Daily Business Report-May 8, 2015
Tribune Publishing, which owns nine other daily newspapers including the Chicago Tribune and Baltimore Sun, said it will pay $85 million for the U-T operation, a sum that doesn’t include its Mission Valley headquarters.
U-T San Diego Sold to Owner of Los Angeles Times
Times Publisher: Most people won’t notice any changes, aside from improved coverage
The owner of the Los Angeles Times has agreed to buy U-T San Diego, combining two of Southern California’s oldest and most recognizable media companies, executives announced Thursday.
Tribune Publishing, which owns nine other daily newspapers including the Chicago Tribune and Baltimore Sun, said it will pay $85 million for the U-T operation, a sum that doesn’t include its Mission Valley headquarters.
With potential to reduce costs and combine resources, the deal is designed to help the two media operations compete for readers and advertisers against an onslaught of firms, ranging from Facebook to Politico to Yelp, that focus exclusively on reaching people through the Internet and mobile devices.
Austin Beutner, the Times publisher and chief executive, will hold those posts at both companies after the deal closes in coming weeks. Employing about 500 journalists in the Times newsroom and 175 at the U-T, the combined companies would offer subject-matter expertise that no competitor can match, he said.
“That’s our comparative advantage; … we have more voices and more content, and that’s how we win in a digital world,” Beutner said in an interview before the announcement. “We compete by having the best content.”
To that end, Beutner said a regional operating parent, called California News Group, would keep the Times and U-T as distinct brands and separate newsrooms. Yet he said they would share some stories, photos, video and other content, when doing so can best serve readers.
Most people won’t notice any changes, aside from improved coverage, Beutner said.
H.G. Fenton to Offer Craft Brewers
Fully Stocked Brewery Space for Lease
H.G. Fenton Company owns and manages 13 apartment communities with more than 3,100 homes in San Diego County, but on July 1 it will start leasing something entirely different — new facilities for craft brewers.
Brewery Igniter is a set of turnkey brewing facilities in the Miramar area that contain state-of-the-art, fully functional brewing systems and tasting rooms that entrepreneur brewers can rent to get their products to market faster.
Typically, a startup microbrewer must invest hundreds of thousands of dollars in brewing equipment, manage construction expenses and logistics and wait for a liquor license and their equipment to be delivered and installed before they can brew, pour and sell their first pint. The Fenton company’s Brewery Igniter provides the space and all of the equipment to produce and sell craft beer, so that a startup microbrewery can begin selling product as soon as it gets its ABC license, which can take as little as two months.
Brewery Igniter isn’t an incubator — nobody will be helping these entrepreneurs learn to brew or kicking them out once they’ve learned — but rather a way to reduce the barriers to entry so that passionate brewers can produce beer, get it to customers, and help San Diego continue to lead as the Craft Beer Capital, according to Bill Hooper, a portfolio manager with the Fenton company.
“We have had the privilege of working with many craft brewers in San Diego and have seen firsthand the challenges that they face. We developed Brewery Igniter to lower new brewers risk and help them get the most successful start possible,” said Hooper.
The first two Brewery Igniter locations will be available for craft brewers starting July 1 at 9030 Kenamar Drive in Miramar. Entrepreneur brewers can rent the space and start production immediately so that their product gets to market faster with drastically reduced upfront capital investment and risk.
Lease rates have yet to be established for the Brewery Igniter locations. “H.G. Fenton is focused on providing value with flexible lease terms and lease rates that reflect a fair monthly cost craft brew entrepreneurs would expect for rent and equipment payments,” a Fenton spokeswoman said. “Our hopes are that entrepreneur brewers will enter Brewery Igniter to get their business off the ground, blossom into a financially stable and growing business and eventually invest into a bigger brewing space of their own. But if they want to continue leasing, they’re more than welcome to.”
Brewery Igniter’s two current locations in Miramar feature:
• 1,625 square feet of space per unit
• A tasting room with a bar
• 7 barrel brew house
• Four 15 barrel brite tanks
• Four 15 barrel uni tanks
• Two stage glycol chiller
• Malt mill
• Cold room
• Two station automatic keg washer
H.G. Fenton is looking at other potential sites in San Diego County to deploy the Brewery Igniter to meet demand.
San Diego Housing Commission Pays
$14.8 Million For Seniors Apartment Complex
The San Diego Housing Commission has purchased Village North Senior Garden Apartments, a complex with 120 one-bedroom units for seniors, for $14.8 million. The apartments are at 7720-7780 Belden St. in San Diego.
The sellers were Village North LLC and Belden Village.
“The Village North acquisition represents a unique opportunity for the Housing Commission to create additional affordable housing for seniors on a well-located and well-maintained asset,” said Jim Neil of CBRE, which represented the commission.
The apartment complex features an access gate, clubhouse, laundry on-site, 24-hour emergency maintenance, and planned social activities. The units are equipped with air conditioning and heating units, large outdoor patio space and plenty of storage.
Scripps Proton Therapy Center Open House
San Diego County residents can get an up-close look at the region’s only proton treatment facility for cancer care when Scripps Health hosts a special open house Tuesday, June 16, from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Scripps Proton Therapy Center.
The free event will include tours of the facility, which opened for patient care last year, and a presentation on proton therapy by the center’s medical director, Dr. Carl Rossi. Scripps Proton Therapy Center is located in Mira Mesa at 9730 Summers Ridge Road, San Diego. To register to attend, call 800-727-4777.
The Scripps Proton Therapy Center is the first in the nation to treat patients exclusively with pencil-beam scanning, which enables doctors to be far more specific with where they deliver the radiation dose compared to earlier passive scatter technology. Pencil-beam technology also allows doctors to vary the radiation dose within the tumor target, which previously was not possible.
Luxury Condos Overlooking
Windansea Beach Near Completion
One Neptune in La Jolla, a luxury home development overlooking Windansea Beach, will receive its first homeowners this summer. One-third of the 18 condominiums have been sold.
The 18 condominiums are a mix of one-, two- and three-bedroom homes, each on a single level with a private ocean-view deck. Currently priced from $1.4 million to $3.4 million, One Neptune Place is drawing strong pre-opening interest with seven homes already sold. Completion and move-ins are expected by summer.
“Whether you know the site for its legendary surf break, its place in Tom Wolfe’s “The Pump House Gang,” or just as a part of the La Jolla landscape, the spot is revered for its beauty,” said veteran real estate agent Steve Cairncross, who is representing longtime San Diego home builder, Mike Turk, and his limited partner, MB Property Acquisitions, at One Neptune.
Designed by Marengo Morton Architects, homes at One Neptune range from 797 to 2,196 square feet and feature such sustainable features as solar electrical systems and tankless water heaters. Secured, assigned underground parking, as well as extra storage for bikes and surfboards, are accessed via a private elevator or stairs.
One Neptune sits on the site of the Strand Hotel, which opened in 1909 and 10 years later became known as the Windansea Hotel when its new owner Dr. Arthur T. Snell sponsored a competition to rename it. After that, the neighborhood took on the Windansea moniker. In 1953, the aging structure was replaced with a 19-unit apartment building.
Conrad Prebys Funds First Endowed Chair
In UC San Diego’s Music Department
When he realized he had neither the talent nor the dedication to be a career musician, San Diego builder Conrad Prebys chose a different path. But his passion for music never wavered, and since 2007, he has generously given to the Division of Arts and Humanities at UC San Diego to help ensure that the facilities, faculty and programs will continue to launch students into successful music careers.
UC San Diego on Thursday announced the latest gift from the philanthropist — the $1 million Conrad Prebys Presidential Chair in Music to support scholarly activity and graduate fellowships in the chair holder’s department. His gift of $500,000 was matched by the University of California as part of the UC system’s Presidential Match for Endowed Chairs to encourage donors to establish endowed faculty chairs. The chair holder has not yet been selected.
“Music is a true passion of mine and has been a great part of my life,” said Prebys. Over the years, he has demonstrated his love of music by supporting UC San Diego’s renowned department of music. A $6 million donation was made to the campus’ state-of-the-art facility, now named the Conrad Prebys Music Center, and a $3 million gift established the Conrad Prebys Music Endowment. The Music Center’s crowning jewel — the Conrad Prebys Concert Hall, considered one of the greatest small concert halls in the world — was named in recognition of Prebys’ philanthropy.
Water Authority Recommends
Water-Use Reduction Strategies
New regional drought-response measures recommended by the San Diego County Water Authority’s staff would assist local water agencies in meeting state mandated water-use reduction targets by restricting watering of ornamental landscapes to two days a week and boosting regional conservation and outreach efforts by $1 million.
In addition, recommendations under review by the Water Authority’s Board of Directors would establish local urban and agricultural water supply cutbacks based on reduced water deliveries from the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California and set penalties for local agencies that exceed their supply allocations.
The Water Authority’s board will consider the enhanced drought-response strategies at a special meeting at 1:30 p.m. on Thursday, May 14.
“The policies we are recommending to the board, along with the resources we offer for increasing water conservation at homes and businesses, will help local water agencies continue to drive down water use in the face of unprecedented statewide drought conditions and restrictions,” said Maureen Stapleton, general manager of the Water Authority. “After two decades of countywide water conservation efforts and water-use reductions, it will be very challenging to meet the state’s targets. But everyone in the region has a civic duty to take additional steps that squeeze the most out of each gallon we have.”
Council Scrutinizes Proposed
Budget Over Civic San Diego
The San Diego City Council on Thursday scrutinized the proposed budget of Civic San Diego for the fiscal year that begins July 1 amid growing concerns over the scope of the agency’s powers.
Civic San Diego, which was created after the state abolished redevelopment agencies, proposes to spend $7.4 million in the 2015-16 fiscal year, a 10 percent increase over the current fiscal year. Most of the hike for the agency that handles design and permitting of major projects in Downtown, City Heights and Southeast San Diego stems from hiring five full-time staff and merit-based salary increases, according to staff.
The agency also helps the city wind-down the redevelopment process and runs the Downtown parking meter system.
Questions have recently been raised about the scope of Civic San Diego’s powers and whether the agency receives appropriate oversight from the city.
On Wednesday, a bill designed to strengthen the supervision of such organizations was passed by the Assembly’s Local Government Committee.
Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez (D-San Diego), said her bill would create more oversight by local governments that rely on the planning, zoning or permitting expertise of nonprofit organizations or private individuals.
Mayor Kevin Faulconer and area business leaders said they would work to defeat the measure as it winds through the Legislature. They contend the bill, if passed, would add unnecessary hurdles to projects in neighborhoods that need development and would discourage investors.
The City Council’s Public Safety and Livable Neighborhoods Committee recently held a hearing on the issue.
Thursday, Councilwoman Myrtle Cole said the panel’s Economic Development and Intergovernmental Relations Committee, which she chairs, plans to hold a June 4 hearing on Civic San Diego’s bylaws and consulting agreement with the city, along with potential amendments.
“Some changes are needed to address concerns about transparency and accountability, and also to align with best practices,” Cole said.
She said she wants to hold regular hearings on the agency’s activities.
The City Council is in the midst of five days of hearings to vet Mayor Kevin Faulconer’s proposed $3.2 billion spending plan. The council plans to hold an evening meeting on Monday at 6 p.m. to take public comment.
— City News Service
3 Members of Council of Community Clinics Get Funds
Three members of the Council of Community Clinics (CCC) — Neighborhood Healthcare in Escondido, North County Health Services in San Marcos, and Clinicas de Salud del Pueblo in Brawley — received a total of $2.2 million in Affordable Care Act funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
The awards were part of approximately $101 million in Affordable Care Act funding to 164 new health center sites in 33 states and two U.S. Territories for the delivery of comprehensive primary health care services in communities that need them most. These new health centers are projected to increase access to health care services for nearly 650,000 patients.
Neighborhood Healthcare was awarded $541,667 to create a new access point in Southwest Riverside County for individuals and families who live under 200 percent of the federal poverty level and all those who are uninsured and low-income residing in the service area of San Jacinto Valley.
North County Health Services received a grant award of $983,333 to provide family practice primary care services for adults and pediatrics services in the city of Perris, which is designated as a Medically Underserved Area.
Clincas de Salud del Pueblo received a grant award of $691,667 for a new access point health center, Hemet Medical and Dental Center.
Personnel Announcements
Kerri O’Brien Gets Executive Post
At American Council on Exercise
The American Council on Exercise announced the appointment of Kerri O’Brien, a tenured business leader in the health and fitness industry, as the executive vice president of product and business development. In her role, O’Brien will lead the strategy, design, and development of certification materials, professional education, online education methodologies and eLearning platforms.
Prior to joining ACE, O’Brien spent more than four years at the Valley of the Sun YMCA in Phoenix, most recently as the executive vice president and chief operating officer, where she stood at the helm of all operations including healthy living programs, membership and corporate wellness. She has more than 27 years in the health and fitness industry.
