Daily Business Report — June 19, 2014
UC San Diego Professor Carol Padden has been on the faculty since 1983
UC San Diego Names Deaf Professor as New Dean
Take it as a sign of support. UC San Diego has named deaf professor and “Genius Grant” recipient Carol Padden as dean of the Division of Social Sciences after an extensive national search
An award-winning scholar of sign languages, Padden has been on the faculty of the UC San Diego Department of Communication since 1983, when she earned her Ph.D. from the university’s Department of Linguistics. She won her MacArthur Fellowship, popularly known as the “genius grant,” in 2010.
Born in Washington, D.C., the second deaf child of deaf parents who were both on the faculty at Gallaudet University, Padden first attended a school for deaf children but transferred to the public school system in third grade.
It was a long adjustment for her and one she describes as being “akin to being educated abroad.” Her interest in linguistics and culture, she writes, “is strongly rooted” in those formative experiences of “moving between different worlds and languages,”
Padden served as associate dean and faculty equity advisor in the Division of Social Sciences from 2008 to 2013. She currently serves as UC San Diego’s interim vice chancellor for equity, diversity and inclusion. Her appointment as dean takes effect Oct. 1.
Padden’s main areas of research are language emergence, sign language structure, and cultural life in deaf communities. She plays a central role in promoting research on sign languages around the world and in shaping policy and practices that promote the full participation of deaf people in society.
–Times of San Diego
Report Says City’s Managed Competition
Process is Flawed and Needs to be Reworked
A report presented Wednesday to the San Diego City Council’s Budget Committee finds the voter-approved competitive bidding process known as “managed competition” flawed, cumbersome and needing to be reformed.
The study is the last of five by a group led by former Indianapolis Mayor Stephen Goldsmith that looked into improving efficiencies in various municipal functions.
The managed competition process can be beneficial to the city and employees but became unwieldy and contentious, limiting any potential good, the report says.
The city began taking bids on various functions in 2010 and saved $9 million annually in publishing, street sweeping and other areas. However, it drew opposition from organized labor and was suspended by ex-Mayor Bob Filner.
Current Mayor Kevin Faulconer, perhaps the top supporter of managed competition when he was a City Council member, wants to revive the process.
Among Goldsmith’s findings:
• A reliance on managed competition has limited the implementation of other reform tools.
• “Robust flow of efficiency and effectiveness innovations” from the private sector has been stymied with municipal employees winning all the bids so far.
• The integrity of the process was compromised by a lack of reliable data;
employees had no financial incentives; and debate over the program has focused on who loses, not on creating win-win opportunities.
The committee voted unanimously to forward the report to the full City Council.
— City News Service
Scientists Reveal Molecular ‘Yin-Yang’ of Blood Vessel Growth
Findings point the way to new anti-cancer strategies
Biologists at The Scripps Research Institute have discovered a crucial process that regulates the development of blood vessels. The finding could lead to new treatments for disorders involving abnormal blood vessel growth, including common disorders such as diabetic retinopathy and cancer.
“Essentially we’ve shown how the protein SerRS acts as a brake on new blood vessel growth and pairs with the growth-promoting transcription factor c-Myc to bring about proper vascular development,” said Professor Xiang-Lei Yang. “They act as the yin and yang of transcriptional regulation.”
Five North County Cities Form Economic Partnership
CARLSBAD — Five North County cities that are partnering to bring more businesses to the region are poised to ink a deal with the San Diego Regional Economic Development Corp. to help promote the area, the U-T San Diego reports. The cities are set to launch a branding campaign that aims to attract new businesses by highlighting North County’s strengths as a region and will include a variety of marketing efforts that a consultant will unveil later this month.
The San Diego Regional Economic Development Corp. will be charged with carrying out the recommendations in the consultant’s report, officials said.
Each of the cities — Carlsbad, Escondido, Oceanside, San Marcos and Vista — is expected to pay $46,000 for the two-year contract with the Economic Development Corp.
Carlsbad Mayor Matt Hall said the effort, which started about two years ago, is already working. The Carlsbad City Council unanimously voted on Tuesday to approve the agreement. “The buzz has already started,” Hall said. “When you take the five cities and put them out to market to industry it really positions us differently.”
Solar Lags on San Diego’s Multifamily Complexes
Rooftop solar systems are easy to find on businesses and single-family homes in San Diego, but apartment and condo complexes have been slower to convert, KPBS reports. Some want to change that, especially to help the poor. Read the story…
Charity for Hope Names Executive Director
Vipul Dayal has been named executive director of Charity for Hope, a new multipurpose nonprofit organization in San Diego. Charity for Hope’s primary mission is to assist the community by providing aid to nonprofits in need. One of Charity for Hope’s first beneficiaries is Leuva Patidar Samaj of USA. Charity for Hope will be donating a $5,000 scholarship toward the organization’s mission to support education.
Vipul Dayal is also the president of VNR Management Inc., a hospitality development and management company that currently operates family-owned hotel businesses. Dayal has been recognized by The Young Professionals Committee of San Diego County as a Young Professional of the Month for his charitable work in the region.
Cal State San Marcos President Gets Appointment
Karen Haynes, president of Cal State San Marcos, has been appointed chair of the CSU Program for Education and Research in Biotechnology. The program’s mission is to develop a professional biotechnology workforce by mobilizing and supporting CSU student and faculty research, innovative educational practices and anticipating the needs of the life science industry.
Student Named to Community College District Board
Jocelyn Estrada, a business administration major, is the new Cuyamaca College student trustee on the governing board of the Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community College District. joined Grossmont College student trustee Zack Gianino as a non-voting board member. She was elected by her fellow students for the yearlong term, replacing Elsa Hernandez, who will take on a new post in the fall as president of Cuyamaca College’s student government.
The oldest of seven children, Estrada is the first in her family to attend college and said she wants to set an example for her siblings. The Spring Valley resident, who has lived in Southern California throughout her 19 years, has her eyes set on transferring to San Diego State University in fall 2015 to pursue a degree in accounting. She began taking classes at Cuyamaca College in fall 2012 after graduating from Mount Miguel High School in Spring Valley.
UC San Diego Launches New Athletic Scholarships
This fall, for the first time in its history, UC San Diego will offer athletic scholarships to prospective student athletes. Until now, the campus was the only school in its conference that did not award merit-based athletic scholarships.
The scholarships will be significant enough to help cover tuition and educationa costs, the university said. They will be funded by fees from a 2007 Associated Students referendum, bolstered by private support from alumni, families and friends.
The change, which was approved by the Academic Senate Council during the 2013-14 academic year, will help make UC San Diego more affordable to student-athletes from all backgrounds, including those from low-income families who come from underserved regions.
The new scholarships will also help UC San Diego Athletics remain competitive with other UC campuses, as well as competitor schools in NCAA Division II, which provide athletic scholarships to attract top students.
“Athletic scholarships will allow the campus to recruit outstanding prospective Tritons and retain impactful student-athletes who maintain exceptionally high academic standards,” said Athletic Director Earl W. Edwards.
In order to keep their scholarship funding, student-athletes will be required to maintain a GPA of 2.6 or better.
City Moves to Regulate E-Cigarettes
Proposed regulations for vapor inhalers, also known as electronic cigarettes, cleared the committee level to be sent on to the San Diego City Council. The two ordinances would, if passed by the council, regulate retail sales of the battery-operated e-cigarette devices and restrict their use. The rules would generally conform to restrictions on tobacco products.
“Our goal here is to provide some sensible restrictions on these so that adults are able to utilize these safely in places that are not around kids, and that kids under the age of 18 do not have access to these, and also give our local law enforcement the ability to enforce state law regarding the sale to minors,” Councilman Mark Kersey said at a Wednesday meeting of the Public Safety and Livable Neighborhoods Committee.
Deputy City Attorney Linda Peter said the proposed retailing ordinance would require store owners who sell e-cigarettes to:
• Obtain a police permit.
• Prohibit sales of the devices, vaping juice and other paraphernalia through vending machines.
• Restrict advertisements or promotions that are visible in public areas.
Deputy City Attorney Ken So told committee members that use of vapor inhalers would be prohibited in the same types of places where people aren’t allowed to smoke, such as restaurants, theaters, sports facilities, parks and beaches. The devices would be allowed in residences, vehicles, e-cigarette shops and vaping lounges, So said.
– City News Service
Tony Gwynn Memorial Set for June 26
1960 — 2014
The San Diego Padres announced that a free, public memorial for Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn will be held on Thursday, June 26, at 7:19 p.m. at Petco Park.
Team officials said gates for the memorial will be open at 5:30 p.m., with fans being allowed to enter through the Home Plate or Park Boulevard gates on Park Boulevard. Fans can also enter through the Gaslamp Gate on Seventh Avenue or the East Village gate on Tenth Avenue.
The team said “the event will celebrate Tony’s legendary life, accomplishments, and contributions to the Padres, to San Diego, and to the sport of baseball. It will feature special guests from throughout his lifetime.”
For those attending, parking will be free at the following locations:
• Two surface lots along Imperial Avenue (Parcel C lot and Tailgate lot) on the southeast side of Petco Park.
• Padres Parkade garage (10th Avenue at J Street).
Starting Wednesday night and for the rest of the season, Padres players will wear a patch on their jerseys to honor “Mr. Padre.”
“The patch of Tony’s retired 19 inside of home plate will be worn on the left side, over the heart. It joins the star patch with the initials JC, worn on the right sleeve, in honor of legendary broadcaster Jerry Coleman, who passed away in January at the age of 89,” the team said.
1960-2014
