Daily Business Report-April 29, 2015

 Gov. Jerry Brown addresses reporters at the State Capitol after meeting with mayors from across the state on Tuesday to discuss water conservation efforts.

Gov. Brown Proposes $10,000 Fine

For California’s Worst Water Wasters

Gov. Jerry Brown on Tuesday called for $10,000 fines for residents and businesses that waste the most water as California cities try to meet mandatory conservation targets during the drought.

The recommendation was part of a legislative proposal Brown said he would make to expand enforcement of water restrictions.

His announcement came as his administration faces skepticism about his sweeping plan to save water and just hours before regulators were scheduled to release an updated plan assigning each community a water use reduction target.

“We’ve done a lot. We have a long way to go,” Brown said after meeting with the mayors of 14 cities, including San Diego. “So maybe you want to think of this as just another installment on a long enterprise to live with a changing climate and with a drought of uncertain duration.”

The governor also said he is directing state agencies to speed up environmental review of projects that increase local water supplies. Mayors have complained that such projects have been delayed by red tape.

A legislative panel on Monday rejected a bill supported by Republicans to speed construction of new water storage projects.

— Associated Press

Read the article here.

California to Fight Global Warming

With New Greenhouse Gas Reductions

Gov. Jerry Brown issued an executive order Wednesday committing California to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 40 percent below 1990 levels by 2030. The new target is the most aggressive enacted by any government in North America to reduce dangerous carbon emissions over the next decade and a half.

Brown’s executive order aligns California’s greenhouse gas reduction target with Europe ahead of the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Paris later this year.

“With this order, California sets a very high bar for itself and other states and nations, but it’s one that must be reached — for this generation and generations to come,” Brown said.

The state is on track to meet or exceed the current target of cutting greenhouse gas emissions back to 1990 levels by 2020, as established in the California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006. The target of 40 percent below 1990 levels by 2030 will make it possible to reach the ultimate goal of reducing emissions 80 percent under 1990 levels by 2050.

The targets are in line with scientifically established levels needed in the U.S. to limit global warming below 2 degrees Celsius — the warming threshold at which scientists say there will likely be major climate disruptions such as super droughts and rising sea levels.

California’s action was quickly welcomed by the international community.

“Four consecutive years of exceptional drought has brought home the harsh reality of rising global temperatures to the communities and businesses of California,” said World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim. “There can be no substitute for aggressive national targets to reduce harmful greenhouse emissions, but the decision today by Governor Brown to set a 40 percent reduction target for 2030 is an example of climate leadership that others must follow.”

Former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg said,“California’s 2030 goal to reduce carbon emissions is not only bold, it’s necessary — for the economy and our future.”

The executive order directs state government to factor climate change into state agencies’ planning and investment decisions and implement measures under existing agency and departmental authority to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

— Times of San Diego

Eight SDSU Students Selected to Teach

And Do Research in Fulbright Program

Eight San Diego State University students were selected to teach and conduct research abroad in 2015-2016 as part of the prestigious Fulbright Program, the flagship international educational exchange program sponsored by the U.S. government.

Seventy-four SDSU students have been offered Fulbrights in the last 10 years, including 26 in the last three years.

The Fulbright Program awards about 8,000 grants annually, enabling U.S. students and scholars to teach and study abroad and visiting students and scholars to study in the United States.

Of this year’s SDSU Fulbrights, three will do research abroad:

• Benjamin Aceves, a graduate student in the public health/Latin American studies program, will work in Mexico City, conducting a qualitative analysis on implementation of the Mexican National Guidelines for Action in Schools. These guidelines are designed to reduce childhood obesity by promoting healthy lifestyles.

• Sarah Alvy, a graduate student in business administration, will look at corporate governance reforms in India as a research fellow at the Indian Institute of Management in Bangalore. Her qualitative and quantitative research will analyze the effectiveness of recent legislation related to board composition and corporate social responsibility.

• Katie Sievers, a graduate student in ecology, will work in the Philippines to increase understanding of fish distribution and determine if marine protected areas are effectively conserving heavily fished species. Her research will contribute to creating sustainable management practices in a region whose population relies on coastal resources.

Five Aztecs will teach English and initiate civic engagement projects in their host countries.

• Keanna Cash will spend the academic year in Turkey, creating a guidebook about Turkish music, art, education, language and cuisine for university-based study abroad programs.

• Jannet Cueva will teach English in Spain and organize a creative writing workshop for students to apply the language skills they learn in class.

• Elaine Flores, who was invited to teach in Thailand, will use her knowledge of poetry and diverse cultures to lead an after-school poetry workshop for students.

• Dillon Scalzo will spend the academic year in Uruguay, leading a course for students about the work of American activist songwriters, such as Pete Seeger, Woody Guthrie, Joan Baez and Bob Dylan.

• Katherine Vilchez will teach in Brazil and organize Skype-based group discussions about cultural issues between students in Brazil and English-as-a-second-language (ESL) students in San Diego.

Former Sony Game Unit Rebranded

A San Diego-based computer game studio formerly owned by Sony has rebranded itself as Daybreak Game Company.

The unit formerly known as Sony Online Entertainment said the change reflects its new vision in the market for massively multiplayer online role-playing games.

“The new branding reflects who Daybreak is as an organization and its vision to approach each new day as an opportunity to move gaming forward,” the company said.

Daybreak promised to usher in a new breed of online games for PCs and consoles, a new development style and a new approach to community collaboration.

In February, Sony sold the game unit to Columbus Nova, a New York-based investment company.

— Times of San Diego

Three San Diego City Council Members

To Go On Lobbying Trip to Washington

Three members of the San Diego City Council are scheduled to fly to Washington, D.C., today to lobby congressional representatives and other federal officials.

Council President Sherri Lightner, and Councilwomen Myrtle Cole and Marti Emerald plan to discuss economic development, infrastructure financing, workforce development, homelessness and cyber security.

“I’m looking forward to meeting with our contacts in Washington regarding their approaches to issues such as cyber security and workforce development,” Lightner said. “We’re bringing a lot of good ideas, and I believe San Diego will benefit from strengthening our partnerships with some of the nation’s foremost industry professionals.”

With San Diego and the state as a whole locked in a severe drought, Lightner said she also plans to talk about water issues.

Her itinerary also includes delivering the closing remarks at a showing of the National Geographic documentary “Smart Cities San Diego.” The one-hour program, which began airing last Saturday on the National Geographic Channel, focuses on San Diego’s quality of life, technology sector, local innovators, green practices and public planning. San Diego is the only city in North America to be profiled.

As council president pro tem, Emerald is the council’s second in command, and she chairs the panel’s Public Safety and Livable Neighborhoods Committee. Cole chairs the Economic Development Committee.

North County Women in Business

Jianna King and sister, Jaysie McLinn, teamed up with Jodi Gallen to launch North County Deals in 2014, a hyper-local daily deals site that provides local residents an opportunity to enjoy the wonderful products, services and experiences North County merchants have to offer. Giving back to the community is at the core of North County Deals, as $1 from each deal purchased will be donated to a local school, organization or charity. Combined, Jaysie, Jianna and Jodi have an immense business background in sales, marketing, business development and operations. Their intricate involvement in the school systems and passion for supporting small businesses while enhancing their community allows the local moms to really make a difference with their new venture.

Jianna King: “Jaysie and I were raised in a home with a very strong mother. She owned her own successful business and was an important person in our community. She also has an amazing marriage with our dad. To have such a strong example of an inspiring woman to look up to taught us that we could have it all. You can be a wonderful mother, a successful businesswoman and a kick-ass wife!”

Read the full article here.

Attorney Installed as President

Of Collaborative Practice California

San Diego family law attorney Shawn Weber, member and past president of the Collaborative Family Law Group of San Diego, has been installed as president of Collaborative Practice California, the statewide organization for Collaborative Practice groups.

Individual members of the practice groups included Collaborative lawyers, mental health practitioners, financial specialists, and other professionals. The Collaborative Process is being used in divorce and family law, domestic partnerships, same sex marriages, employment law, probate law, construction and real property law, malpractice, and other civil law areas.

CP Cal’s mission is to unify, strengthen and support the Collaborative Practice community and to increase public awareness of the Collaborative Process throughout California.

Weber started with the Solana Beach based law firm of Brave, Weber & Mack in 1999. Just a few years later, he became the firm’s managing attorney. In this role, he has grown the firm from a small solo practice to a full service firm. In 2006, he also became a partner and CFO of the firm.

Weber served on the Collaborative Family Law Group of San Diego board from 2005 to 2013 and served as its president in 2009.