Daily Business Report-Oct. 22, 2013

The USS Zumwalt reportedly will be homeported in San Diego.

Will San Diego be the New Home

Of the Navy’s Largest Destroyer?

The future USS Zumwalt, the largest Navy destroyer ever built, is expected to hit the water for the first time this week, KPBS reports. The homeport of the Zumwalt hasn’t been announced, but an internal Navy document hints it will be San Diego.

The commanding officer of the Zumwalt is Capt. James Kirk (yes, that’s his real name). In a letter sent to future Zumwalt crew members, Kirk writes: “Zumwalt’s eventual homeport has not been finalized, but San Diego is the planned homeport with arrival there expected in mid-to-late 2016.”

The Navy was forced to cancel the Oct. 19 christening ceremony for the Zumwalt because of the government shutdown. However, a news release from Defense Media Activity reports that the Navy reports is working with the family of the late Navy Adm. Elmo R. “Bud” Zumwalt Jr. and General Dynamics-Bath Iron Works, to reschedule.

The Zumwalt cost more than $3.5 billion, more than three times the cost of previous destroyers.

Captain Kirk is a native of Bethesda, Md.m and raised in Hershey, Pa. He was commissioned at the U.S. Naval Academy in 1990 and has served in a variety of afloat and ashore billets as a surface warfare officer. He has served afloat on destroyers, cruisers, frigates and staffs including USS Fife, USS The Sullivans, USS Hue City, USS John S. McCain, and as a gas turbine inspector on the staff of Commander, Pacific Fleet. His most recent sea duty includes command of USS De Wert and operations officer for Carrier Strike Group Seven, Ronald Reagan Strike Group. Ashore, Kirk has served as executive assistant to the Navy’s Chief of Legislative Affairs and as an action officer on the Joint Staff. He is currently serving as the executive assistant to the Director of Surface Warfare and is the prospective commanding officer of USS Zumwalt.

Foreclosure Notices Drop Dramatically in San Diego County

Statewide, the number of notices of default fell to the

second-lowest level in seven and a half years

The number of San Diego County homeowners entering the foreclosure process fell dramatically last quarter, the result of a stronger job market, home price appreciation and a variety of government foreclosure avoidance efforts, reported San Diego-based DataQuick.

Lenders filed 1,519 Notices of Default during the July-through-September period in the county. That was down 24.4 percent from the 2,008 during the previous quarter, and down 59.2 percent from 3,727 in third quarter 2012.

Trustee deeds recorded in the county, or the final loss of a home to foreclosure, totaled 447 last quarter, a drop of 26.4 percent from the 607 in the second quarter of this year and a 69.3 percent decline from the 1,456 trustee deeds recorded in the third quarter of 2012.

California Figures

The sharp rise in home values over the last year has reduced the number of Californians who owe more than their homes are worth. That drives down the number of households vulnerable to foreclosure, given that if they can’t make their mortgage payments they can usually sell their homes or refinance.

Statewide, lenders filed 20,314 Notices of Default (NoDs) during the July-through-September period. That was down 21.1 percent from 25,747 during the previous quarter, and down 58.6 percent from 49,026 in third-quarter 2012, according to San Diego-based DataQuick. Last quarter’s NoDs were the lowest since 18,568 were filed in the first quarter of this year, and the second-lowest since 18,856 were filed in first-quarter 2006.

Trustees Deeds recorded (TDs), or the final loss of a home to foreclosure, totaled 8,030 last quarter — the lowest for any quarter since fourth-quarter 2006, when lenders foreclosed on 6,078 homes. Last quarter’s trustees deed total fell 18.4 percent from 9,840 the prior quarter and fell 65.0 percent from 22,949 in third-quarter 2012.

The all-time peak was 79,511 foreclosures in third-quarter 2008. The state’s all-time low was 637 in second-quarter 2005, DataQuick reported.

Voters Start Casting Ballots for San Diego Mayor

Voters in the city of San Diego have began casting their ballots for a new mayor. The Registrar of Voters office opened its doors for the first ballots at 8 a.m. Monday morning and will be open for voting from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday until Election Day, Nov. 19, when the hours will change to 7 a.m. through 8 p.m. As expected for a first day, the turnout has been light.

Mail ballots for the Special Municipal Election also went out Monday and the Registrar of Voters estimates they equal about 52 percent (357,000 of 675,000 registered voters) of the entire city. “I anticipate there will be more ballots cast by mail then individuals going to the polls,” said Registrar Michael Vu.

Voters who would rather go to their neighborhood polling place on Election Day can check for the location on the back cover of the sample ballot pamphlet, call (858) 565-5800. For questions about being a poll worker, where the polls will be located or whether you’re registered to vote, call (858) 565-5800 or visit www.sdvote.com.

Qualcomm Vice Chairman Altman to Retire

Qualcomm Inc. announced that Steve Altman, vice chairman, has decided to retire from Qualcomm, effective Jan. 3, 2014. He  will continue to serve as a strategic consultant to the company. Altman has served as a member of Qualcomm’s executive committee for nearly 15 years. He joined the company in 1989 and his roles have included general counsel, president of QTL, president of Qualcomm and, most recently, vice chairman.

One of his most significant impacts, the company said, has been as chief architect of Qualcomm’s IP licensing strategy, which was a catalyst for both the QTL business and the accelerated worldwide growth of CDMA technology. Altman has been responsible for structuring and negotiating key license agreements, joint ventures, acquisitions and many important strategic relationships.

“Steve has been an exceptional leader, valued adviser and a close confidant and friend to me. I have many great memories of working with him over the past two decades,” said Paul Jacobs, chairman and CEO of Qualcomm in a statement.

The Tin Roof to Open in Gaslamp Quarter Early Next Year

The Tin Roof, a popular chain of restaurants and music clubs throughout the South and Midwest, will open its first Southern California location in the Gaslamp Quarter in Downtown San Diego at 401 G. St. The Tin Roof signed a six-year, $4.2 million lease for the space, which totals 11,235 square feet, with plans to open in  the first quarter of 2014. The Tin Roof opened its first location in 2002 in Nashville, adjacent to the famed Music Row. Since then, it has expanded to multiple states throughout the South and Midwest, including Kentucky, South Carolina, Ohio, Alabama and Indiana. In the lease transaction with lessor Carriage Works LLC, The Tin Roof was represented by Cassity Turley and Carriage Works was represented by Cushman & Wakefield.

Researchers Make Progress in Cancer Treatment Research

Researchers at UC San Diego School of Medicine have discovered a way to effectively deliver staurosporine (STS), a powerful anti-cancer compound that has vexed researchers for more than 30 years due to its instability in the blood and toxic nature in both healthy and cancerous cells. For the first time, the new method safely delivered STS to mouse tumors, suppressing them with no apparent side effects. According to researchers, this new discovery greatly improves the odds of current treatments and outcomes in the case of cancers such as treatment-resistant brain, colon and pancreatic. The results were published online Oct. 20, in the International Journal of Nanomedicine.

“By itself, staurosporine shows potent activity against a number of cancer cell lines, including chemotherapy-resistant tumors. However, it also harms normal tissue,” said senior author Santosh Kesari, director of neuro-oncology at UC San Diego Moores Cancer Center. “With this study, we have been able to overcome the pharmacokinetic barriers to delivering staurosporine to tumors with the use of liposomes.”

San Diego Residents Asked to Identify Infrastructure Priorities

San Diego residents have an opportunity to weigh in on their neighborhood’s infrastructure priorities beginning today when the city kicks off a series of meetings with Councilman Mark Kersey, chair of the Infrastructure Committee. The purpose of the meetings is to solicit input directly from communities about the type of projects they believe should be a priority for their neighborhood.

The first of the meetings will be held with Interim Mayor Gloria today at 6 p.m. in the Santa Fe Room at the Balboa Park Club, 2150 Pan American Road.

Other neighborhood infrastructure input meetings will take place throughout the rest of this year:

• Oct. 24, 6 p.m., District 7 with Councilman Scott Sherman, 
Mission Trails Park Visitors Center, One Father Junipero Serra Trail.

• Oct. 30, 6 p.m., District 4 with Councilwoman Myrtle Cole, 
Malcolm X Library Music Room, 5148 Market St.

• Nov. 6, 6 p.m., District 6 with Councilwoman  Lorie Zapf, 
Pangea Bakery Café, 4689 Convoy St. #100.

• Nov. 13, 6 p.m., District 2 with Councilmember Kevin Faulconer, 
Cadman Elementary School Auditorium, 4370 Kamloop Ave.

• Nov. 20 or 21, 6 p.m. District 9 with Councilmember Marti Emerald, 
Workforce Career Center, 3rd Floor Conference Room, 3910 University Ave.

• Dec. 3, 6 p.m., District 1 with Councilwoman Sherri Lightner, 
location to be determined.

• Dec. 11, 6 p.m., District 8 with Councilman  David Alvarez, 
Colonel Irving Salomon San Ysidro Community Activity Center, 179 Diza Road.

Living Coast Discovery Center Nears Goal to Remain Open

The Living Coast Discovery Center in Chula Vista said that more than $180,000 has been donated or pledged since it announced on Oct. 1 that the center would close its doors because of a severe budget shortfall. The center said a minimum of $200,000 is necessary for it to remain open. An additional $20,000 must be raised by Oct. 28 to take advantage of the matching gifts pledged.

“We are so grateful for the community’s support during this challenging time,” said Living Coast Discovery Center Chief Operating Officer Ben Vallejos. “We’ve had several anonymous private donors and foundations step forward with pledges that, if matched, would allow for us to meet our recovery goals and not only keep our doors open for the public, but pave the way to our bright future in education and collaborative research.”

There are several fundraisers planned for the coming days, including a “Dine Out for LCDC” event on Oct. 26 at Eclipse Chocolate. Sprouts Farmers Market in Chula Vista will donate five percent of all of its sales on Friday, Nov. 1 to the Living Coast Discovery Center.

San Diego-Based Center Gets Grant for  Cogeneration Efforts

The California Center for Sustainable Energy will receive $2.2 million over four years from the U.S. Department of Energy to provide support and technical assistance throughout California, Nevada and Hawaii to drive wider development of cogeneration energy technologies as solutions to the nation’s energy issues. DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy selected the San Diego-based center to direct the Pacific regional Combined Heat and Power Technical Assistance Partnership, one of seven regional partnerships. The center is the director leading the effort in collaboration with Energy and Environmental Economics in San Francisco and DE Solutions in Encinitas.

Procopio Seeks Applicants for Native American Law Internship

The Procopio law firm is now accepting applications for its Summer 2014 Native American Law Internship. The internship provides an opportunity for a Native American law student, or law student emphasizing Native American Law, to gain hands-on experience dealing with everyday legal issues facing Native American communities. The intern is involved in matters that deal with specific Indian law-related legal practice matters and other legal problems.

The paid summer internship position lasts eight to 10 weeks, beginning after May 15, 2014. Applicants should have completed at least their first year of law school prior to the start of the internship. Applications should include a short cover letter expressing the applicant’s interest in Native American Law, along with a brief resume and Law School transcript. The deadline for application is Dec. 1, 2013.  Completed applications can be emailed to Ted Griswold, Procopio Native American practice group leader, at ted.griswold@procopio.com.

Southwest Strategies Adds Executive Assistant

Gina Crane has joined public affairs firm Southwest Strategies as executive assistant. Crane will provide administrative services, human resources coordination and work directly with the company’s two partners. Before coming to Southwest Strategies, Crane assisted the CEO of an insurance company in San Diego. She has more than a decade of experience as an executive assistant to presidents and CEOs, specializing in administrative services, travel planning and office management.

Taylion San Diego Academy Opens San Marcos School

Taylion San Diego Academy has announced the opening of its newest location in San Marcos — in time for the 2013-2014 school year, and offering classes for grades K-12. The San Marcos campus is located at 100 N. Rancho Santa Fe Road, No. 119. The school presents a program that’s online, at-home, or a blended program of both, for gifted and talented students who are looking for a more challenging curriculum different from a traditional class setting. The program is free with one-on-one assistance, and an environment and experience tailored to each student.

Informational sessions will be held Thursday, Oct. 24, and Wednesday, Nov. 6, both at 6 p.m.