Daily Business Report-Dec. 30, 2013
Cindy Davis and Daniel Lamborn
Governor Appoints Two to San Diego Superior Court
Cindy D. Davis, a Superior Court commissioner, and Daniel G. Lamborn, chief deputy district attorney in San Diego, have been appointed to the San Diego County Superior Court bench by Gov. Jerry Brown.
Davis, 50, of Imperial Beach, has been a superior court commissioner at the San Diego County Superior Court since 2006. She served as a head deputy city attorney at the San Diego City Attorney’s Office from 1999 to 2006 and was a senior litigation associate at Luce Forward Hamilton and Scripps LLP from 1995 to 1999.
Davis served as a law clerk for Judge William B. Enright at the U.S. District Court, Southern District of California from 1993 to 1994. She earned a law degree degree from the University of San Diego School of Law and a bachelor’s degree from San Diego State University. She fills the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Steven Denton. Davis is a Democrat.
Lamborn, 57, of Ramona, has been chief deputy district attorney at the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office since 2008, where he has served in multiple positions since 1983, including deputy district attorney and research attorney. He served as a research attorney at the Clark County District Court from 1982 to 1983. Lamborn earned a law degree from the University of San Diego School of Law and a bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Davis. He fills the vacancy created by the resignation of Judge Lisa Foster. Lamborn is a Republican.
The compensation for each of these positions is $181, 292.
Southern California Loses Out in Selection
Of Test Sites for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles
The Federal Aviation Administration today announced the selection of the six public entities that will develop unmanned aircraft systems research and test sites around the country. A San Diego coalition led by the San Diego Military Advisory Council and the San Diego Regional Economic Development Corp. was not among them.
These congressionally-mandated test sites will conduct critical research into the certification and operational requirements necessary to safely integrate UAS into the national airspace over the next several years.
The six test site operators:
• University of Alaska.
• State of Nevada.
• New York’s Griffiss International Airport.
• North Dakota Department of Commerce.
• Texas A&M University – Corpus Christi.
• Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech).
In selecting the six test site operators, the FAA considered geography, climate, location of ground infrastructure, research needs, airspace use, safety, aviation experience and risk. “In totality, these six test applications achieve cross-country geographic and climatic diversity and help the FAA meet its UAS research needs,” the agency said in a release.
In some circles, Southern California was believed to have an edge because San Diego is home to the two largest UAV makers. Northrop Grumman in Rancho Bernardo makes the Global Hawk. General Atomics Aeronautical Systems in Poway makes the Predator.
Gathering Bar & Grill in Hillcrest is Closing
The Gathering Bar & Grill at Washington and Goldfinch streets in Mission Hills will close on Jan. 5. Owner Dan Thomas owns the building. He will be the landlord for a new restaurant that will reopen in the space in the next couple of months. The Gathering has been running since 1986. “I wasn’t sure I was ready to leave, but I think I’m sure now,” Thomas told the U-T San Diego. “Part of it was health issues, but the economics of the offer made sense to me.” A Parkinson’s Disease diagnosis requires him to reduce stress levels.
The new restaurant will be called Harley Gray Kitchen & Bar. Owners are brother and sister John and Jill Ealy. John Ealy owns the Boathouse and a restaurant in Maui.
Visit the Library in Virtual Mode
The San Diego County Library goes mobile with a free new application that lets you use smartphones, tablets and e-Book readers to visit the library. You can browse through the digital book stacks, check your account, request items, place them on hold or renew items you’ve already checked out without ever stepping foot in a library branch or logging onto your home computer.
Even better, the app allows you do download eBooks on to your device. Wondering whether that new best-seller at the bookstore is available at the Library? Use the app to scan the ISBN barcode, see if the library owns a copy and if so, place a hold on it.
Check to see which events are going on at which branch, and then find the location, the phone number, hours and directions on how to get there.
The app works on either Android or iOS (Apple) smartphones, tablets and e-Book readers. It is the latest in a number of free county apps that are available on the County App Center.
For more information on the app or the County Library, visit sdcl.org.
County Opens ‘Library to Go’
The county of San Diego has opened a library kiosk in Kearny Mesa that will dispense hundreds of books and movies to library card-holders.
The “24/7 Library To Go” is the first of its kind on the West Coast and second in the U.S., according to county officials. It will store more than 400 books and DVDs, much like a movie box at grocery stores, and be accessible 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The county said patrons can also gain access to the library’s catalog and databases, reserve books for pickup at a county library branch or bookmobile, and pay late fees.
Consumers can learn the latest practical insights about the safety and effectiveness of vitamins, herbs and minerals at the Natural Supplements School presented by Scripps Center for Integrative Medicine on Jan. 29. The interactive seminar will take place from 2 to 8 p.m. at the Hilton San Diego Resort on Mission Bay, located at 1775 E. Mission Bay Drive. The event is open to the public, with a registration fee of $99. For more information or to register to attend, call Scripps Conference Services at (858)-652-5400 or visit www.scripps.org/naturalsupplements.
“When it comes to vitamins, herbs and other supplements, clinicians and consumers need reliable and timely information,” said Robert Bonakdar of Scripps Center for Integrative Medicine. “This program is a great place for people to do their homework and get answers.”
San Diego Gay Men’s Chorus Holds Open Auditions
The San Diego Gay Men’s Chorus is holding open auditions for its 2014 season. The chorus also needs volunteers for its Operations team to help with the “behind-the-scenes” activities at each show and during special projects and events. Anyone interested in auditioning should pre-register at sdgmc.org and click the “Join Us” link or call (877) 296-7664. Auditions will be held on Saturday, Jan. 4 from 1 to 5 p.m. and Sunday, Jan. 5 from 1:30 to 5 p.m. at the University Christian Church at 3900 Cleveland Ave. in Hillcrest. All singers and volunteers are invited to “Info Night” on Jan. 6 from 7 to 9 p.m. at the church.
All singers joining will begin rehearsing for “Wow! The Chorus Sings the ’90s,” including the hits of Whitney, Mariah, Madonna and more. The show will take place on Saturday, April 5, at 8 p.m. and Sunday, April 6, at 3 p.m. at the Lawrence Family Jewish Community Center Theatre in La Jolla and directed by Joey Landwehr.
Writing, Book Publishing Program Set for Feb. 22
Editor and proofreader Laurie Gibson of San Diego Writers, Ink will present “Book Publishing 1-2-3: From the Writer’s Fingers to the Readers’ Hands” on Feb. 22 from 2 to 5 p.m. at The Ink Spot, Liberty Station, Barracks 16, No. 202, in Point Loma. Sprinkled with stories and tips (for example, how to connect with literary agents), the program is designed to inspire and empower writers of all levels and genres, and will start with a glimpse at today’s dynamic book business, including traditional, electronic, and self-publishing. Also on the afternoon’s menu are imagination/creativity workouts, writing prompts, self-assessments, and Q&A throughout.
Cost: $54; to register, visit www.sandiegowriters.org. For more, call Gibson at (858) 635-1233 or email eagle5223@mypacks.net.
Construction Progresses at Desalination Plant
CARLSBAD — There’s not much to see but cranes when you drive past the construction site of the largest desalination project yet built in the Western Hemisphere. But the billion-dollar plant being built on the Carlsbad coastline is wrapping up its first year of construction, KPBS reports. The project is ontrack to start producing 7 percent of the region’s water in another two years.
Peter Maclaggan of Poseidon Resources said crews are on schedule, working on the tanks and the 10-mile-long pipeline that will carry the desalinated sea water to San Marcos where it will join the San Diego County Water Authority’s network.
“We’ve gone all the way through San Marcos and we’re now also laying pipe from west to east in Carlsbad, and expect that the two construction crews will meet around El Camino Real somewhere around the end of 2014,” Maclaggan said, adding that will complete the pipeline construction.
Maclaggan said trenches for the 54-inch diameter pipe are as much as 30-feet deep. The plant itself is designed to look like an ordinary office building.
About 350 people are working to meet the project’s deadline, he said. The contract calls for Poseidon to start providing up to 50 million gallons of desalinated water a day by early 2016.
TSA Contracting Elevates Ben Briggs and Kristen Freeman
Rancho Penasquitos resident Ben Briggs, a 25-year construction industry veteran, has been named project executive/senior project manager at TSA Contracting, a San Diego-based construction company. The company also announced the promotion of Kristen Freeman of San Diego to assistant project manager.
Briggs previously was project director where he performed project management and preconstruction services for a 116-unit apartment complex valued at $14 million. His career includes being a project executive for ROEL Construction where he oversaw ground-up construction for religious facilities, hospitality, private education as well as governmental projects up to $35 million.
Freeman, a graduate of UC San Diego, previously held the title of project engineer at TSA. She will be responsible for projects in Los Angeles and San Diego counties. Currently she is working on two large projects in Los Angeles County including a $7 million ground up & a $20 million historical renovation. Prior to joining TSA, she worked two years postgraduate at the Newschool of Architecture & Design.
