Daily Business Report-Sept. 24, 2020
Aerial view of UC San Diego campus. (Photo courtesy of UC San Diego)
State auditor blasts UC for admitting unqualified
students based on wealthy connections
CalMatters
A stinging report issued by California’s state auditor Tuesday slams the University of California for a culture of privileging wealth and access over merit in its admissions process, galvanizing concern that talented low-income students and students of color are displaced by less qualified but better connected students.
The audit report found that four UC campuses “unfairly admitted 64 applicants based on their personal or family connections to donors and university staff” between 2013–14 through 2018–19. Most of the applicants were white and at least half came from families with incomes of $150,000 or more.
Of those, campus employees at UC San Diego, UC Berkeley, UCLA, and UC Santa Barbara “falsely designated” 22 applicants as student-athletes “because of donations from or as favors to well‑connected families.” That number could be a significant undercount and actually exceed 400 students, according to the audit.
In addition, UC Berkeley admitted 42 unqualified students beyond athletics, even though some of them had “the lowest possible scores on their applications.” Multiple managers were involved in these inappropriate admissions decisions. These actions meant that more privileged students “took the places” of more qualified applicants.
The audit began in January, having been requested in May 2019 by Assemblymember Tasha Boerner Horvath, an Encinitas Democrat. Six staff members from the state auditor’s office worked on the report.
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Startup San Diego announces first
months-long virtual Startup Month
San Diego’s popular annual gathering of startups, entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, talent and innovators is going virtual — for a whole month.
The inaugural San Diego Startup Month (SDSM), which will run from Oct. 1-30, will include a series of virtual content and interactive experiences that will bring together and inspire the San Diego innovation ecosystem.
“We decided to do the event virtually for a month this year instead of a week so we can further support, nurture, and grow our local startup community during this time of uncertainty,” said Alexa-Rae Navarro, executive director of the nonprofit Startup San Diego, which hosts the annual event.
San Diego Startup Month will kick off on Oct. 1 with a lively discussion on the future of startups, an opening keynote, and fireside chat with top tech leaders. Attendees will then jump into a virtual cocktail party for speed networking with other guests, and then end the night with a party in a state-of-the art virtual experience courtesy of San Diego-based VirBELA, where they can even create their own avatar. And while this year’s attendees can’t network in person, they can still have a chance to have one-on-one conversations with each other via a Run the World app.
For the full schedule, click here
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SANDAG completes 8 traffic calming
measures for safer biking and walking
As part of the Georgia – Meade and Landis Bikeway projects, SANDAG has completed eight new neighborhood traffic circles in the City of San Diego. When the project is complete, a total of 18 traffic circles will be built on Landis Street and Meade Avenue through North Park, Normal Heights, University Heights, City Heights, and Kensington-Talmadge.
The newly completed traffic circles and other pedestrian improvements, including crosswalks and curbs ramps, are already in-use. They are designed to increase neighborhood safety by decreasing potential conflicts between people driving and people walking and biking near areas of high foot traffic, including Thomas Jefferson and Garfield elementary schools.
According to a recent SANDAG InfoBits report, bike ridership on Landis Street has increased 12 percent since the statewide stay home order was implemented in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Across the regional bike network, daily volumes increased an average of 42 percent between March and August 2020, compared to the same time in 2019. More than 4 in 5 (84 percent) residents surveyed who said they were biking more since the stay home order began said they expect to continue biking even when restrictions are lifted.
The TransNet-funded Georgia – Meade and Landis Bikeway projects will add more than 6.5 miles of new bikeways that make it easier and safer for people to bike and walk in these communities. Construction activities continue to proceed amid COVID-19. The Georgia – Meade and Landis Bikeway projects are anticipated to open to the public in spring 2022.
View the SANDAG InfoBits report: Bike Riding in the San Diego Region since COVID-19.
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Mendocino Farms opening in new
San Diego location — Mission Valley
Mendocino Farms announces the grand opening of its newest location in Mission Valley, marking the fifth Mendocino Farms location in San Diego (and their 34th overall). Mendocino Farms has a diverse menu of gourmet, seasonal, and chef-driven sandwiches and salads.
While adhering to strict health and safety guidelines, the restaurant will offer San Diegans its artisanal selections through contactless curbside or in-store pickup, delivery, patio dining and catering. To celebrate its Mission Valley Grand Opening, Mendocino Farms is:
- Hosting a Community Day on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. where guests can participate in a “Paint the Bag” art contest to enter to win a gift card. The restaurant will comply with health and safety protocols as outlined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and local and state officials.
- Partnering with the San Diego Food Bank to donate 20 percent of sales for every sandwich or salad purchased on Sept. 26 and 27.
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Local nonprofit launches
state’s first culinary and baking
apprenticeship program
Twenty San Diego residents transitioning from incarceration, homelessness, and foster care will don white chef coats today and step into a Kitchens For Good classroom to practice their culinary skills.
Project Launch is a completely free program that equips individuals labeled as “unemployable” with the knife-and-life skills they need to launch meaningful careers and make a positive impact in the community.
Research has shown that unemployment rates among those who have been previously incarcerated, homeless or in the foster care system range from 27 percent to 42 percent. As unemployment rates across the nation continue to skyrocket due to the COVID-19 health crisis, it is imperative that Americans have access to education, training and resources to gain job security and provide for their families.
Kitchens For Good is a social enterprise founded on the belief that all food has power and all people have potential. The Kitchens For Good innovative apprenticeship model trains apprentices with industry-informed curriculum, places them into jobs, and then tracks, mentors, and supports them as they progress along a career path and become self-sufficient.
The organization has trained and launched the culinary careers of more than 300 individuals over the last five years with an 85 percent employment success rate of graduates. This fall Kitchens For Good is building on the success of its program by launching San Diego’s first-ever Baking and Food Service Management Apprenticeship program that will train an additional 50 apprentices annually.
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Renovation of Viva Logistics
Center in Otay Mesa completed
IDS Real Estate Group has completed the renovation of Viva Logistics Center, a six-building, 1,021,419-square-foot Class A industrial property in the Otay Mesa area of San Diego.
Re-designed by a team including Ware Malcomb and LRM Landscape Architecture, the renovation and branding effort of Viva Logistics Center includes new modern paint schemes, a complete environmental signage and graphics package – consisting of building, monument and wayfinding signage, thoughtfully designed and sustainable landscaping, energy efficient roof coating systems and LED lighting.
In addition to the recent renovations, the property features dock high and grade-level loading, yard/truck and trailer parking, ample auto parking, IBT-1-1 zoning, 24-foot to 32-foot clear height, energy efficient LED interior lighting and ESFR & ESFR ready fire suppression.
Leading the leasing efforts at Viva Logistics Center are JLL’s Ryan Spradling, Andy Irwin and Greg Lewis along with IDS Real Estate Group’s Matt Traino and Jeremiah Harrington.
Viva Logistics Center can accommodate users ranging from 25,000 to 260,000 square feet.
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Net Leased Investment Team Joins
Kidder Mathews’ San Diego Office
Sam Hanna has joined Kidder Mathews as a senior vice president and will lead a team specializing in single-tenant and net leased investments with an emphasis on retail and industrial properties.
The team includes Jack Qashat and Lyndon Stoudmire and will be based in Kidder Mathews’ San Diego office.
Hanna is a top producer with over 16 years of commercial real estate experience. Notable deals he has brokered include numerous FedEx facilities nationwide, a 650,000 square foot Coca-Cola bottling facility, and several other high profile retail properties.
Before joining Kidder Mathews, he was a director at Marcus & Millichap, and most recently, he was a senior vice president at SRS Real Estate Partners in San Diego.
Qashat and Stoudmire both come to Kidder Mathews from SRS Real Estate Partners in San Diego, where they were part of the National Net Lease Group.
