Daily Business Report — June 15, 2011
Supervisors to Hear County Redistricting Proposals
The county Board of Supervisors will review three proposed redistricting plans on June 28 that have been prepared by the county’s Redistricting Advisory Committee. After settling on one of the plans, the board is to introduce its redistricting ordinance at a July 12 public meeting and adopt a final ordinance on Aug. 2. The redistricting plan would take effect in early September, setting supervisorial district lines for elections in 2012 through 2021. The June 28 board meeting is set for 9 a.m.
The Board of Supervisors must adjust
supervisorial district boundaries every 10
years to balance their populations
The three proposals can be viewed at the redistricting Website at sdcounty.ca.gov/redistricting. The online viewer allows a close look at the committee’s proposals for the new supervisorial districts in an interactive map. It also displays the population and demographics of each new proposed district. The Board of Supervisors must adjust the boundaries of the county’s five supervisorial districts every 10 years to balance their populations, based on the federal census. It appointed the advisory committee to gather public input, which met 14 times, including one in each district.
Design Concepts for Horton Plaza Makeover to be Presented
Initial design concepts for the transformation of Downtown’s Horton Plaza into a world-class urban plaza similar to Union Square in San Francisco or Pioneeer Courthouse Square in Portland will be presented at a June 21 forum sponsored by the Centre City Development Corp. (CCDC). It will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. in the former Robinsons-May building, the old Planet Hollywood space. The Walker Macy design team will make a presentation at 6:15 p.m. The public will have the opportunity to review concepts and provide the design team with their feedback. Ideas and suggestions that the public presented at an April forum have been incorporated into the design concepts that will be presented on June 21. The “new Horton Plaza,” as it is being called, is a partnership between CCDC, representing the city of San Diego Redevelopment Agency, and Westfield Horton Plaza retail center and would be the size of an entire city block anchored at Fourth Avenue and Broadway. The plaza would the the location for more than 200 civic events and community celebrations each year. The former Robinsons-May building will be demolished and the iconic water fountain will be rehabilitated as part of the project.
Gloria Penner Named San Diego Journalist of the Year
KPBS senior political correspondent Gloria Penner will be honored as the 2011 San Diego Journalist of the Year at the annual awards banquet on July 7 sponsored by the San Diego chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. The event will be at the Bali Hai’s Hawaiian Village bayside patio on Shelter Island. Penner, the longtime host of KPBS Radio’s “Editors Roundtable” and “San Diego Week,” has spent more than 50 years in radio and television journalism, beginning her radio career in San Francisco in the 1950s as an associate producer on a program called “Housewives Protective League.” She has worked in television on the “Today Show” and as producer and host of various KPBS-TV and KPBS Radio news programs. She has been awarded seven Emmys, five Golden Mikes, two Gracies from the American Federation of Women in Radio and Television, the San Diego Press Club’s Harold Keen Award for excellence in journalism, the John Swett Award from the California Teachers Association, and many SPJ honors. Photojournalist Nelvin Cepeda, a staff photographer for the San Diego Union-Tribune, will give the keynote speech at the awards banquet, as well as a presentation of photos from his war coverage in Iraq and Afghanistan. Broadcast reporter Ken Kramer and former news anchor Carol LeBeau will emcee the program. Tickets are $40.
An Honor for Genome Work on ‘Not Just Another Weed’
Plant biologist Joseph R. Ecker, professor and director of the Genomic Analysis Laboratory at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, has been selected as an investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) and the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation (GBMF). Ecker is internationally recognized for his pioneering contributions to plant genomics. He advocated for the mapping and sequencing of the genome of the tiny mustard weed Arabidopsis thaliana and directed much of the sequencing project. Commonly known as thale cress, Arabidopsis was the first flowering plant to have its entire genome unlocked and is now widely considered one of the most important model organisms for the study of plant genetics and genomes. “Without Joe’s groundbreaking contributions, Arabidopsis would be just another weed,” said Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator Joanne Chory, professor and director of the Plant Molecular and Cellular Biology Laboratory. Ecker earned his Ph.D. in microbiology at the Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine and carried out postdoctoral studies at Stanford University. He served on the faculty at the University of Pennsylvania (1987-2000) before joining the Salk Institute for Biological Studies.
Mingei Adds Trustee and Marketing Manager
Richard E. Carlson, president and founder of RCS Asset Management in Rancho Santa Fe, has been named a trustee of the Mingei International Museum. The museum also added Jessica Hanson York as its new marketing manager. Before opening RCS, Carlson was vice president at the New York firm Rockefeller and Co. and general partner of several investment partnerships. His other community service includes the boards of the Rancho Santa Fe Foundation and its investment committee. He chairs the investment committee of Sharp Healthcare and is a board member of the Neurosciences Education Institute in Carlsbad. York served as director of external affairs and marketing at The New Children’s Museum in San Diego from 2007 to 2010 and most recently worked for the city of San Diego Commission for Arts and Culture as conference coordinator for the Americans for the Arts Convention that will take place in San Diego this year. She was director of broadcasting and creative services at Chicago’s WTTW, director of creative services at WXXI in Rochester, N.Y., and program publicist for American Public Television in Boston. Continuing members of the board of trustees are Norman Blachford, H. Michael Collins, Roger Cornell, M.D., Carol Y. Dickinson, Maureen Pecht King, Richard Woltman and Terri Peterson Zimdars.
DLA Piper Law Firm Honored for Pro Bono Work
The DLA Piper law firm has been honored with the Patricia Radburn Award by the San Diego Homeless Court Program and the San Diego County Public Defender’s Office for the pro bono services it has provided the program. The law firm, along with six individuals who were instrumental in growing the program, were recognized at a May meeting of Homeless Court Providers. The Homeless Court Program is a special San Diego Superior Court session for homeless defendants, several of whom are veterans, to resolve infractions, misdemeanor offenses and warrants. The goal is to help resolve the problems that homelessness represents with practical solutions. The Patricia Radburn Award is named after former Public Defender Law Clerk Patricia Radburn. DLA Piper was singled out for providing training services and hosting and organizing monthly meetings. The firm’s support also includes the contributions of volunteer attorneys from DLA Piper who counsel homeless defendants, prepare them for court hearings and serve as a pro bono counsel during the hearings.
Cook + Schmid Hires Intern
Cook + Schmid has hired Emily Anderson, a graduate of San Diego State, as a full-time public relations intern to work on client accounts. Anderson previously was an intern with Scatena Daniels Communications, a local public relations agency. She tutored other students in public relations and writing course work as part of SDSU’s Educational Opportunity Program.
Solomon Ward Firm Names Of Counsel
Attorney Michael Cato has joined the Solomon Ward Seidenwurm & Smith law firm as Of Counsel. Cato previously was with Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton. He received his J.D. from Harvard Law School and his bachelor’s degree from Duke University. He is a member of the California State Bar Association, San Diego County Bar Association and NAIOP, the commercial real estate development association.
Small Business Workshops
SCORE San Diego continues its series of low-cost workshops. Fees range from $29 to $109, depending on the program. To register online, visit score-sandiego.org. For more information, call (619) 557-7272.
• June 17 – Import/Export – 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at National University in Kearny Mesa (9388 Lightwave Ave., San Diego 92123; pre-paid registration $69, $79 at the door).
• June 18 – QuickBooks Basic – 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at National University in Kearny Mesa (9388 Lightwave Ave., San Diego 92123; pre-paid registration $69, $79 at the door).
• June 18 – Effective Marketing – Identify and Target Your Customers – 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at National University in Kearny Mesa (9388 Lightwave Ave., San Diego 92123; pre-paid registration $69, $79 at the door).
• June 21 – Financing Your Business – 9: 30 a.m. to noon at National University in Carlsbad (705 Palomar Airport Road, Carlsbad 92011; pre-paid registration $29, $39 at the door).
• June 22 – Business Plan 201: How to Write a Winning Business Plan – 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at National University in Kearny Mesa (9388 Lightwave Ave., San Diego 92123; pre-paid registration $99, $109 at the door).
• June 28 – Introduction to Starting Your Own Business – 9 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. at National University in Carlsbad (705 Palomar Airport Road, Carlsbad 92011; pre-paid registration $69, $79 at the door).
• June 29 – Tax Considerations for Small Business – 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. at National University in Kearny Mesa (9388 Lightwave Ave., San Diego 92123; pre-paid registration $29, $39 at the door).
• June 30 – Business Basics 101 – 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at National University in Kearny Mesa (9388 Lightwave Ave., San Diego 92123; no charge – please pre-register).
The Daily Business Report is produced by REP Publishing Inc., publisher of SD METRO, the North Park News, Kensington News and the West Coast Craftsman. Contact: Manny Cruz (619) 287-1865.
