realtors.
Single-family resale home sales were nearly 7 percent higher in December compared to December 2018, while attached properties (condominiums and townhomes) were significantly higher – 34 percent – than a year ago. This, despite the inventory of resale homes on the market dropping to their lowest levels in two years.
The median price of a single-family home in December was unchanged from November, at $665,000, and the price of condos and townhomes was slightly higher month over month, at $440,000. For the full year of 2019, resale home prices were up 2.5 percent over 2018.
“Our San Diego housing market has been remarkably steady in 2019,” said SDAR President Carla Farley. “Buyer demand remains strong, but in 2020 we’re hoping sellers will be inspired to help balance the supply in the market.”
In December, the ZIP codes in San Diego County with the most single-family home sales were:
92130 (Carmel Valley) with 48
92128 (Rancho Bernardo East) and 92064 (Poway), both with 43
92028 (Fallbrook) and 92057 (Oceanside North), both with 41
92078 (San Marcos South) and 92009 (Carlsbad SE), both with 40
92065 (Ramona) with 37
The most expensive single-family property sold in December in San Diego County is a beachfront home in Del Mar built in 1986, with 1,660 square feet, 25 feet of direct ocean frontage, a gourmet kitchen, 2 master bedroom suites, 3 bathrooms, and a sale price of $6.575 million.
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New non-stop charter flights offered here
to ski resort area in Taos, New Mexico
A new seasonal air charter service has started between the county’s McClellan-Palomar Airport and Taos, N.M. through the end of March. The public charter service will provide San Diego County residents the only non-stop airline service to the Taos ski resort area.
Taos Air plans to fly Dornier 328 jets to and from McClellan-Palomar Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays — or holiday Mondays —through March 29. More information about Taos Air and flights can be found on its website.
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Shaivi Vasanadu named new partner
at The Aldrich Group of Companies
Shaivi Vasanadu has been named a new partner at The Aldrich Group of Companies. She is based in Mission Valley.
Vasanadu, brings 15 years of experience in public accounting for closely held businesses. She focuses on clients in construction and related industries. In her role at the firm, she specializes in providing assurance services, including audits, reviews and compilations as well as accounting and business consulting.
Vasanadu is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and CalCPA Education Foundation. She graduated with her Bachelor of Commerce in financial accounting and received her MBA in finance from the University of Bangalore. Shaivi currently serves on the board of directors for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater San Diego.
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Procopio law firm elevates
five San Diego attorneys to partner
Five attorneys in Procopio law firm’s San Diego and Del Mar Heights offices have been elevated to partner: Amy Cannon, Raymond K. Chan, Victor Sai, Sean M. Sullivan and Raúl Villarreal Garza..
Amy S. Cannon is a member of the real estate practice in the San Diego office. She focuses on real estate financing, real estate purchase and sale, commercial leasing, easements, licenses, and related business matters. She earned her law degree from Tulane University Law School summa com laude with the Order of the Coif and the recipient of the school’s Faculty Medal for graduating first in her class, and earned a B.A. in Political Science from the University of California, Berkeley.
Raymond K. Chan is an intellectual property attorney in the Del Mar Heights office. He counsels clients in all aspects of patent litigation, counseling and prosecution. Raymond’s practice focuses on the biotechnology, chemical engineering, computer, consumer products and automotive industries. He has as a J.D. from Fordham University School of Law and a B.S. in Biochemistry from the University of California, Los Angeles, and is admitted to practice before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
Victor Sai is an intellectual property attorney in the Del Mar Heights office. He counsels clients on intellectual property litigation. Victor’s practice focuses on litigating complex intellectual property cases before the International Trade Commission (ITC) and U.S. District Courts. Victor speaks Mandarin, Taiwanese and Japanese, and is licensed to practice in New Mexico. He earned his J.D. from the University of La Verne and a B.S. in Anthropology from the University of California, Riverside.
Sean M. Sullivan is a litigator in the San Diego office. He represents businesses and people in a variety of matters, including as to intellectual property rights (trademarks, copyrights, patents, and trade secrets), contracts, partnership and business management disputes, unfair competition, and class actions. He earned both a B.A. in Biology and a J.D. from the University of San Diego. Prior to attending law school, Sean worked in San Diego’s biotech industry for a start-up that made products for use in immunology and molecular biology research.
Raúl Villarreal Garza is an international tax attorney in the San Diego office. He advises clients on a variety of matters related to international tax law. Raúl participates as an international tax adviser to business leaders expanding their foreign operations into the United States. He holds an LL.M. degree in International Taxation from New York University School of Law, a Law Degree from Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey, México, and a Master Degree in Taxation from Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León.
Ernest Huang, an intellectual property attorney in Procopio’s Silicon Valley office, also was made partner.
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Natural History Museum hosts
State of Biodiversity Symposium
The San Diego Natural History Museum is hosting the third annual State of Biodiversity Symposium on Wednesday, Feb. 5, to facilitate interdisciplinary conservations about our region’s ecological condition in the wake of climate change. Tickets are available at sdnat.org/stateofbiodiversity.
The symposium brings together regional scientists and conservation practitioners, along with the interested public, to discuss the latest science surrounding impacts on biodiversity, and how the world of conservation is working to mitigate them. Speakers will share emerging trends, success stories, and threats to conservation. This year’s topics include: Habitat degradation: a leading cause of species extinction and endangerment; conservation priorities for San Diego’s canyons ; the link between biodiversity and human health; black-market biodiversity and violence against conservation advocates.
The keynote speaker is Dr. Todd Keeler-Wolf, former senior vegetation ecologist at the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.
