Daily Business Report — July 2, 2010

Best Best & Krieger Adds Special Districts Attorney

Adriana R. Sanchez has joined Best Best & Krieger LLP as an attorney in its special districts practice, which represents school, water and fire protection districts and transportation agencies throughout California. Sanchez, a San Diego native who graduated from USD School of Law in 2007, will be a third-year litigation associate at the firm and work on cases involving special districts, and eminent domain and environmental law. While a student, Sanchez interned at law firms in London and Barcelona. Fluent in both Spanish and Italian, Sanchez clerked for the Casa Cornelia Law Center in San Diego where she worked with immigrant victims of domestic violence and other abuse victims. She is a member of the San Diego La Raza Lawyers Association, the American Bar Association, the California Bar Association, the San Diego County Bar Association and The Lawyers Club of San Diego.

Baker & McKenzie Elects Colin Murray as Managing Partner

Colin H. Murray has been elected managing partner of Baker & McKenzie’s San Diego law office. Murray will continue as chair of the North America Investigations and Business Crimes group. He joined the law firm in 2000 after serving as a trial prosecutor in the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office. Murray is a member of the American Inns of Court, the Federal Bar Association and the San Diego County Bar Association.

He serves on the board of the Association of Business Trial Lawyers and was president and a director of the San Diego County Bar Foundation.

Jonathan Sebat Selected as Chief of Beyster Center at UCSD

Geneticist Jonathan Sebat has been named the first chief of the Beyster Center for Molecular Genomics of Neuropsychiatric Diseases at UCSD. Sebat’s research focus is on psychiatric disorders such as autism and schizophrenia. The Beyster Center was initiated with a gift from Betty and J. Robert Beyster. Sebat was previously on the faculty at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, where he was a founding member of the Stanley Center for Psychiatric Genomics. While there, he led landmark studies linking variations in the genetic code, specifically in the number of gene copies within the genome, to mental illness. The Beyster Center will coordinate with the Institute for Genomic Medicine, a research unit that joins faculty in basic science, disease biology, pharmacology, engineering, clinical research, and computer science to conduct collaborative research in genetics and genomic medicine.

Environmental Science Associates Names Regional Director

Bobbette Biddulph has joined Environmental Science Associates as vice president and Southern California regional director. She replaces Eric Ruby, who has been appointed chief operating officer of the company. Biddulph, who is based in the firm’s San Diego office, has more than 18 years of experience in environmental planning.

She has managed projects throughout  California for clients and agencies, including the California Department of Parks and Recreation, California Department of Toxic Substance Control, Caltrans, County of Los Angeles Parks and Recreation Division, the cities of San Diego, Escondido, Encinitas, Del Mar and the counties of Riverside, Tuolumne and San Diego.

Kirk Cypel Appointed CEO of Equastone

Kirk Cypel has been appointed CEO of Equastone, responsible for all aspects of the company’s operations. Cypel has more than 25 years of experience in real estate, legal, finance and management. He joined Equastone as general counsel in 2006. Prior to that, he held top operational and legal positions with a private equity firm, was a vice president and group manager of Security Pacific Merchant Bank’s Financial Strategies Division and served as an associate at O’Melveny & Myers. Cypel earned his J.D. at Loyola Law School Los Angeles and his undergraduate degree at New York University’s Stern School of Business.

Port to Present Bridge Lighting Project Finalists

The Port of San Diego will hold an open house on July 6 to present the video concepts from three artist-led teams that are finalists in a project to illuminate the San Diego-Coronado Bay Bridge with artistic lighting. The workshop will be from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the former Housing Commission building at 1625 Newton Ave., Suite C, in San Diego. The three teams selected as finalists are the Bideau Company of Ballan-Mire, France; the Peter Fink team of London, United Kingdom; and the Ned Kahn/Patrick McInerney Associates /ARUP of California.

The preliminary cost estimate of the project is between $4 million and $5 million, which may be obtained through private sources, grants and fund raising.  Once funding is secured, a feasibility study on the project will be conducted.

Enrollment Opens for Landscape Architecture Degree Program

Enrollment is now open for the inaugural quarter of the Master of Landscape Architecture program at the NewSchool of Architecture and Design in San Diego. It is a three-year program that begins this fall. The program emphasizes contemporary issues such as urban sprawl, demands for clean water and healthy food, and coastal development. San Diego native Leslie Ryan directs the program. “Urban issues are like fingers and threads rippling all the way back to the natural environment,” said Ryan. “I am keen to have students get their heads out of books and learn the pragmatics of design and how to see things that will affect change.”

While most students who apply for the Master of Landscape Architecture program will not have backgrounds in landscape architecture or related fields, they will still be eligible to enter the program, according to Ryan. However, those who do have work experience in landscape architecture will gain advanced standing in the program. For more information and application guidelines, call (800) 490-7081 or visit newschoolarch.edu.

NEW LEASES

Heart Check America has signed a 120-month, $1,347,153 lease for 3,362 square feet of office space at University Pacific Center at 8899 University Center Lane, Suite 100, in University Town Center. University Pacific Center is a 96,670-square-foot, Class A office building. Brunson Howard of Cushman & Wakefield represented the lessor, GEM University Pacific LLC. The lessee’s representation was not disclosed.

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Pacific Communications Inc. and Maxwell Technologies have leased space in the 57,553-square-foot Collins Business Park at 3912 Calle Fortunada in San Diego. Pacific Communications’ lease was for 20,880 square feet for 72 months, valued at $1.6 million. The lease for Maxwell Technologies was for 36,673 square feet for 84 months with a value of $5 million. Randy LaChance and Glen Volk of Voit Real Estate Services represented the landlord, Calle Fortunada Investment Group LLC in both transactions, and Pacific Communications. Tom Martinez and Steve Holland of CB Richard Ellis represented Maxwell Technologies.

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