San Diego Scene 8.2010

Authentic Latin folk art and Mexican pottery will be found in abundance during the 11th annual Latin American Festival and Mata Ortiz Pottery Market Aug. 6-8 at the Bazaar del Mundo shops in Old Town. The event will include the most extensive collection of genuine folk art, traditional clothing and textiles, collectibles and jewelry.
Among the attraftions will be an array of live demonstrations, continuous entertainment and plentiful Mexican cuisine. Hours are from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday.
The Bazaar del Mundo parking lot at the entrance to Old Town on the corner of Juan and Taylor Streets will be transformed into a marketplace overflowing with artisans from all over Latin America. It will include the
largest collection of authentic Mata Ortiz pottery, a centuries-old art form renowned for its intricate process and hand-painted geometric and ancestral symbols. Other Latin American folk artists will showcase their talents and techniques, including such handcrafted intricacies as San Antonino embroidery, Oaxacan wooden animal carving, Guatemalan weaving, various colorful and symbolic wall art and sculptures and Huichol artists using glass beads to create elaborate jewelry.
For more information, call (619) 296-3161 or visit bazaardelmundo.com.

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The College of Business Administration (CoBA) at Cal State San Marcos will hold its inaugural CoBA Wine, Food and Brew Festival Aug. 14 from 4 to 7 p.m. on the Markstein Hall Plaza, 333 S. Twin Oaks Valley Road, on campus. The fundraiser is for people 21 and over. Tickets are $52.24 general admission and $36,87 for alumni. Proceeds will benefit student scholarships. For tickets and information, visit cobawinefestival.com.

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Cindy McKim, director of the California Department of Transportation, will be the guest of honor at a welcoming reception Aug. 3 hosted by the Otay Mesa Chamber of Commerce, the South County EDC and the Advancing Women in Transportation (WTS) group. It will be from 4 to 6 p.m. at Buster’s Beach House Restaurant, 740 Bay Marina Drive, in National City. McKim was appointed director of Caltrans in May. Her agency is responsible for the maintenance and operations of more than 50,000 lane miles of roadway in the state highway system, a budget of more than $13.8 billion and more than 22,000 employees. Admission to the reception is $10 form members of the hosting groups and $25 for all others. For more information, call the South County EDC at (619) 424-5143.

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Joel Valenzuela, a 15-year employee of the Port of San Diego, has been named director of maritime industry and trade relations of the port, a position that has been vacant for nearly a year.Valenzuela will direct the operations, maintenance and development of the port’s maritime facilities and infrastructure, including cargo and cruise terminals, public piers, wharves and docks. Port officials said the position was filled because it is considered critical to port operations, even though the port has imposed a hiring freeze because of budget constraints. Port officials said Valenzuela was instrumental in securing major customer accounts including windmill components, steel and yacht imports. Valenzuela is a certified Professional Port Manager, completing training through the American Association of Port Authorities. He served as a project analyst in the port’s executive offices. Valenzuela holds a master’s degree in business administration and a master’s degree in public administration from San Diego State. He also holds an undergraduate degree in management science and economics from UCSD.

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Gail Jensen‑Bigknife, executive vice president and chief credit officer with Security Business Bank, has been named board chairman of the 32-member San Diego Better Business Bureau for 2010-2011. Jensen-Bigknife joined the BBB board of directors in 2002, the same year she helped found Security Business Bank. She has more than 30 years of experience in the local banking industry. Jensen-Bigknife was a vice president of US Bank, formerly Peninsula Bank of San Diego. She also spent five years with California First Bank, now Union Bank of California, and 16 years with San Diego National Bank. She helped found San Diego National Bank, now a part of US Bank. Jensen-Bigknife earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology and business from San Diego State. A native of Bancroft, Iowa, she is married to Sam Bigknife, a Shawnee Native American.

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The South County Economic Development Council (SCEDC) will hold its 20th annual Economic Summit on Sept. 17 from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the San Diego Convention Center. The event normally attracts more than 400 business and community leaders and public officials. Sponsors are the Corky McMillin Cos., Parsons Brinckerhoff, SouthBay Expressway, Union Bank of California, DEITAC, Vibra Bank, J. Simms Agency, San Ysidro Health Center and Sycuan Band of the Kumeeyay Nation. For reservations, call the SCEDC at (619) 424-5143. Sponsorship forms can be downloaded at southcountyedc.com.

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Margo L. Lewis, a partner in the San Diego law firm of Moore, Lewis, Schulman & Moore since 2000, has been appointed to the San Diego County Superior Court bench by Gov. Schwarzenegger. Lewis previously was an attorney and partner for Lewis & Schulman from 1997 to 2000. She served the San Diego Community College District as an adjunct faculty member for the Legal Assistant Program in Family Law in 1995. Lewis was a sole practitioner from 1995 to 1997 and a partner at Galam, Lewis & Pope from 1994 to 1995 and Galam, Hurt, Lewis & Pope from 1993 to 1994. Lewis earned her law degree from California Western School of Law and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Iowa. She fills the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge John L. Davison. Lewis is a Republican.

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Hispanic Business Showcase Scheduled for Sept. 11-12. Representatives from the U.S. Small Business Administration, ACCION San Diego and CDC Small Business Finance will be among speakers at the 2010 Hispanic Business Showcase Sept. 11-12 at the San Diego Convention Center. The event is produced by the Hispanic Chamber of E-Commerce. Fernando Espuelas, the founder of StarMedia, is the keynote speaker. The Showcase also will feature business thought leaders speaking at “Learning Tracks” business seminars. Mirna Bard encourages business owners to forget the hype in “Get Started on Social Media Right Away”; Antonio de la Cerda exhibits his technology expertise on “Basic IT Concepts for Small Business”; Juan Chaparro illustrates how to “Set Up An Online Store”; and Miriam Muley talks on “The Power of Women and Women of Color for Exponential Growth.” Richie Matthews will join Lucia Matthews to highlight their successes in “Reaching and Activating Hispanic Consumers Using Dialogue not Monologue.” Mari Smith will share her thoughts in “Facebook Marketing an Hour a Day.” A complete list of speakers can be found at hbshowcase.com/seminars. The conference registration price is free and seminar passes are available for $75. The event also will feature a Hispanic Business & Technology Expo. The conference registration price is free and seminar passes are available for $75. The Showcase floor will have demonstrations of the latest tools, technologies, products, and services being used to build and market an online business.

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Native American culture will be on display at the 40th annual Barona Powwow Sept. 3-5, an event sponsored by the Barona Band of Mission Indians. It will be held  from 6 to 11 p.m. on Sept. 3 and from 1 to 11 p.m. on Sept. 4-5. Native Americans from across the U.S. will demonstrate traditional tribal dances, singing and music and there will be a hand drum contest, Native American cuisine and handcrafted arts and jewelry. Festivities will be at the Barona Baseball Field, 1095 Barona Road, Lakeside, a mile north of the Barona Resort & Casino on the Barona Indian Reservation. Admission and parking are freee. For more information, call 619-443-6612 or visit barona-nsn.gov.

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Silent Movie Night in Balboa Park on Aug. 23 will pair world-class organist Dennis James with the screening of “The Yankee Clipper” starring William Boyd at the Spreckels Organ Pavilion. The 7:30 p.m. program, sponsored by the Spreckels Organ Society, begins with James playing his favorite pieces and leads into his accompaniement to the silent movie. James tours worldwide under the auspices of his Silent Film Concerts production company. His appearance is part of the 2010 Summer International Organ Festival. Other festival programs will feature James David Christie on Aug. 9 and Keenan Boswell and Nicole Cochran on Aug. 16. The festival will close on Aug. 30 with Jazz Night featuring San Diego Civic Organist Carol Williams and special guests Dave Scott and friends.

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Third Eye Blind

Performances by Third Eye Blind and Get Back Loretta will be featured at The New Children’s Museum’s third annual gala — “Party Animals!” The fundraiser also will have cuisine from San Diego culinary artists and a variety of activities. The evening’s program begins at 5:30 p.m. Grammy nominated Third Eye Blind will play a full concert set under the stars on Island Avenue beginning at 8:45 p.m. Originally formed in the early 1990s in San Francisco and best known for their singles “Semi-Charmed Life” and “How’s It Going to Be,” the alternative rock band is led by Stephan Jenkins on vocals and guitar, and Brad Hargreaves on drums and percussion.

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Rear Adm. Ronne Froman (USN ret.) has joined Monarch School as interim vice president of development, one of a long list of positions she has held over the past several years. “Ronne previously served on Monarch’s board of directors so we are extremely fortunate to have her assisting us in the search for the new vice president of development and our fundraising efforts,” said Sarita Fuentes, principal and CEO of Monarch. Froman has been chief operating officer for the city of San Diego, CEO of Red Cross of San Diego and Imperial Counties, chief of business at San Diego Unified School District, vice president for energy at General Atomics and “Navy Mayor” of San Diego. Monarch School serves San Diego’s homeless and at- risk students in grades K-12. About 150 students attend classes and extracurricular activities at its Downtown location at 808 West Cedar St. “As the homeless population grows, the need for a much larger building with recreation areas is critical,” said Fuentes. About 45 percent of the school’s operating costs are funded by the San Diego County Office of Education, the remainder by the Monarch School Project, a nonprofit organization.

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A Business Networking Showcase, an expo-like event that promotes the professional business networking industry in San Diego, will be held Sept. 9 at the Mission Valley Resort, 875 Hotel Circle South, in Mission Valley. It is sponsored by the San Diego Networking Guide published by Mindy Selinger. The San Diego Networking Guide is an online newsletter and networking event calendar. “The most common question that comes in to the San Diego Networking Guide is, ‘What’s the best networking group to join?’” says Selinger.  “That question is impossible to answer because there are so many different types of groups. The Networking Showcase is a physical extension of the networking event calendar that I have compiled over the years.” The Showcase will run from 4 to 8 p.m. For additional information, call Selinger at (760) 788-9524.

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San Diego County Credit Union (SDCCU) has launched a free service that allows customers to access their accounts anytime with the use of a mobile phone, iPhone, iPod, tourch of iPad. It’s called “On the Go Branch Mobile Banking.” Customers can check balances, view transaction history, transfer funds between accounts and pay bills. “We have designed our services to make life easier for our customers who want to check their balances and recent transactions anytime, day or night,” said Tum Vongsawad, interim president and CEO.

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Concierge Auctions on Aug. 12 will conduct a live, on-site real estate auction of an estate at 755 F Ave. in Coronado, which was originally listed for $2,899,000. The sale, which begins at 2 p.m., is in cooperation with Ashlee Nicolls of Park Life Real Estate. The property will be sold to the highest bidder, regardless of price. “The sellers are taking a risk by selling absolute and allowing the market to determine the price,” said Nicolls, adding that a 2.5 percent buyer’s broker commission is being offered.
The 2,700-square-foot family home has three bedrooms, three baths, a large kitchen with long bar and adjoining dining room. The living room has a red brick and dark wood fireplace and a staircase of wrought-iron railings. Outside, the porch overlooks a landscaped yard and a 900-square-foot studio with a full bath and kitchenette. There is also a custom-built outdoor oven and stove.
Attendance will be limited to registered bidders and their representatives. The property is available for preview daily from 1 to 4 p.m. and by appointment. For more information visit CoronadoLuxuryAuction.com or call (866) 605-7286.

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Police station and parking structure

A $17.8 million parking structure and police station will be built at San Diego Miramar College as part of the San Diego Community College District’s Propositions S and N program. The police station is on track to obtain a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Platinum Certification by the United States Green Building Council — the highest possible certification. This will be the first Platinum-certified project for an educational institution in San Diego County. Groundbreaking for the construction took place last month. The police station will include a reception area, a conference room, office areas and a secure suspect processing area. The three-story parking structure will have space for 815 vehicles. The police station was designed by architects Harley Ellis Devereaux and the parking structure by International Parking Design. McCarthy Building Cos. is the construction manager.

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Bridalinsider.com, a free online service that helps brides and grooms plan their weddings, has added a brick and mortar component — the Bridal Insider Studio located at 305 Laurel St. in San Diego. Beginning this month, Bridal Insider will provide complimentary wedding kick-off meetings for newly engaged couples to help them get started with their wedding plans. Bridal Insider will match the couples with two to three vendor contacts for each service they need. “We are excited to expand our services,” said founder Lori Foote.“We receive more than 150,000 page views from 10,000 unique visitors each month.  It was time to expand and create additional connectivity offline.”  For more information, contact Foote or Eve Harrison at (888) 256-9032 or visit bridalinsider.com

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Navy Capt. Michael J. Wiegand has relieved Capt. Gerard J. Reina as commander of the Southwest Regional Maintenance Center at Naval Base San Diego. Wiegand is a native of South Bend, Ind. He graduated from Michigan State University with a bachelor of science degree in agricultural engineering. He received his commission from the Officer Candidate School in Newport, R.I., in May 1985. In June of 1991, he received a master of science degree in mechanical engineering from the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey. Wiegand’s previous assignment was as assistanc chief of staff of maintenance and engineering at Commander, Naval Surface Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet.
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The Center for Autism and Related Disorders Inc. (CARD), which treats children with autism, will host a Family Festival on Aug. 7 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Kearny Mesa Park, 3170 Armstrong St. in San Diego. The free festival is open to the public and will feature live performances by San Diego dance groups Jr. Crew and Arms Wide Open, carnival games, resource booths, food, music and raffle prizes. All proceeds of the raffle will benefit Autism Care and Treatment, a nonprofit organization that provides grants for therapy, biomedical treatment, social skills groups, and helmets for children with autism whose families cannot afford these services.

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Former Vice President Al Gore will visit Tijuana in October to deliver a conference address on the cutting-edge technologies being used to protect the environment. His talk will be on Oct. 14 during the Tijuana Innovadora 2010 Conference Oct. 7-21 at the host venue Centro Cultural Tijuana. “One of the basic goals of the Tijuana Innovadora conference is to send a message to the world that the city is more than bad news, it’s an optimal site to develop all kinds of industries,” said Alejandro Bustamante, president of Tijuana’s operations of Plantronics, a designer and manufacturer of lightweight communication headsets. The conference also will feature three other Nobel Prize winners — Robert Aumann (economy), and Robert Grubbs and Mario Molina (both chemistry) – as well as innovation leaders Francis Fukuyama, Xani Jardin, Jim Wales, the founder of Wikipedia, among others. Tickets are $100 and cover one day’s admission to panel discussions and keynote addresses. They may be purchased on-line at tijuanainnovadora.com. For more info, call Red Corp. Alliances at (619) 869-4820.

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Steve Baker, a professional musician for more than 40 years and a music instructor, has been named dean of Grossmont College’s department of arts, languages and communication. He began his career with the Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community College District in 1985 as a music instructor and has taught at both Grossmont and Cuyamaca colleges. At Grossmont, he was music department chair and interim dean before his latest appointment. In his career as a pianist, Baker has performed with numerous national and international recording artists. The Steve Baker Trio specializes in Brazilian and Afro-Cuban-influenced jazz and performs in varied venues. He holds degrees in music from Grossmont College,  UCSD and and San Diego State, where he received a master’s degree in piano performance. His post-graduate studies were at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.

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Artisan Design Group will present the eighth annual national Design Forum for design center professionals, interior designers and managers involved with new construction and remodeling Aug. 18-20, at the Manchester Grand Hyatt, One Market Place, in San Diego. DESIGN FORUM 2010 will explore “Navigating the New World,” and focus on best practices, innovative resources, trends and networking. The event, sponsored by Kohler, Armstrong Flooring, DuPont Corian, Teragren and Whirlpool, will also include keynotes by industry innovators and a presentation of the 2010 DECA Awards, honoring “design excellence in centers and ambassadors.”  The registration fee of $1,150 includes selected meals and receptions. Information and registration is available at designcenterforum.com.