Daily Business Report — Nov. 5, 2012

Nov. 10 Program to Help Small Business
With Social Media Marketing and Capital

A special program to assist small business owners in social media marketing and access to capital will be held Saturday, Nov. 10, at the Joe and Vi Jacobs Center in San Diego. The free program, which will run from 8 a.m. to noon at the center at 404 Euclid Ave., is sponsored by Accion San Diego, Yelp and New York Stock Exchange Big StartUp. It is part of a nationwide workshop tour and is titled “Round Robin: Utilizing Technology in Business. Yelp’s manager of local business outreach, Darnell Holloway, will discuss how entrepreneurs can work with major social media platforms to engage customers online and navigate online reviews. NYST Big StartUP is a nationwide job creation and business growth initiative that connects small businesses with established corporations. For more information, visit www.accionsandiego.org

Luxury Coronado House to
Go to Auction on Dec. 3-5

A Coronado luxury house with dramatic views of the Pacific Ocean and San Diego skyline will be auctioned Dec. 3-5 by Auction.com. Starting bid is $1.9 million for the house, which was previously listed at $4.4 million. It is located at 1070 Coronado Ave. An open house is scheduled from 1 to 5 p.m. on Nov. 10. Listed by Ruth Ann Fisher of Del Realty, the 4,616-square-foot house has six bedrooms and 5.5 bathrooms. Custom features include a pool with an outdoor kitchen, beamed ceilings, roof top deck, game room and a four-car garage. It’s a block from the beach.

New Border Crossing Opens Between San Diego and Tijuana

A new border crossing has opened between San Ysidro and Tijuana. Known as “El Chaparral,” the border crossing features 22 lanes and 63 inspection booths equipped with the latest technology for fast access to Mexico. Vehicles headed southbound on I-5 will turn right once they reach the border, onto the new, modern facilities. “El Chaparral” also connects to a set of new bridges leading to tourist destinations like Rosarito Beach, Ensenada, and popular areas of Tijuana such as downtown, Avenida Revolucion and Zona Rio. For more information on these changes, visit:

www.gsa.gov/portal/content/104872.

Former Port Commissioner Takes
Bank Position in East Los Angeles

Michael Najera, a former San Diego Port commissioner who was pressured into resigning his post in 2009 by Chula Vista Mayor Cheryl Cox, has taken a job as head of business development for Pan American Bank in East Los Angeles. Although Najera had won several business achievement awards while in Chula Vista, Cox apparently blamed him for the failure of a project to redevelop Chula Vista’s waterfront. A week after Cox asked him to step down, Najera resigned, after previously resisting her request. He was Chula Vista’s representative on the Board of Port Commissioners. Bayfront projects are not controlled by one commissioner. Najera headed Cornerstone Building Group, but had financial problems, declared bankruptcy and closed it. He was named “Small Business Person of the Year” by the San Diego district office of the Small Business Administration, “Entrepreneur of the Year” by the San Diego Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and “Builder of the Year” by the Latino Builder Association during his career in Chula Vista. “Mike’s experience as a successful entrepreneur and business development veteran will allow Pan American Bank to provide the type of consultative business development services that our local businesses require,” said Pan American Bank CEO Jesse Torres in announcing Najera’s hiring.

Bank of America to Award More Than
$1 Million This Year to S.D. Nonprofits

Bank of America representative  said the bank will have provided more than $1 million in grant dollars to San Diego nonprofit organizations by the end of the year. That will include a special “Builder Award” of $200,000 over two years to Just in Time for Foster Youth. Based in San Diego, Just in Time develops and manages programs to support young people who are transitioning to self-sufficiency from the foster care system. BofA also announced a $1 million donation to support relief efforts in the wake of Hurricane Sandy — half to the American Red Cross Hurricanes 2012 fund and the other half directed to national, regional and local nonprofits to support long-term recovery needs.

Miramar-Area Building to be Used for Auto Sales and Service

An 85,180-square-foot industrial building at 9115 Activity Road in the Miramar areas has been sold for $10.2 million to Keire SDA, a limited liability company. The seller was Miramar Activity Corp. The building will be used for the sale and services of Porsche, Audi and Land Rover vehicles. Cassidy Turley San Diego represented buyer and seller in the transaction.

Raytheon Gets Navy Contract for Ship Defense System

Raytheon Company has been awarded a $22.5 million U.S. Navy contract for the Ship Self-Defense System (SSDS). Under the contract, Raytheon will continue system development, test and integration and support for fleet-deployed systems. Work on SSDS is performed at Raytheon Integrated Defense System’s Expeditionary Warfare Center in San Diego and Seapower Capability Center in Portsmouth, R.I. SSDS is a combat management system on carriers and amphibious ships.

USD Cancels Visit Over Professor’s
Support of Same-Sex Marriage

The University of San Diego revoked a British theology professor’s speaking invitation because the professor signed a letter supporting civil marriage rights for same-sex couples in the United Kingdom, KPBS reports. The professor, Tina Beattie, a British theologian, writer and broadcaster, signed a letter supporting civil marriage rights for same-sex couples in the United Kingdom. The visit was planned for more than a year. The Catholic university withdrew that invitation on Oct. 27. In a letter, University President Mary Lyons explained it was because Beattie publicly dissents from the church’s moral teachings. That dissent, she wrote, is inconsistent with the mission school’s Center for Catholic Thought and Culture, which was supposed to host Beattie’s lecture, and “with the intentions of those who have financially supported the Center.”