Daily Business Report, Sept. 15, 2009
O’Halloran is Pro Bono Attorney of the Year
Attorney Michael T. O’Halloran has been named Pro Bono Attorney of the Year by the San Diego Volunteer Lawyer Program while the law firm of Cooley Godward Kronish was named Pro Bono Law Firm of the Year. The awards will be presented Thursday (Sept. 17) at The Westin Gaslamp Quarter in Downtown San Diego. The SDVLP is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to provide free legal services in civil matters to indigent individuals, families and groups. In his 15 years as a pro bono attorney, O’Halloran, a bankruptcy attorney with offices in Downtown San Diego, has contributed more than 1,000 hours of service for the HIV/AIDS Legal Services Project, Veterans Stand Down and the Women’s Resource Fair. O’Halloran also has provided pro bono legal counselsing for victions of the San Diego wildfires and has conducted training classes for other pro bono attorneys on the basics of bankruptcy law. O’Halloran is a member of the San Diego Bankruptcy Forum, William L. Todd American Inn of Court, American Bankruptcy Institute, the National Association of Bankruptcy Trustees and the State Bar of California and San Diego County Bar Associations.
SD County Bar Foundation elects 3 new board members
The San Diego County Bar Foundation has elected Stephen LaSala, John Adler and Allen Snyder to its board of directors. LaSala, a partner in the corporate practice group at Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton, specializes in general corporate law, securities and corporate finance, with an emphasis on mergers and acquisitions and capital raising transactions. Adler, a shareholder at Littler Mendelson, is an employment litigator. He practice encompasses the representation of numerous employers, including Fortune 500 companies and major public employers. Snyder is a professor of law at the University of San Diego School of Law. Most of his teaching is in the legal clinics, including the areas of negotiations, interviewing and counseling, trial practice and live-client clinics.
Best Best & Krieger adds a partner
Attorney John Hershberger has joined Best Best & Krieger as partner in its San Diego law office. He joins the firm’s real estate and litigation practice group. Hershberger previousy was senior v.p., chief claims counsel for Fidelity National Financial in Jacksonville, Fla. Prior to Fidelity, he practiced 15 years in San Diego and was a partner/shareholder at Seltzer Caplan McMahon Vitek.
Industrial condominiums sold in Otay Mesa
Two Otay Mesa industrial condominiums totaling 23,482 square feet have been sold for $2.3 million. They are located at 7577 Airway Road, Suites G and H. The buyer, Francisco Gutierrez Mercado, was represented by Rollin A. Sutton and Eduardo Colon Marin of Rollin A. Sutton Real Estate. The seller, Britannia Crossings LLC, was represented by Charles Adolphe and Bryan Teel of Cushman & Wakefield. The condominiums are located in Britannia Crossings, a 150,000-square-foot industrial park. They were constructed in 2005. The buyer plans to use the building for a distribution center.
Voit directs 3 real estate transactions
Voit Real Estate Services’ commercial brokerage division has directed three transactions in San Diego for a total consideration of $3.7 million.
• The Church Iglesia Del Dios Vivo Columna has acquired a 15,745-square-foot industrial property for $1.3 million. The property is comprised of two buildings and three parcels of land and is located at 1802 to 1816 Logan Ave. The buyer intends to use the property as a youth center. Rex Huffman of Voit represented both parties in the transaction. The buyer was Iglesia Del Dios Vivo Columna and the sellers were Jesse and Brenda Dean.
• Arizona Tile, a tile and stone retailer, has signed a three-year lease renewal on a 50,475-square-foot industrial property for $1.2 million. The property is located at 7415 Carroll Road in San Diego. Randall LaChance, Glen Volk and Todd Holley of Voit represented the lessor, H.G. Fenton. Reggie Beavan of Pacific Real Estate Group represented the lessee.
• The Directv Group has signed a 64-month lease on a 24,776-square-foot industrial property for $1.2 million. The property is a free-standing building located in the Miramar industrial market at 7518 Carroll Road in San Diego. Todd Holley, Randall LaChance and Glen Volk of Voit represented the lessor, H.G Fenton. Eric Northbrook and Sean Williams of Cushman & Wakefield represented the lessee, The Directv Group.
Port activates photovoltaic solar system
The Unified Port of San Diego will activate the recently installed photovoltaic solar system located at its administration building. Project design and installation was handled by local contractor, Sullivan Solar Power. The $210,000 project was financed completely by the Port’s environmental fund. The PV system is projected to generate roughly 42,317 kilowatt-hours per year, or enough energy to power about 2,100 homes for one day. The PV system will generate clean energy for over 25 years.
The Port is holding a ribbon-cutting ceremony to turn the system live on Wednesday (Sept.) 16 at 10 a.m. on the roof of the administration building’s annex. The event will include remarks from Charlie Wurster, the Port’s president/CEO; Port Commission Chairman Stephen Cushman; David Merk, director of the Port’s Environmental Services Department; Dan Sullivan, founder and CEO of Sullivan Solar Power; and Irene Stillings, executive director of the California Center for Sustainable Energy. CCSE will award the Port a rebate check from the California Solar Initiative for $55,609.
Registration opens for ‘Walk a Mile in Her Shoes’
To bring awareness to domestic violence in our community, men (and women) will walk in high-heeled shoes at the second annual “Walk a Mile in Her Shoes” event organized by the YWCA of San Diego County. The one-mile walk will be held Oct. 15 from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. in Downtown San Diego. The symbolic Walk a Mile fundraiser is a family-friendly event that calls light-hearted attention to the serious subject of domestic violence and builds awareness of its impact on the community. One-hundred percent of the proceeds go to support the YWCA’s Becky’s House domestic violence programs. The YWCA’s Walk a Mile fundraiser is part of October’s National Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and is one of many that take place across the United States. Many of the participants walk in high heel shoes through Downtown San Diego, but these are not required of the participants. The one-mile walks ends at a celebratory post-walk reception. Registration is currently under way for individuals as well as teams from companies and community groups large and small. Children and school groups are welcome. To register as an individual or a team, visit www.ywcasandiego.org.
Charter schools group names San Diego-based leaders
The California Charter Schools Association has appointed three San Diego-based senior vice presidents as part of its new leadership team to guide the organization. Maria Heredia is senior v.p. for legal advocacy and general council. She was a partner at Luce Forward LLP, a principal at California Counsel Group and general counsel for the High Tech High schools. In each capacity, she has provided legal counsel to various for-profit and no-profit entities with a focus on charter school law. Peri Lynn Turnbull, senior v.p. for communications, is responsible for leading the association’s communications strategy. Previously, Turnbull served as the chief information officer of the Fresno Unified School District and director of communications for the San Diego Unified School District. Kerry Flanagan, chief of staff, advises the CEO and facilitates communication and collaboration between various departments of the association. Flanagan previously served as chief of staff for the San Diego Unified School District and worked as an educational consultant for various education organizations within California and nationally. Over the summer, the association’s Member Council, consisting of charter school leaders from across California, unanimously adopted a comprehensive proposal to establish and enforce rigorous minimum
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