Daily Business Report-Aug. 7, 2013
Tijuana Mayor Carlos Bustamante, left, and San Diego Mayor Bob Filner, center, during an April 2013 trade mission to Mexico City, undertaken by business leaders and government officials. Photo: San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce.
Political Watchers Say The Silence
Of Insiders Enabled Mayor Filner
San Diego’s trade mission to Mexico City this April was billed as a chance to forge stronger cross-border ties, but people on the trip say it was also a chance for Mayor Bob Filner to troll for women, and troll he did, according to Sharon Cloward. “Several women told me and others that he had touched them inappropriately and talked to them inappropriately,” Cloward told KPBS.
Cloward was on the trip. She’s one of several women to publicly accuse Filner of unwanted sexual advances. Her alleged encounters took place before the Mexico trip. That’s why she said she asked for a room at the Intercontinental Presidente Hotel in Mexico City that was not on the same floor as Filner’s.
Sources, who went on the trip but spoke on the condition of anonymity, said a second woman on the trade mission complained to her boss about Filner and then stayed in her room for the rest of the trip. Another woman reportedly left in the middle of a meal because she could no longer take his alleged crude behavior, and sources said the mayor sent repeated text messages to a third woman asking her out.
Of the eight women on the mission, sources said Filner sent out sexual signals to at least four. Several said they felt uncomfortable sharing their stories publicly because they believed their business with the city would be jeopardized.
But what about the 50 men on the trip, some of whom represent the who’s who in the San Diego business world? What did they see? What did they hear? What did they know?
“I didn’t know about it,” former Mayor Jerry Sanders said. He attended the trade mission as head of the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce.
He said he’s ready to stand with the women if they should decide to speak out.
Petco and Defenders of Wildlife Team Up
To Protect Coral Reefs and Marine Life
Defenders of Wildlife, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the protection of native animals and plants in their natural communities, and San Diego-based Petco Animal Supplies announced a collaboration agreement to improve efforts to conserve and protect the world’s coral reefs and the fish that depend upon them. Defenders is providing its expertise to help Petco identify and protect specific marine fish species that are vulnerable to over-collection; improve practices for their fish suppliers to ensure they minimize harm to coral reef environments; and develop ways to track the success of these efforts.
“For the past several years, Defenders of Wildlife has been working to improve conservation of the world’s coral reef and fish communities,” said Daniel Thornhill, a coral reef expert and conservation scientist at Defenders of Wildlife. “Petco is the largest U.S. retailer of marine aquatic life, and by collaborating with them, we will significantly improve marine aquatic life collection practices to benefit coral reef ecosystems.”
Petco initiated the collaboration with three goals: to create strict requirements for fish collectors to use responsible and sustainable marine-life collection practices; to help prevent overfishing; and, whenever possible, to encourage the sale of aquacultured fish instead of wild-collected fish.
ImageWare Systems Awarded $2.2 Million Contract
ImageWare Systems Inc. has been awarded a $2.2 million contract by the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs to expand its personal identity verification (PIV) credentialing capabilities. Under the terms of the agreement, ImageWare will deliver software licenses during the third quarter of 2013 and receive approximately $1.5 million in revenue. Additionally, ImageWare will receive service revenue valued at approximately $650,000 that will be recognized proportionally over the next year. ImageWare’s biometric identity management product was first installed with the VA in 2007. It provides large-scale biometric identity and credential management capabilities, such as biometrically enabled PIV credentials that are in compliance with U.S. government standards.
Vista View Plaza Building Sold for $4.3 Million
Vista View Plaza, a 32,702-square-foot, two-story multi-tenant office building in Sorrento Mesa, has been sold for $4.3 million to the Theodore E. Gildred Trust. The seller was Davenport Vista View Partners LP. The building, located at 6725 Mesa Ridge Road, was built in 1986. It recently underwent upgrades including common area improvements, a new roof and enhanced landscaping. Tenants are a mix of industries including law, finance, marketing, technology, communications and research. CBRE represented the seller. Pacific Coast Commercial represented the buyer.
Websense Appoints VP of Worldwide Channel Sales
Websense Inc. announced the appointment of Shawn Pearson as vice president of worldwide channel sales. Pearson has more than 17 years of high technology and security channel experience. Pearson previously was senior director of Americas inside sales and channels at RSA, the security division of EMC.
