The Air Force has awarded Cubic Defense Applications a contract valued at more than $30 million to improve air combat training at the Joint Pacific Alaska Range Complex. Under the contract, awarded by the Air Force Range Instrumentation System Branch, Cubic and principal subcontractor DRS Training and Control Systems, will provide airborne instrumentation systems to various Air Force bases and several types of ground systems. Deliveries will be completed in the first half of 2013. The ground systems are produced at Cubic’s facility in San Diego.

James Edwards Named Cubic Corp. VP and General Counsel

James R. Edwards has been named vice president, general counsel and corporate secretary for Cubic Corp. by its board of directors. Edwards had previously served as senior vice president, general counsel and secretary of the company’s transportation group, and assistant general counsel and assistant secretary of Cubic Corp. Edwards replaces William Hoese, who is retiring.As general counsel, Edwards will focus on U.S. and international business transactions, including acquisitions, management of intellectual property, Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filings and regulatory compliance in the countries where Cubic conducts its business. Edwards joined Cubic in February 2008. Prior to coming to Cubic, he served as senior vice president and general counsel of Kratos Defense, and senior legal counsel for Qualcomm Inc. Edwards is a graduate of the University of San Diego School of Law.

Schubach Aviation Adds to Its Luxury Aircraft Fleet

Schubach Aviation has added a Gulfstream IV SP private jet to its fleet of luxury aircraft. The jet is powered by twin Rolls-Royce turbofans and has a range of 4,220 nautical miles. Henry Schubach, president of the company, said the plane easily connects San Diego to Honolulu, or New York to Paris. It has 157 square feet of cargo space. It can accommodate up to 14 passengers and three crewmembers.

Small Business Workshops

Upcoming SCORE San Diego small business workshops:

• Feb. 6 – Restaurant 201 – 9 a.m. to noon at National University – Kearny Mesa (9388 Lightwave Ave., San Diego 92123; pre-paid registration $49, $59 at the door).

• Feb. 7 – Business Basics 101 – 9 a.m. to noon at National University – Kearny Mesa (9388 Lightwave Ave., San Diego 92123; No charge –pre-register).

• Feb. 8 – Business Plan 101: How to Develop Your Best Competitive Advantage – 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at National University – Kearny Mesa (9388 Lightwave Ave., San Diego 92123; pre-paid registration $79, $89 at the door).

For more information on the workshop series and locations, call (619) 557-7272 or visit score-sandiego.org.

Customs Agency to Open Pilot Pedestrian Lane at Otay Mesa

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials will open a pilot pedestrian Ready Lane at the Otay Mesa port of entry on Feb. 23.  Similar to the existing vehicle Ready Lanes, any traveler with an approved document that has Radio Frequency Identification technology can use the lane for a faster border crossing.

 The pedestrian Ready Lane will operate from 4 a.m. until 8 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 8 a.m. until 10 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Documents that may be used in the Ready Lane are: the U.S. passport card, Trusted Traveler cards and the newer versions of the legal permanent resident and laser visa/border crossing cards issued after 2008.  “This pilot will allow us to test the best ways to leverage existing technology to shorten processing times for travelers crossing the border on foot,” said Chris Maston, director of field operations in San Diego.

Cubic Corp. Reports Quarterly Earnings

Cubic Corp. reported earnings and sales for the quarter ended Dec. 31, 2011. Sales for the first fiscal quarter were $318.7 million compared to $284.4 million last year, an increase of 12 percent. Net income attributable to Cubic shareholders increased by 8 percent to $21.4 million (80 cents per share) this year compared to $19.9 million (74 cents per share) last year. Operating income increased by 4 percent in the first fiscal quarter to $28.2 million, compared to $27.2 million last year. Cash flows used in operations were $38.4 million primarily due to increases in accounts receivable caused by increased sales. During the quarter, Cubic Transportation Systems signed a contract with the Chicago Transit Authority to design, build, operate and maintain CTA’s next-generation open payment fare system, which added $454 million to backlog as of Dec. 31, 2011.

The nonprofit micro-lender ACCION San Diego reports that loans it disbursed in 2011 increased by 18 percent over the previous year — from $962,408 in 2010 to $1,137,052 last year. Loan issuance was also up 10 percent, lending 99 loans compared to 90 in 2010. Funding increased 13 percent over 2010. Staff size was recently increased by 23 percent to meet increased demand of services.

“ACCION San Diego continues to be a resource for small businesses to access capital and business support services,” said Executive Director Elizabeth Schott. “The power of these small loans provides start-up and existing local entrepreneurs the resources to create jobs in our community, increase family incomes, and contribute to the strength of our local economy.”

One of the main goals of ACCION San Diego is to be a resource to the community by hosting free events, in addition to loans. Out of six events held in 2011, 290 people attended free training events hosted by ACCION San Diego, up from 195 in 2010. On average, active clients with loans ACCION San Diego maintain and/or generate almost 1,000 jobs for San Diegans.

The nonprofit helps small and home-based business owners obtain loans ranging from $300 to $35,000, provides access to business resources, as well as publicity and networking opportunities. It offers other resources for start-up business owners with little or no credit history. For additional information, visit accionsandiego.org or call (619) 795-7250.

Grossmont College Reopens Renovated Student Center

Grossmont College has reopened its newly renovated and expanded student center — now called the Griffin Center — and will stage an April 14 dedication ceremony for both the administration and student services complex and Griffin Center. The 9:30 a.m. event is part of the college’s open house celebrating its 50th anniversary.

The revamped 46,734-square-foot facility involved  renovation of about 27,000 square feet of the existing building and the expansion of nearly 20,000 square feet, including upgrades to meet current accessibility and code requirements. It includes meeting rooms for student groups, seating for dining,  lounging  or study, easy access to a career  center and other student services, as well as  a 10-foot screen  in the lobby for watching movies, four food stations and a mini-market. A partial second story has added a quiet study area along an indoor balcony. Seating is available in three indoor and two outdoor dining areas, where students can order four types of fare: oven-baked pizza, Mexican, grilled dishes and healthy salads and sandwiches.

The center also houses the offices and work areas of the Associated Students, the culinary arts program, student health  services, Extended Opportunity Programs and Services (EOPS) for low-income  students, the career center and job placement, a club room for student organizations, and Disabled Student Programs and Services (DSPS). A large conference room  has multiple uses: governing board meetings, conferences and a gathering spot for groups of all sizes, thanks to rollaway walls.

Designed by Architects Mosher Drew, the remodeled building is part of a $36.2 million, two-building project that also updated and expanded an aging student and administrative services building completed in late December.

Downtown Rotary Honors Miko Peled and Nader Elbanna
as 2012 Peacemaker Award Recipients

Miko Peled and Nader Elbanna, co-founders of a foundation committed to Israeli, Palestinian reconciliation, have been honored as the recipients of the 2012 Peacemaker Award by the San Diego Downtown Breakfast Rotary Club. The Peacemaker Award is given annually to San Diego community leaders who have made a significant difference in promoting tolerance, understanding, conflict resolution and peace in the region and beyond. Born enemies, Peled and Elbanna found friendship in their mutual support of a common cause… to be ambassadors of peace. They had reasons to hate each other. Elbanna, a Palestinian, lost his homeland, then his best friend to the Israelis. Peled, an Israeli, lost his niece to a Palestinian suicide bomber in Jerusalem. The two Rotarians wound up in San Diego County and met 11 years ago at a discussion group designed to move people like them beyond the hatred. Elbanna and Peled raised $84,000 several years ago as part of a Rotary project to send 1,000 wheelchairs to the Holy Land. Half went to Palestinians, half to Israelis, many of them victims of the region’s relentless violence.

Peled was born in Israel and came to the United States almost 20 years ago. He owns his own martial arts school in Coronado. He’s married and has three children. Elbanna was born in Palestine. When the nation of Israel was proclaimed there a couple years later, his family fled to Jordan. He came to the U.S. in 1990 with his wife and six children. He owns a business that supplies industrial and medical equipment. Both are American citizens.

The USD Burnham-Moores Center for Real Estate’s Index of Leading Economic Indicators for San Diego County rose 0.6 percent in December.  Although no component was up sharply, the gain was broad-based, with five of the six components — building permits, initial claims for unemployment insurance, consumer confidence, help wanted advertising, and the outlook for the national economy — up solidly during the month. The only negative component was local stock prices, and they were down only slightly. The gain marked the first time that the USD Index was up in consecutive months since May, and snapped a string of six straight months where it had alternated between being positive and negative. Given the back-to-back gains in the USD Index and the breadth of December’s gain, the outlook for the local economy remains positive for 2012. The local economy is expected to add 20,000 to 25,000 wage and salary jobs during the year, which may be pessimistic, given that employment was up nearly 27,000 in December compared to the same month in 2010. Things expected to hold the local economy back include continued weakness in the housing market, political conflict in an election year, and uncertainty in the international economy.

AT&T Improves Wireless Networks in California

AT&T said it has invested more than $6.8 billion in California wireless and wireline networks between 2009 and 2011 to improve its mobile broadband coverage and overall performance of its networks. During 2011, AT&T made nearly 7,500 wireless network upgrades in four key categories in California. Enhancements include: activating more than 120 new cell sites or towers to improve network coverage; Deploying faster fiber-optic connections to nearly 2,850 cell sites; adding capacity, or an extra layer of frequency to cell site; upgrading more than 300 cell sites to provide fast mobile broadband speeds. The company also the launched its new 4G LTE network in San Diego, San Francisco Bay Area and Los Angeles on Jan. 5.

Campaign for SDSU Reaches $300 Million Milestone

The university-wide fundraising campaign at San Diego State has reached a $300 million milestone since it was launched in 2007. The Campaign for SDSU has raised $144.5 million for SDSU’s academic programs and the university library, including $9 million to support endowed chairs and professorships. To date, nearly $33 million has been contributed to Fuel Potential, the campaign’s scholarship initiative. It includes support to students like Jennifer Keliher-Venegas, whose conservation-based research has the potential to influence the management of small-scale fisheries around the world, and Destin Daniel Cretton, winner of both the top prize for a short film at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival and a $30,000 Nicholl Fellowship for aspiring screenwriters from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. The Campaign for SDSU also has raised $4 million for the Guardian Scholars program, which provides year-round room and board, as well as academic mentoring, for students exiting the foster care system.

Best Best & Krieger Partner Selected for Education Panel

The California Special Districts Association has selected Paula de Sousa, a partner at Best Best & Krieger, to serve on the association’s 2012 Education Committee. The Education Committee plans, organizes and manages the education and public relations programs for CSDA, the only California association representing all types of independent special public districts. Last year, de Sousa was also selected for a newly assembled working group at the CSDA that examines legal and policy issues relevant to Local Agency Formation Commissions, commonly known as LAFCOs.

Designs Completed for Sunroad Enterprises Building

KMA Architecture & Engineering has completed designs for an $8 million parking garage for Sunroad Enterprises at 8600 Spectrum Center Blvd. in Kearny Mesa. The six-floor parking garage is in addition to the subterranean parking below the Sunroad Centrum I office building. KMA and Swinerton Builders were retained to design/build the project, which is expected to be completed this year.

Volunteers Wanted for Bighorn Sheep Count

Volunteers are being solicited to help in the annual bighorn sheep count in the San Gabriel Mountains. The California Department of Fish and Game, the U.S. Forest Service and the Society for Conservation of Bighorn Sheep are seeking individuals to assist biologists on March 3 snf 4. No survey experience is necessary to participate but volunteers must attend a mandatory orientation on March 3 at 6 p.m. at Verdemont Community Center and Library in San Bernardino. Volunteers will hike to designated observation sites in the San Gabriel Mountains early Sunday morning to count and record bighorn sheep. Volunteer groups will be led by a representative from either DFG, USFS or the Society. Participants must be at least 16 years old and capable of hiking one mile in rugged terrain, although some survey routes are longer. In general, hikes will not be along trails and accessing survey points will involve scrambling over boulders, climbing up steep slopes and/or bush-whacking through chaparral. Sign up online at sangabrielbighorn.org or call (626) 574-5287 or (909) 382-2870 to have a volunteer packet mailed to you.

Will this year be a better and brighter one for the San Diego hotel industry? A group of hotel and real estate experts will discuss the issue at a Feb. 9 conference at the Hilton Garden Inn at 3939 Ocean Bluff Ave. in San Diego. Robert Rauch, president of R.A. Rauch & Associates, has assembled four panelists to take part in the discussion, themed “Let the Good Times Begin.” Panelists are Ash Patel, president and COO of Premier Commercial Bank; Alan Reay, president of Atlas Hospitality Group; Gary London, president of The London Group; and Guy Maisnik, vice chair of JMBM’s Global Hospitality Group. The conference opens with registration at 2 p.m. followed by presentations from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. and a hosted cocktail reception from 4:30 to 6 p.m. Cost is $59 for online registration. Visit hotelguru.com.

Council Puts Pension, PLA Measures on Ballot

(City News Service) The San Diego City Council officially called a primary election for June 5 and placed proposed initiatives on the ballot to reform the pension system and ban the city from imposing agreements with organized labor on municipal construction projects. The actions came on a series of mostly unanimous votes. Councilwoman Marti Emerald dissented a couple of times, preferring that the issues go before voters in the November general election.

The votes also authorized the city auditor and independent budget analyst to conduct fiscal analyses of the measures, and for the city attorney to prepare ballot titles and summaries. In the case of the pension reform initiative, the council directed the City Attorney’s Office to retain outside counsel because City Attorney Jan Goldsmith is perceived to be a supporter. “The appearance here is what matters, and the appearance is the city attorney is not impartial,” said Michael Zucchet, the head of the Municipal Employees Association. Goldsmith said he accepted the need for “another set of eyes” to look at the summary that will be presented to voters.

Supporters say the initiative would save the city money in the future by giving new employees — other than police officers — 401(k) plans instead of enrolling them in the debt-ridden pension system, and by placing a five-year cap on compensation that can later be calculated into a worker’s retirement pay. The employee would still be eligible for raises and bonuses, but the extra money wouldn’t be eligible for figuring out a pension amount.

Councilman David Alvarez proposed having the City Council place a competing measure on the ballot, which would include the five-year freeze on “pensionable pay” but not the 401(k) component, which he said would cost the city $95 million in the first six years. His suggestion was not acted upon immediately.

The initiative on construction projects would bar the city from placing project labor agreements on municipal construction projects. Opponents contend that PLAs are unfair to non-union shops that try to bid for contracts, and raise the costs of projects. Supporters say PLAs ensure labor peace, meaning the projects will get done on time, and provide reasonable pay and benefits for local workers.

PLAs are illegal in the county of San Diego and the cities of Chula Vista and Oceanside. The state recently passed legislation that puts charter cities at risk of losing state funding assistance for municipal projects if they ban the agreements.

Security Business Bank Announces Quarter and Annual Results

Security Business Bank of San Diego reported its unaudited 2011 fourth-quarter and annual financial results. As of Dec. 31, the company grew loans to $182.0 million (a 5.1 percent rise in growth year over year) and assets to $233.4 million (a 3.8 percent annual increase). Also among the results is an 88.3 percent core deposits to total deposit ratio. Of the bank’s total deposits, 48.6 percent are non-interest bearing deposits. “The growth of our balance sheet this year over last reinforces our consistent financial performance against a backdrop of economic challenge,” said Paul Rodeno, president and CEO. Fourth-quarter and annual financial results include: Total assets of $233.4 million, a 3.8 percent increase over $224.9 million at Dec. 31, 2010; core deposits of $159.5 million or 88.3 percent of total deposits; total loans of $182.0 million, a 5.1 percent increase over $173.2 million at Dec. 31, 2010.

Urban Corps Gets $25,000 Grant from SDG&E

San Diego Gas & Electric has awarded the Urban Corps of San Diego County a $25,000 grant to benefit the nonprofit organization’s GreenBuild Program. The funding will provide for the establishment of a Mobile Green Building Learning Center module that will enable Urban Corps’ youth Corpsmembers to learn skilled trades relevant to the green home improvement industry. “We want our graduating Corpsmembers to leave Urban Corps with careers, not just jobs,” says Sam Duran, CEO of Urban Corps. “To that end, we realized that we needed to establish the internal capacity to train and certify Corpsmembers in pertinent green job specialties. The Green Building Learner Center will serve as an onsite learning tool that will facilitate ongoing training prior to placing students in construction jobs that require knowledge of new energy and resource conservation technologies.”

StoneMass Partners With Fastframe

San Diego-based StoneMass, an online marketing and product development company, said it will partner with Fastframe to use its new social media package Montage for its national franchise network to engage the retailer’s customers using Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and YouTube. Using Montage, a Web-based platform, StoneMass’ social media experts will deliver a cost-effective method for Fastframe’s national network  of franchised stores to consistently deliver customer-focused, interactive content to their social media accounts, according to the company.

Grandpoint Capital Completes Merger With Regents Bank

Grandpoint Capital Inc. has completed its merger with La Jolla-based Regents Bank following shareholder and regulatory approvals. Regents Bank is now a wholly-owned subsidiary of Los Angeles-based Grandpoint Capital. Regents Bank will continue to operate under its existing name with its current management team, led by President and CEO Dan C. Yates and Chairman Thomas C. Young. Regents has banking offices in San Diego, La Jolla, Carlsbad, El Cajon and Vancouver, Wash. At December 31, 2011, Regents had total assets of $345 million. In addition to his continuing role as CEO of Regents, Yates was appointed president of Grandpoint Capital by its board of directors.

Scripps Health Purchases Medical Office Building

Scripps Health has purchased a new medical office building for Scripps Coastal Medical Center in Oceanside. The facility is located adjacent to State Route 76 at 4318 Mission Ave. and will replace the original Scripps Coastal Medical Center facility on Mission Avenue. The new 33,500-square-foot medical office building is almost twice the size of the original medical center, provides more parking, easier accessibility and the latest wireless technology. Initially, the new building will house the 10 Scripps doctors and 40 staff from the existing medical center, expanding to a total of 20 physicians in the future.

San Diego Trust Bank Reports Earnings

San Diego Trust Bank reported its 29th consecutive quarterly profit with record fourth quarter 2011 earnings up more than 107 percent from the comparable period of a year ago. Net earnings after-tax totaled $691,000 for the three month period ending Dec. 31, 2011, compared to $333,000 for the same period the previous year. For the 12months ended Dec. 31, 2011, the bank reported net income of $1.61 million compared to $959,000 in 2010, representing an increase of 68 percent over prior year’s results.

AMN Healthcare Services Sells Home Health Care Business

AMN Healthcare Services Inc. has completed the sale of its home health care business to BAYADA Home Health Care Inc. AMN will receive cash proceeds of $9.65 million and retain working capital of $4 million. The company intends to use proceeds from the sale to pay down debt. “Given significant reimbursement changes and the current uncertainty in the regulatory environment, we determined a divestiture of home health care would allow an even sharper focus on our market-leading health care workforce solutions offerings,” said Susan R. Salka, the company’s chief executive officer.

Personnel Moves

• S. Andrew Pharies has joined DLA Piper as a partner in its trusts and estates group of the San Diego office. He is joined by associate Michelle C. Glasser. Both moved to the firm from Procopio, Cory, Hargreaves & Savitch. Pharies received his law degree from the University of Oregon. Glasser received hers from the University of Arizona.

• Dowling & Yahnke LLC has promoted Mark J. Muñoz to partner, Alana Asmussen and Jacqueline Bell to portfolio management directors and Karrol Gibbs as director of operations. Muñoz joined the firm in 2009 as chief operating officer. He holds a master’s degree from the University of Chicago and a bachelor’s degree from Miami University (Ohio).

Irwin Jacobs and SOHO are leading opposing plans to upgrade the park for its 1915 centennial

By Delle Willett

Balboa Park’s plazas were originally designed like the grand plazas of Europe, accommodating pedestrians, automobiles and pigeons. Over the years, however, the park has literally been taken over by cars with nearly 7,000 vehicles driving through the plazas and promenades daily. With 12 million visitors to the park each year, conflicts between pedestrians and vehicles abound.

This problem has long been recognized, and every plan for the park in the past 60 years has had a goal to remove the cars and return the park’s core to people.

Richard Benton photo

With the 2015 Centennial Celebration of the 1915 Panama-California Exhibition in Balboa Park presenting the perfect opportunity, plans have been developed to make the Plaza de Panama a centerpiece for the centennial, removing approximately 54 parking spaces as well as preparing the park for the additional pedestrians and cars that it will require.

The two major plans being considered are The Plaza de Panama Circulation and Parking Project, presented by The Plaza de Panama Committee, a nonprofit entity formed by Dr. Irwin Jacobs, and the SOHO Precise Plan “Lite” that complies with the existing Balboa Park Master Plan and Central Mesa Precise Plan, represented by Save Our Heritage Organisation (SOHO) and a coalition of over 20 groups and organizations.

The Plaza de Panama Project is a permanent plan that involves building a bypass road— the Centennial Bridge—from the Cabrillo Bridge through the Alcazar Garden parking lot and on to a new 785-space, paid-parking, underground garage south of the Spreckles Organ Pavilion, topped with a two-acre park; free accessible tram service from the parking structure to the Plaza de Panama, resurfacing the plaza with contemporary hardscape materials, and adding shade trees, benches and replicas of the original street lights. Overall, the project adds 267 parking spots in the heart of the park and provides for increased disabled parking, a safe drop-off area and valet service.

All told, the project will reclaim 6.3 acres of parks and plazas (the Plaza de Panama, West El Prado, Plaza de California and the Esplanade) for pedestrian use only from what are now roads and surface parking lots, and significantly reduce conflicts between pedestrians and cars. This plan has been vetted by CIVITAS, a landscape and planning firm. The project is estimated to cost $40 million. Approximately $25 million of this cost is for plaza and park improvements, the construction of Centennial Bridge and Road, and improvements to the Alcazar Garden parking lot. The underground parking structure is estimated to cost $15 million.

Financing

The project will be paid for by private donations raised by the Plaza de Panama Committee and a self-supporting bond. No taxpayer funds will be required. The bond will be repaid with revenue generated from parking lot charges. The revenue will also pay for operation and maintenance of the garage and free tram service. A study found that the parking structure would generate enough revenue to support a construction bond, operations and maintenance of the structure, and the operation of the free tram.

The Plaza de Panama Committee has agreed to cover all cost overruns to ensure that there is no risk to taxpayer funds. The Committee will spend over $1,000,000 on the Environmental Information Report (EIR). Leading up to the MOU meeting, Jacobs, co-founder of Qualcomm Inc., has already spent over $2 million on public meetings and planning.

The Plaza de Panama Project must be approved by the San Diego City Council. Leading up to the decision by the City Council, a number of other bodies must provide advisory votes on the project. These include the Balboa Park Committee, the Park and Recreation Board, the Historical Resources Board and the Planning Commission.

It is anticipated that the Draft EIR will be completed and ready for public review and comment January 2012; presented to the City Council in summer 2012; and with all approvals in place, construction started by January 2013 with a scheduled completion date of January 2015.

To date the Committee has participated in roughly 90 meetings with citizen groups, Balboa Park organizations and other stakeholders. Feedback has resulted in positive changes to the project from the first meeting, held more than a year ago. Since then, there have been countless improvements made to the project based on public feedback, and there continue to be.

Alternative Plans

On July 19 the city approved a Memo of Understanding (MOU) with the Plaza de Panama Committee, which served as a contract to continue with the Plaza de Panama plan. At the same time, a number of alternatives to this proposed project are also being thoroughly studied in the EIR. The environmental review process will assess potential impacts of the proposed project and alternatives in the areas of traffic circulation, cultural and historic resources, biological resources, and a number of others. Some people believe as is, the MOU puts the city in the position to go with Jacobs’ plan and precludes them using any alternative.

In response to the memorandum, SOHO sued in San Diego Superior Court to rescind the memorandum claiming the city approved the contract illegally before the completion of a state environmental review. On Dec. 16, Superior Court Judge Judith F. Hayes, in a preliminary ruling, deemed the memorandum illegal for the time being. With final ruling pending, Jacobs declined to comment.

The Plaza de Panama website reports a partial list of backers that includes the majority of Balboa Park institutions, ConVis, San Diego Hotel-Motel Association, Downtown San Diego Partnership, over 900 individuals and businesses.

Representing the public (with over 5000 signatures so far on a petition) and a coalition of over 20 groups and organizations, including The League of Woman Voters, The Committee of 100, Citizens Coordinate for Century 3, SOHO recommends the SOHO Precise Plan “Lite,” an alternative plan that consists of a low-cost, reversible, and phased-design approach for the Plaza de Panama Circulation and Parking Project that complies with the existing Balboa Park Master Plan and Central Mesa Precise Plan. The plan meets the goal of converting the Plaza de Panama to pedestrian use while retaining the maximum degree of flexibility, programmability and access to all, and would allow for managed traffic on the Cabrillo Bridge when appropriate or desired. All of this achieved with the least impact to the park and the National Historic Landmark District.

The SOHO Plan for Circulation is to route two-way vehicular traffic along the southwest corner of the Plaza de Panama, adjacent to the Mingei International Museum, and provide a valet and passenger drop-off on both sides of through traffic. In addition, a new entrance driveway would be provided into the Alcazar Garden parking lot by modifying the existing southern exit road. (Photo: Proposed Centennial Bridge)

SOHO Parking Plan

The SOHO Plan for Parking will replace all 54 current parking spaces in the Plaza de Panama, including the 20 accessible spaces, by creating new public parking spaces in existing parking lots behind park institutions and streets, enabling better and more direct access for visitors and the disabled.

The SOHO alternative plan has no significant adverse effects, and a limited amount of proposed changes, therefore this project could proceed without the need of an EIR. It also has consensus of most of San Diegans, according to Bruce Coons, executive director of SOHO.

“This is a perfect time to try out the plan with the 2015 Centennial. We can see how it works and then adopt it permanently or change it later,” said Coons. “Why do something permanent and unchangeable when we can use a plan that can be changed ?”

The SOHO part of the plan can be accomplished well under $1 million. The potential funding sources: Through the use of a CCDC Redevelopment Tax Increment for funding project sites contiguous to CCDC’s downtown Project Area, the General Fund’s Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT), and the Tourist Marketing District. As a project for the 2015 Centennial could be yet another source of funding.

The principal objections to the Jacobs’/CIVITAS plan include: That the Centennial Bridge and Road will impact the historic nature of the Park that could result in a loss of its National Register District classification and the grant support that comes with this designation. That the bypass bridge would ruin the historic appearance of Cabrillo Bridge. That the plan does not have the public’s support nor the support of the 20-member coalition made up of historical societies, community and neighborhood activists, and preservation and environmental stakeholders.

Plea for a Vote

Coons believes that the Jacobs’ plan should be put to a vote. “If we let the public decide it will end the arguments. San Diego has the right to be ugly as well as it does to be beautiful. If the public votes for this plan then SOHO won’t protest. If this isn’t put to the public vote, people will be shocked when they see how much this changes Balboa Park, and they’ll say ‘Why did you let this happen!’” said Coons.

The preservation of Balboa Park is one of the toughest and biggest preservation fights that San Diego has ever had and it’s garnered more support for SOHO than any other. The two other large ones preservationists fought for and won are Petco Park and the Gaslamp District. “Now people love them; everybody wants to say they fathered them now that they see that they are successful,” said Coons.

Airport Authority puts a new spin on Lindbergh’s decades-old problems

By Manny Cruz

Five years have elapsed since county voters rejected an advisory ballot measure for the relocation of Lindbergh Field, a long-festering issue that has been fiercely debated for the past four decades. A year after that vote, Alan Bersin, then the chairman of the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority — the agency overseeing the airport — sought to put the issue to rest once and for all. “Our job,” he said, “is to end the San Diego airport controversy, this 40-year endless debate. “We’re building a new airport — at Lindbergh Field.”

In fact, the Airport Authority is reinventing Lindbergh Field, casting off the controversies of the past and moving ahead to expand and streamline airport operations, attract new air carriers, create new concession opportunities for local companies and ease the airport experience for the thousands of passengers who utilize the airport each year — currently at 17 million.

Thella Bowens

The push to improve airport operations stems from studies indicating that Lindbergh Field (San Diego International Airport) — the busiest single runway airport in the nation — will reach its maximum capacity some time after 2015 which, if not addressed quickly, could result in automobile traffic congestion surrounding the airport, long lines for tickets and security checks, higher ticket prices, difficulties in obtaining flights in and out of San Diego and airline defections. Studies also have shown that San Diego’s tourism industry would suffer and businesses that rely on air transportation services would relocate elsewhere.

The ambitious airport expansion and improvement program is being handled under the tutelage of Thella Bowens, president and CEO of the Airport Authority. She was appointed to the post in 2003 after state legislation removed the airport from the control of the San Diego Unified Port District and placed it in the hands of the newly created Airport Authority. Bowens had been the Port’s senior director of aviation for seven years before the switch, and when the changeover occurred she was given the responsibility of planning and implementing the transfer of the airport to its role as an independent entity.

Bowens, who works under a contract that gives her an annual salary of $258,323, says running the airport is no different than running a business. “We are a business,” she says, emphasizing the word. “We are a business that operates in the public arena and we are subject to all of the public laws that govern public organizations… Our stakeholder is the general public. Our emphasis is on being a really good, publicly operated entity.”

Green Build In Progress

North Concourse rendering

The most visible part of the airport’s “reinvention” is the $1.2 billion Green Build at Terminal 2, the largest improvement project in airport history. When completed in 2013, the terminal will have 10 new gates, a dual-level roadway where arriving and departing passengers can conduct their business on separate curbs, more overnight parking spaces and more dining and shopping options, among other improvements.

“It includes the waiting room for those new gates, it includes the new concession core where you will see just a lot of the new concessions that are coming in through the process than we had just a few months ago,” says Bowens. “It includes over a million square feet of additional aircraft parking apron which is really going to help our efficiency because we will no longer have to park our overnight aircraft over on the north side and then in the morning have them come through the traffic to get over here…

“All real airports have dual level roadways, and that’s very important to us because if you have used Terminal 2, you know that the curb front here is very, very congested and that is because we have totally outgrown in terms of numbers, the number of passengers and the number of cars that we have the ability to handle on one level. If we can separate the departures and arrivals on separate levels, you really cut down the congestion. When you cut down on the congestion, you cut down on emissions and other issues that go on as a result of that. So we’re looking to not only ease the passenger’s experience, but to contribute to a better level of quality by having that traffic continue to move.”

Food and Retail Concessions

Sunset Cove rendering

The airport’s new food and retail concession program will be implemented throughout the facility — Terminals 1 and 2 and the Commuter Terminal. It is a major departure from the past, where one company ran all airport concessions. San Diegans will see some familiar local dining choices in the new system, such as Jack in the Box (but not McDonalds), and a lot of other eating spots operated by local businesses that will be operating at the airport for the first time, such as Pannikin Coffee & Tea, Saffron Thai, Phil’s BBQ, and Stone Brewing Company, to name a few. On the retail side, a new feature at the airport will be Spa Didacus’ Be Relax Spa in two locations. In all, the Airport Authority board approved 16 food and retail packages. Travelers will begin seeing the new shops, restaurants and services beginning in December 2012.

“One of the things that we wanted to do was to provide what in this industry is called a local flavor,” says Bowens. “It means that you want your airport to reflect your local community, your local culture, things that are indigenous to your culture, things that people in this market, who come to this market would expect to see and for people who live in this market are comfortable with. (Although) you cannot under federal guidelines give any preference to a local company, you can create a program that reflects the local culture and when you do that, you really open the avenue for more local companies to be participants.”

Bowens says the “local flavor” feature is new to San Diego, but not elsewhere. “That’s something that’s happening in airports across the country,” she says. “If you go to St. Louis for instance, you are going to see things that really reflect St. Louis. If you go to DFW ( Dallas/Fort Worth) you’re going to see Bar-B-Q, and the Texas wine country and so that’s what we’re trying in San Diego. If you noticed the concessions in the past, they have been mostly national brands and that was the trend 15-20 years ago.  And now the trend is really to create a sense of place. To a person just walking off the plane, he might say, ‘wow, I know I’m in San Diego because I see something that’s very San Diego related.’”

Financing

According to the Port Authority, the Green Build project will top out at $1.2 billion, which includes $865 million in direct construction costs and financing costs of about $145 million. Money from airport user fees, concessions, revenue bonds and grants from the Federal Aviation Administration are being used to finance the project.

Aside from the physical improvements at the airport, the Airport Authority works aggressively to bring more air carriers into Lindbergh Field. It currently has 18 passenger carriers, the largest being Southwest Airlines, (which carried 37 percent of the airport passenger volume in 2010), and four cargo carriers. “We work in collaboration with ConVis, the chamber, the Economic Development Corporation, the World Trade Center,” says Bowens. “We work very, very closely with the business community to develop those relationships with the airlines, to develop those relationships with the business traveler so that we can go to a particular airline and make a presentation that helps them to see the value of San Diego to their business. The actual decision by the airlines to come here is really a testament to this community because this community, despite how bad the economy is to us, it has not taken the same hit as a lot of other communities, so we’re seeing airlines come in here because the travelers are here.

“They know they can come in here, put their equipment here, and make a profit and that’s the only way they will continue to do that. And I always say if we get nonstop service to a market, it’s very important that people use it because it is a ‘use it or lose it’ proposition. If they can’t make money, they will pull out. They have no community loyalty. The loyalty is to the stockholder and to the bottom line.”

Terminal 1

A plan for the replacement of Terminal 1 will be a focus of the upcoming Airport Development Plan, which is the next phase of airport master planning. The planning process is slated to begin in early 2012, allowing two years for planning and two years for environmental documentation. Upon adoption of the state and federal environmental documents, work can begin.

No cost estimates are yet available. “It is way too early to have a sense of cost for something that has not been planned and designed,” said Steven Shultz, deputy director of public relations for the Airport Authority.

The Capacity Issue

Although Lindbergh Field is constrained by its location, its single runway and no viable relocation options (she calls it a dead issue), Bowens doesn’t dwell much on the issue of the airport running out of capacity. “I’m sure I’ll be retired (by then),” she says. “And I will sit back and watch the next group go through what we went through in 2003-2006 to look at all the solutions.  And with technology and changes in technology and changes in the demographics of the traveler, the advent of things like high-speed rail, it will change some of the decisions-making assumptions that you use when you do those kinds of studies. Right now, our job is really to make this work. Because the voters spoke about what they wanted: they didn’t want us to move the airport at that point.  And so, I don’t know what’s down the road.”

Economic Asset

“One of the things that I always like to talk about and I don’t think people really realize it is that the airport is a tremendous economic asset to the community,” Bowens says. “It is a major engine in terms of helping businesses to develop and having people come here. We’re a great tourist and convention market. But we also have great businesses here that depend on air travel and having the right air service and the right facilities to support that air service is just really, really critical in a city like San Diego. People who don’t regularly study this business don’t realize that the companies like Qualcomm and the universities and all the biotech and all those industries depend very heavily on not just air service, but great air service to the extent that we make it efficient. We save them time and therefore, we save them money. This airport is a critical asset; we don’t really dip into the tax funds of this community. We generate a lot of revenue for this community and the green build itself is generating at its peak about 1,000 jobs and the new concession program will generate lots of new jobs, lots of new opportunities. So everything that we do here is really a great support economically to the community.”

San Diego International Airport Quick Facts

Acres: 661; established: 1928

Total employees: 6,377

Passengers per day: 40,000-50,000; 53 percent leisure, 43 percent business

Daily arrivals and departures: 550

Nonstop destinations: 48

Passenger totals: 16.9 million in 2010

Gates: 41 gates for jet aircraft in Terminals 1 and 2; 4 gates for regional planes in Commuter Terminal

Airlines: 18 passenger carriers and 4 cargo carriers

Largest carrier: Southwest; 37 percent of passenger volume in 2010

2010 operations-air carrier: 79 percent; general aviation: 17.5 percent; cargo 3 percent; military: .5 percent

Economic impact: SDIA contributes some $10 billion annually to the region

Job creation: Approximately 115,000 jobs, or one of every 16 jobs in the region, are directly or indirectly related to operations at the airport

Airport Authority: 340 Authority employees;  $151 million operating budget for FY2012

Green Build

New gates: 10 at Terminal 2 West

Dual-level roadway at Terminal 2: arrivals and departures on separate curbs

Smart curb technology: travelers can check in for their flight even before entering the terminal

Aircraft parking: additional remain-over-night parking

New, expanded dining and shopping options

More and improved security checkpoints

Funded by user fees, airport revenue bonds, airport cash and FAA grants, not by local tax dollars

Cost: $1.2 billion—$865 million for the project; remainder in financing costs

Sustainability: Pursuing Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) silver certification. Sustainable design elements include: Decreased water usage; reduced energy consumption; use of alternative energy sources

Torrey Pines Bank, an affiliate of Western Alliance Bancorporation, announced an increase in revenues, net operating income, loans and deposits in fourth quarter 2011. The bank reports that net operating income reached $5.9 million in fourth quarter 2011, up $550,000 or 10.2 percent from third quarter 2011, and up $2,694 or 83 percent from the same period in 2010. The bank attributed the increase to its growth in business and real estate loans. In the fourth quarter of 2011, total revenue was $21.6 million, up from $20.7 million in the third quarter (or 4.4 percent) and up $3.3 million (or 17.8 percent) from the same time period in 2010. Pre-tax, pre-provision earnings were $10.5 million in the fourth quarter of 2011, down $190,000 from third quarter 2011 but up $2,270 or 27.4 percent from the same quarter in 2010.  Pre-tax, pre-credit return on average assets was at 2.26 percent, down slightly from 2.6 percent in third quarter 2011. Torrey Pines Bank’s loans grew to $1.3 billion, an increase of $255 million, or 24 percent, for 2011. Year-over-year deposits grew to $1.4 billion, an increase of $135million, or 10.5 percent , from fourth quarter 2010.

County Water Authority Works on Desalination Agreement

San Diego County Water Authority is finalizing an agreement for purchasing water from the Carlsbad Desalination Project. After negotiations are completed with Poseidon Resources, operator of the plant, the agreement will be taken to the Water Authority board for approval this summer. Ken Weinberg, director of water resources, said the final draft water purchase agreement for member agency and public review will be released this spring. Member agencies will have two months to review the agreement and decide whether they intend to purchase directly from the Water Authority a portion of the desalinated water supply from the Carlsbad project. The Water Authority expects water from the Carlsbad project will be available by 2016.

SANDAG Acquires Land for Preservation

SANDAG has acquired two pieces of land containing high-quality coastal scrub habitat and two breeding pairs of endangered California gnatcatcher. The property — two parcels adding up to 5.81-acres — is located next to the San Elijo Lagoon, east of Manchester Avenue between MacKinnon Road and Ocean Cove Drive, in the city of Encinitas. Two residential units had been proposed for development on the environmentally sensitive site owned by the Laser/Kramer Family Trusts. The cost of the acquisition was $1.5 million. Funds for the purchase came from the regional TransNet half-cent sales tax extended by voters in 2004.

Walgreens Store in Santee Sells for $8.7 Million

The Walgreens store at 10512 Mission Gorge Road in Santee has been sold for $8.7 million in cash to Santee CL, a limited liability company with Mabie & Mintz as a general partner. The property as sold by the original developer, Interra-Vision, LLC c/o Interra Development Partners LLC based in Chicago. The acquisition was part of an exchange from the buyer’s sale of the Colima Linda Apartments located at 7575 Linda Vista Road in San Diego. The 14,758-square-foot building was constructed in 2009. Cassidy Turley BRE Commercial’s Chris Rink represented the buyer in the transaction.

Better Business Bureau to Sponsor Student Ambassador Program

The San Diego Better Business Bureau is inviting high school juniors and seniors to participate in its 2012 Student Ambassador program, a volunteer speakers bureau where students deliver speeches to their peers on how to be smarter consumers and protect themselves from scams and fraud. Students who deliver the most speeches between March and May will be eligible to receive cash scholarships of $2,500, $1,500 or $1,000. The Student Ambassador program is open to any junior or senior who attends an accredited high school in San Diego or Imperial counties. Applications are available at bbb.org. Last year’s group of 16 student ambassadors from seven high schools in San Diego County delivered speeches to more than more than 2,942 high school students over a 13-week span during the 2011 spring semester. For more information, contact Andy Ramos at (858) 637-6199, Ext. 324.

The number of San Diego County homes going into foreclosure during the fourth quarter of 2011 dropped by 2.1 percent from the same period of 2010— from 4,917 to 4,813 Notices of Default (NODs), San Diego-based DataQuick reported. That also was a reduction from the 5,048 NODs recorded in the third quarter of 2011.

Trustee deeds recorded — or the actual loss of a home to foreclosure —totaled 2,433 in the fourth quarter of 2010 compared to 2,044 in the fourth quarter of 2011 — a drop of 16 percent.

Statewide:

The number of California homes going into foreclosure dropped in the fourth quarter of 2011 to the second-lowest level in more than four years. A total of 61,517 NODs were recorded at county recorders offices during the fourth quarter. That was down 13.7 percent from 71,275 for the prior three months, and down 11.9 percent from 69,799 in fourth-quarter 2010, DataQuick said.

“We are certainly seeing a lower level of foreclosure activity than a year or two ago,’ said John Walsh, DataQuick president. “The question is, how much of that decline is due to market conditions, and how much is due to policy changes that try to address economic distress and lower home values. Five years ago almost all mortgage payment delinquencies would have triggered a default notice after a certain amount of time. Strategies now include short sales, refinances, interest rate changes, principal reduction as well as just plain waiting longer. It will be interesting to see how this plays out as the economy improves and the housing market finds its footing.”

Bay Tour Operators Moving to New Facilities

Port tenants Flagship Cruises & Events and Hornblower Cruises and Events will be relocating to new facilities that will be constructed just south of Broadway Pier in Downtown San Diego — an effort to minimize conflicts with cruise ship operations. The moves also will allow improvements to be made as part of the first phase of the North Embarcadero Visionary Plan. The two bay tour operators expect construction on their new facilities will be completed in April. Flagship Cruises & Events, which operates at 1050 North Harbor Drive, between Broadway Pier and the B Street Pier, will be developing a new facility between the Navy Pier and Broadway Pier at 900 North Harbor Drive. Flagship will berth its ferries, bay tour, whale watching and public dining cruise vessels at the new location and berth its charter vessels at Fifth Avenue Landing, behind the San Diego Convention Center. Hornblower Cruises and Events, currently at 1066 North Harbor Drive, will be building new facilities. A gangway and dock will be built along the first 400 feet of Navy Pier, located at 910 North Harbor Drive, to service bay tours, whale watching and public dining cruises. Hornblower is adding about 6,000 square feet of floating docks adjacent to the Grape Street Pier 3, located off of the foot of Grape Street and North Harbor Drive. Hornblower will use this location for charter cruises, overnight berthing, and provisioning of its vessels.

Procopio Awards Native American Law Internship

Jaclyn Simi, a graduate of Notre Dame de Namur University who is completing a law degree at California Western Law School, has been chosen to receive the 2012 Native American Law Educational Internship by Procopio, Cory, Hargreaves & Savitch. Procopio is working with California Western School of Law’s Clinical Internship Program to provide Simi experience with everyday legal issues facing the Native American community. She assists with specific Indian law related legal practice matters and other legal problems. She will conduct legal research on various Native American matters and pro bono matters affecting Indian country, while gaining experience working in a law firm. She is a member of the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma.

Scripps Research Institute Names Scientific Affairs VP

Professor Peter K. Vogt has been named senior vice president for scientific affairs for the Scripps Research Institute. During his career, Vogt has focused on virology, genetics, cell biology, and cancer. His work has been recognized by a number of awards, including election to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, Institute of Medicine and the National Academies of Sciences. Before arriving at Scripps Research in 1993, he held positions  at the University of Colorado Medical School, the University of Washington School of Medicine and the University of Southern California School of Medicine.

City News Service

The City Council created a special district to finance the proposed $520 million expansion of the San Diego Convention Center but labor leaders promised to fight the project. The council’s 6-2 vote clears the way for owners of hotel properties to vote on whether to implement a surcharge to room rates, on a sliding scale based on relative proximity to Downtown. The mail-in balloting is due to be completed in April. If the hotel owners approve the levy, it would generate $35.7 million annually that could be put toward construction bonds. The Port of San Diego will kick in $3 million annually, and the city will provide $3.5 million — derived from an increase in its own room tax income after the expansion is completed.

City officials promised to bring a final financing plan to the City Council next month. Mayor Jerry Sanders said he hoped to break ground by the end of this year on the project, which will bring the total floor space of the Convention Center to more than 2.75 million square feet. “This expansion will pump nearly $700 million into our economy, produce 7,000 permanent jobs and 4,000 construction jobs — and generate millions of dollars in neighborhood services like police, fire, parks and libraries,” Sanders said. Union leaders and representatives of labor-affiliated community groups expressed opposition to the expansion because it won’t generate quality jobs. Lorena Gonzalez, secretary-treasurer of the San Diego and Imperial Counties Labor Council, protested that the city was going to subsidize powerful Downtown hoteliers without holding discussions on the types of jobs that would be created. “We will continue to fight this expansion because it is bad for San Diegans and bad for workers,” Gonzalez said.

San Diego Leads All California Cities in Solar Installations

San Diego leads all California cities in the number of solar roofs installed on residential, commercial and government buildings, according to a report by the Environment California Research & Policy Center. The center put the number of solar installations at 4,500 and said San Diego also leads the state in the total amount of electricity generated by these systems — measured in solar capacity — with nearly 37 megawatts installed. “San Diego is America’s solar city,” said Michelle Kinman, clean energy advocate with Environment California Research & Policy Center and co-author of the report, “California’s Solar Cities 2012: Leaders in the Race Toward a Clean Energy Future.” “Thousands of solar roofs are helping turn San Diego’s famous sunshine into clean air and local jobs. With the right leadership, San Diego can continue to lead the nation in transitioning to a clean energy future,” said Kinman.

The report was announced at a press conference on Tuesday attended by center officials, Mayor Jerry Sanders, clean energy advocates and solar business representatives. “San Diego didn’t become the state’s No. 1 solar city by happenstance; it was the result of local policies and programs that encourage investment in solar power,” said Sanders.

In the past two years, San Diego has doubled the amount of rooftop solar power installed, the report said. From 1999 through 2009, San Diego installed just over 2,000 solar rooftop systems totaling over 19 megawatts.

The conference was held at Point Loma Nazarene University, which has a solar voltaic system installed by SPG Solar on six rooftops and five solar carports. Officials said the system will provide the university a savings of $1.5 million over the next 20 years and will power nearly 50 percent of the campus energy demands during peak periods.

“It’s been almost 30 years since Kyocera sold its first solar module in San Diego, and we now have regional production capacity approaching 200 megawatts annually,” said John Rigby, president of Kyocera International Inc., which supplied the PV panels for Point Loma Nazarene University through Kyocera Solar Inc., its subsidiary. “Kyocera’s 200 megawatt production capacity is enough to supply solar electric systems for about 50,000 homes each year, and yet the industry itself is still very young. We foresee unprecedented growth, especially for solar installers, as California pursues its goal to have12 gigawatts of solar generation statewide over the next decade.”

California’s Top 10 Solar Cities by Generation Capacity and by Number of Installations

Cassidy Turley Selected to Manage 700,000-Square-Foot Portfolio

Cassidy Turley BRE Commercial has been selected by Newport National Corporation to manage its 700,000-square-foot office portfolio in North County. Newport National’s portfolio is comprised of nine buildings in five projects: The Campus, Ventana Real, Civic View Corporate Centre, Emerald Lake Corporate Centre and Nordahl Medical Centre. With the addition of Newport National properties, Cassidy Turley will manage more than 2.4 million square feet of property in San Diego County, said Paul Klink, managing director of the company.

Best Best & Krieger Names 2 New Partners

Best Best & Krieger has promoted two San Diego-based attorneys — Tyree Dorward and Matthew Green — to of counsel positions in the firm. Dorward is a member of the firm’s school law, special districts and municipal law practice groups. He received his law degree from the University of San Diego School of Law. Green’s practice focuses on civil litigation where he represents both public entities and private clients in state and federal court. He received his law degree from California Western School of Law.

Healthcare Hero Awards Nominations Solicited

The Grossmont Healthcare District is seeking nominations for its 2012 Healthcare Hero Awards, the annual awards program that honors East County residents whose volunteer efforts help advance the delivery of quality health care in the East County. Nomination forms are available at grossmonthealthcare.org. Deadline for submission of entries is 3 p.m. on Feb. 27 at the GHD offices, 9001 Wakarusa St., La Mesa. Nominees can include front-line volunteer caregivers, including volunteers at community clinics, junior volunteers, auxiliary members, health care educators and pastoral care providers as well as members of service clubs, community groups and advocacy or policy organizations. For more information, call the GHD offices at (619) 825-5050. GHD will present its sixth annual Healthcare Hero Awards at a luncheon to be held on May 16 at Sycuan Resort in El Cajon.

Dalai Lama to Visit San Diego in April

The Dalai Lama, spiritual leader of Tibet, will make his first trip to San Diego on April 18 and 19 for public events at San Diego State, UCSD and University of San Diego.The Compassion Without Borders symposium will include three major public events:

• April 18, UCSD: Panel Discussion: The Global Impact of Climate Change: Balance through Universal Responsibility, Compassion and Human Consciousness.

• April 18, USD: Public Talk: Cultivating Peace and Justice.

• April 19, SDSU: Public Talk: Upholding Universal Ethics and Compassion in Challenging Times.

For more, visit dalailamasandiego.org.