New Civic Center Proposal to Go on November Ballot
The San Diego City Council has approved Mayor Sanders’ proposal to put the redevelopment of San Diego’s Civic Center on the November ballot. If approved by voters, said Sanders, San Diego taxpayers would reap a savings of $24 million over 10 years and $232 million over 50 years should the city redevelop the Civic Center instead of continuing to lease expensive offsite office space and making costly band-aid repairs to the existing facility. “This is a business decision. I can’t justify throwing away millions of dollars on rent, as well as on repairs to a building on its last legs, when there is a less expensive alternative,” said the mayor. “The savings we achieve will be used for police, fire, parks, branch libraries and street resurfacing.”
Gerding-Edlen Development, which won a competition for the job, would construct a 19-story building immediately next to City Hall where Golden Hall currently stands if the ballot measure is approved by voters. The new facility would allow the city to consolidate city employees who work Downtown into one building, negating the need for the city to continue paying $13 million a year for leased office space and making necessary fixes to the Civic Center, projected to cost $37 million over the next 10 years. Officials said the project would create 2,300 construction jobs.
Researchers to Test New Therapy for Sickle Cell Disease
Researchers from the La Jolla Institute for Allergy & Immunology have joined with the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston and Washington University in St. Louis to investigate a potential new therapy for sickle cell disease, a severe and chronic illness affecting more than 70,000 Americans and several million people worldwide. They will test a drug called Lexiscan, approved by the Food and Drug Administration, in a clinical trial. “We will be testing the ability of Lexiscan to reduce inflammation that contributes to the poor blood flow and serious complications characteristic of sickle cell disease,” said the La Jolla Institute’s Joel Linden. “We are hopeful that this therapy will prove important in improving and extending the lives of sickle cell patients.” The trial, to be conducted at sites in Boston and St. Louis, is being funded primarily by a $1.2 million, two-year American Recovery and Reinvestment Act stimulus grant from the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, part of the National Institutes of Health. Linden and David G. Nathan, president emeritus of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, are co-investigators leading the project.
Westfield America Purchased Former Mervyn’s Building
Westfield America LP has purchased the former Mervyn’s building at 565 Fletcher Parkway in El Cajon for an undisclosed price. The 85,758-square-foot, two-story building is part of Westfield’s Parkway Plaza regional mall. The seller, DDR MDT MV El Cajon, LP, was represented by Nick Alford and Pete Bethea of Cushman & Wakefield. The buyer represented itself.
Black Journalists Set 35th Annual Convention on July 28
The National Association of Black Journalists will hold its 35th annual Convention and Career Fair July 28-Aug. 1 at the Manchester Grand Hyatt San Diego that will feature talks by Dr. Mehmet Oz, host of “The Dr. Oz Show,” Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele, U.S. Surgeon General Regina Benjamin and a number of entertainment celebrities. The association will introduce the Healthy NABJ Pavilion, sponsored by the Army, featuring health-related workshops, screenings by the American Heart Association and the Black AIDS Institute. Actress Regina King will launch the Black AIDS Institute’s “Test One Million” campaign to remove the stigma of African-Americans getting tested for HIV/AIDS.
World Trade Center Adds Marketing and Programs Manager
Marcia Bradley
Marcia Bradley has joined World Trade Center San Diego as its new marketing and programs manager. Bradley has marketing and event management experience from previous positions with British Airways, Ericsson Wireless Communications and TBA Global Events.
Electric Bicycle Co. Names IT Director and Promotes Within
Electric Bicycle Co. in Vista has hired Travis Vance for the new position of director of information technology and has made a number of promotions within the company. Vance has more than 15 years of experience in the IT and operations industry.
Justin Manthe has been named director of sales after serving more than 10 years as national sales manager. Rudi Monigold was named national sales manager. John Auble was named international account manager and will continue as a senior inside U.S. sales representative. Robin Vallaire was promoted to creative director from her previous position as associate creative director.
QualityFirst Real Estate Hires Realtor
Lisa Plourde
QualityFirst Real Estate has added Realtor Lisa Plourde to its sales and marketing team. Plourde has more than 10 years of experience in the residential real estate field. She is a Certified Luxury Marketing Specialist and Certified Relocation Specialist. Plourde is a graduate of the University of Richmond.
Barona’s Linda Devine Wins National Honor
Linda Devine, senior vice president of marketing of Barona Resort & Casino, has been honored with the Great Women of Gaming award from Casino Enterprise Management
Linda Devine
magazine. She is one of 11 female casino executives from across the nation selected for outstanding professionalism, perseverance, drive, commitment and mentorship within the gaming industry and featured in the publication’s July issue. Devine first joined Barona Resort & Casino in 1994 as the director of marketing. She has more than 20 years in the marketing and advertising industry. At Barona, she oversees marketing strategy, advertising, marketing services, interactive marketing, public relations, charitable giving and digital marketing. Prior to joining Barona, Devine worked at several advertising and marketing agencies including O’Shaughnessy-Parr, Kenneth C. Smith Advertising, Roni Hicks & Associates, and was the marketing director for Grossmont Center. She received her bachelor of arts degree in journalism with a minor in marketing from San Diego State University.
Fitness 19 to Open Carlsbad Gym in December
Fitness 19 will open its first San Diego County location in Mission Marketplace at 439 College Blvd. in Oceanside. The company signed a 10-year, $1,297,899 lease for 11,677 square feet of retail space in the center. The Washington-based fitness club with locations in 27 states, plans to open its Mission Marketplace location in December. Mission Marketplace is located at the Northwest corner of College Boulevard and Highway 76. The retail center includes national retail tenants such as Big K-Mart, Ultra Star Cinema, Henry’s, Rite Aid and Big Lots. The lessor, Frank Mission Marketplace LLC, was represented by John Jennings and Kam Walton of Cushman & Wakefield. The lessee was represented by Thomas Graves of Rainier Commercial.
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