Daily Business Report-Feb. 3, 2016
Homie UP, short for Homie Universidad Popular, is a program that offers American history from a Chicano/Latino perspective free of charge to incarcerated individuals. (Artwork in photos contributed by Louie, Homie UP student. Homie UP students sometimes submit assignments in the form of art, allowing them to express what they have learned creatively.)
Curriculum Goes Behind Bars
Cal State San Marcos student program offers
American history to incarcerated individuals
By Whitney Frasier | Cal State San Marcos
When a group of California State University San Marcos students started sending curriculum to a seven-student cohort in prisons throughout Southern California, they never thought their program would grow to more than 200 active students behind bars across the United States.
Homie UP, short for Homie Universidad Popular, is a program that offers American history from a Chicano/Latino perspective free of charge to incarcerated individuals. The initiative started after community members participating in a similar curriculum known as Universidad Popular, or People’s University, expressed interest in presenting the information they were learning to their incarcerated loved ones.
“The program was initially intended for those serving a life sentence, but then we received so many requests, we felt compelled to make it accessible to all incarcerated individuals regardless of sentence length,” said Flor Alvarez, a Homie UP coordinator and National Latino Research Center (NLRC) research assistant.
Louie, Homie UP student
Louie, Homie UP student
As the popularity of the program increases, the program coordinators are beginning to feel some growing pains as their staff and funding remains the same.
“We have spent countless hours creating the Homie UP curriculum and reviewing assignments — sometimes we work overnight or even on the weekends,” said Alvarez. “It’s all on a volunteer basis, so many times we pay out of pocket to send assignments. When we are fortunate, some family members will contribute stamps, paper and envelopes.”
When the program was at its infancy, all the students were of Latino decent. Now, Homie UP’s student base is very diverse and includes both male and female inmates of all ethnicities convicted of a variety of offenses. The team’s future plan is to offer an increased variety of classes, and not just from a Latino perspective.
“This project has really catapulted us into this national discussion that’s going on around incarceration,” said NLRC Research Director Arcela Nuñez-Alvárez. “Our project is very much aligned to issues that happening nationally and at the state level and locally.”
A $10,000 grant from California Humanities has allowed the team to tell the story further through a documentary titled, “Homie UP: Stories of Love and Redemption.” The grant supports documentary films, radio and new media productions that enhance the community’s understanding of California and its cultures, peoples and histories.
Whitney Frasier is a communications specialist at California State University San Marcos
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What Brought Marne Foster Down
By Mario Koran | Voice of San Diego
Following months of allegations, San Diego Unified School Board trustee Marne Foster resigned over something that had never surfaced publicly.
She pleaded guilty Tuesday to a misdemeanor charge of accepting illegal gifts as a public official. Her resignation from the school board, effective Feb. 7, was part of her plea agreement.
But her defense attorney and the prosecution acknowledged that high-profile allegations made against her had played an important role in her resignation.
They both said the public issues she’d faced in the media, which also led to an investigation into her conduct by the school district, were part of negotiations that eventually led to the plea agreement.
“We were looking at a lot of different charges and considering all sorts of possibilities,” said Leon Schorr, the deputy district attorney who prosecuted the case.
It was Foster’s failure to disclose a series of gifts from Janet Hunter, a “benefactor in the community,” Schorr said, that led to the charge, which prohibits officials from receiving gifts in excess of $460 per year from a single source.
Hunter paid for Foster’s youngest son, Malachi Foster, to attend drama camp, and airfare to and from Pace University in New York. The gifts totaled $3,487.
No other charges were formally filed against Foster, and the DA’s office agreed not to pursue charges in the future on the allegations that plagued Foster since 2014.
Also included in Foster’s plea agreement: She will serve three years’ probation, she cannot run for political office for four years and she must pay Hunter back the value of the gift.
Teledyne Instruments Expands
With Industrial Lease of $22 Million
Teledyne Instruments Inc. has signed a 10-year lease valued at more than $22 million for two buildings in Scripps Ranch with a combined 124,828 square feet of space.
The company expanded into 9970 Carroll Canyon Road and renewed its lease at 9855 Carroll Canyon Road located across the street.
“The expansion building will combine the growing operations of both Teledyne API which is relocating from Sorrento Mesa, as well as Teledyne Impulse which is currently located in Scripps Ranch,” said Bill Dolan, broker for CBRE, which represented the landlord, Gateway Colorado Properties Inc.
The expansion transaction totaling 124,828 square feet was the largest industrial lease completed in central San Diego during 2015, and the largest new R&D deal completed since 2013, according to Dolan.
Cushman and Wakefield represented Teledyne Instruments.
Union Cowork Leases Historic
Unicorn Building in East Village
Union Cowork, a neighborhood cowork space for small businesses and entrepreneurs, has signed a 10-year lease for the historic Unicorn Building. The 12,400 square foot, two-story building is located at 704 J St.
Union Cowork is led by CEO Jamie Miller, and will be expanding its co-work concept at the property. This will be the fifth location in Southern California, including its two existing spaces in North Park, and additional projects currently under construction in Encinitas and Glendale.
David Maxwell and Bill Shrader of Colliers International San Diego Region’s Urban Property Group represented Union Cowork and the landlord PREF Unicorn LLC, an affiliate of Paragon Real Estate Investments.
Paragon purchased the Unicorn Building from Cisterra Development in August 2015.
Prior to the sale, the building was renovated alongside construction of the Sempra Energy Tower. Renovations included new interiors and infrastructure while maintaining the historic building façade.
The property was originally constructed in 1927 for the Western Wholesale Drug Company and most recently housed the Unicorn Antique Mall in the 1990s.
Paul Thiel Elected Chairman
Of Chairmen’s RoundTable
The Chairmen’s RoundTable , a San Diego nonprofit organization that provides pro-bono mentoring to CEOs of private businesses, has elected Paul Thiel as its chairman. Thiel succeeds Richard Earnest, who will remain on the board as chairman emeritus.
Thiel joined CRT after serving as CEO of TruCost Inc., an information services provider in the hospitality industry based in Sorrento Valley, and two media companies in Orange County — McClain Publishing Co. and Freedom Interactive Inc.
Thiel started his career as a financial journalist, writing for The Washington Post, The New York Times and the Florida Times-Union.
The balance of its 2016 board of directors appointments: Jason Kruger –chief financial officer; Dave Ryan — vice chair, program development; Cory Grant — vice chair, sponsor development; Kevin Brown — vice chair, partner relations; David Kramer — vice chair, marketing; Andy Fichthorn — vice chair, client acquisition; and Esther Rodriguez, vice chair, mentor development.
SDSU Receives Contract to Assist
Blind and Disabled Individuals
The Social Policy Institute in San Diego State University’s School of Social Work has been awarded a three-year, $8 million contract to develop a statewide training academy for social workers and other partners who will help elderly, blind and disabled Californians remain safely in their homes and communities and out of institutional care. This translates into increased quality of life for the vulnerable individuals served, and cost savings for California taxpayers.
The funding, which comes from the California Department of Social Services’ Adult Programs Division, will allow SDSU’s Social Policy Institute to develop a comprehensive training program for social workers who assess eligibility for In-Home Supportive Services. Each year IHSS programs support more than 500,000 elderly, blind and disabled individuals who would otherwise be in institutional care.
“This is an exciting opportunity for the Social Policy Institute to bring together the training expertise of the Academy for Professional Excellence and the resources of the Center on Aging to improve the well-being of those served by the IHSS program,” said Steve Hornberger, director of the Social Policy Institute.
Classroom of the Future Focus
Of USD Technology Showcase
A mock classroom with interactive whiteboards, projection cameras, touch screens and other equipment will show how technology is transforming education at the University of San Diego’s 11th Annual Technology Showcase on Friday. The event takes place from noon to 4 p.m. in the University Center Forums.
“This is an exciting opportunity for professors to better understand and familiarize themselves with the technology they will be seeing in their classrooms in the next few years and how it can promote student learning and achievement,” said Shahra Meshkaty, senior director of academic technology services at USD.
“A Roadmap to Transforming the Classroom” is the theme of the 2016 showcase. From noon to 1 p.m., Chad Kainz, Blackboard Inc.’s principal strategist, will discuss “The Complete Package: Teaching, Learning, and the Student Experience,” looking at how technology is at the center of students’ daily lives and expectations for academic success.
From 1 to 4 p.m., there will be a variety of faculty and vendor demonstrations, including the Double 2, an iPad attached to a mobile stand that can be navigated remotely for improved teleconferencing. Other demonstrations include USD’s new High Performance Computer Project for research, and one on how faculty are introducing multimedia projects to students, providing new creative outlets and collaborative experiences for small groups.
Exhibitors this year include Adobe, Absolute, Apple, Aruba, Blackboard, BKM, Dell, DropBox, HARMAN, HP, IBM Watson, Lenovo, Sharp Business Systems, Southland Technology, and WolfVision.
Illumina Reports 31 Percent Profit
Increase Despite 4th Quarter Dip
Times of San Diego
Illumina, a leader in DNA-sequencing equipment, on Tuesday reported strong growth for its 2015 fiscal year, with net income increasing 31 percent on a 19 percent rise in sales.
The San Diego-based company earned $462 million, or $3.10 per share, on revenue of $2.22 billion in the year ended Jan. 3, compared to $353 million, or $2.37 per share, on revenue of $1.86 billion a year ago.
The strong annual performance came despite a dip in fourth-quarter net income to $104 million, or 70 cents per share, from $153 million, or $1.03 per share, in the same period of the previous year. The decline came despite a 15 percent increase in revenue as operating expenses rose.
“We closed 2015 with strong momentum as fourth quarter orders and revenue exceeded our expectations,” said CEO Jay Flatley.
He said recent new product announcements “enhance the most extensive genomics portfolio available” and position the company for long-term growth.
The results were released after the close of financial markets in New York, but the stock was down 6.5 percent at $144.54 in after-hours trading with analysts citing the fourth-quarter decline.
The company said it expects 16 percent revenue growth in the current year with annual earnings in the range of $3.55 to $3.65 per share.
Aethlon Medical’s Blood Filter
To be Tested Against Dengue Virus
San Diego-based Aethlon Medical announced that its anti-viral blood filter will be tested in India for use in patients infected with the deadly dengue virus. The tests will take place at a hospital in Dehli following approval by India’s Drug Controller General.
Dengue infects about 390 million people a year worldwide, 96 million of whom require treatment, according to the World Health Organization. About 12,500 people die from dengue every year.
Aethlon’s Hemopurifier has been successfully used on individuals infected with HIV, hepatitis C and the Ebola virus. It is currently the subject of clinical studies approved by the Food and Drug Administration.
— Times of San Diego