Daily Business Report-March 16, 2016
The campus of the Academy of Our Lady of Peace on Oregon Street in San Diego is the site of the second annual Women’s Symposium. (Photo courtesy of OLP)
Academy of Our Lady of Peace to Hold
Second Annual Women’s Symposium
Prominent leaders will be featured at Friday event
Anne Sweeney, former president of Disney/ABC Television Group, will deliver the keynote address at the 2nd annual Women’s Symposium hosted by the Academy of Our Lady Peace on Friday, March 18, at the school’s campus in San Diego (4860 Oregon St., San Diego 92116).
The 9:45 a.m. to 1 p.m. symposium will feature prominent women leaders on multigenerational panels as they share insights with the future leaders and innovators of the world. Panel discussions will cover an array of topics aimed at helping the next generation of women leaders manage the many aspects of being a woman in the workforce.
Dr. Diane Perez, host of Despierta San Diego on Univision, will serve as the mistress of ceremonies for the event, and Cheryl K. Goodman, founder and CEO of SoGloMo, will deliver the closing remarks. Panel discussions will be held throughout the day covering a range of topics including STEM education, creative industry, business and entrepreneurship, public policy and innovation in education.
Panelist highlights include powerhouse women leaders Shelley Zimmerman, chief of the San Diego Police Department; Navrina Singh, founder of QWISE (Qualcomm Women In Science and Engineering); Katherine Stuart Faulconer, first lady of San Diego and owner of Restaurant Events Inc.; Thella F. Bowens, president and CEO of the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority; Patricia Marquez, dean of The Joan B. Kroc School of Peace Studies; and Sara Bendrick, host of DIY Network’s “I Hate My Yard.”
A limited number of tickets to the symposium are available to the general public for $50 per person. Tickets can be purchased online at aolp.org/OLPWS.
The 2nd Annual Women’s Symposium is sponsored by I.E.-Pacific Inc., a woman-owned, award-winning contractor that provides general construction and engineering services throughout California and the Southwest.
____________________________________________
San Diego Launches Fund
To Help Residents Pay Bills
City News Service
The City Council voted 8-0 Tuesday to establish a charitable fund to assist San Diego residents who are struggling to pay their water and sewer bills — and fundraising got off to an unexpectedly quick start.
In the Help to Others Program — or H2O — customers of the city’s Public Utilities Department will find a line item on their bills in which they can donate to help low-income residents. A donation option will also be made available on the department’s bill-paying website.
PUD staff estimated that if state and national trends hold up in San Diego, around 7,500 to 10,000 customers would benefit from the proceeds. Their eligibility would likely be determined by whether they’re enrolled in other assistance programs, such as one offered by San Diego Gas & Electric.
Around 530 delinquent bills are referred to the city treasurer each month, according to staff.
“There’s a great need for a program like this,” Councilman David Alvarez said. “Water is a human right.”
He noted that the city has taken several other steps to help customers in need, such as courtesy extensions for bill deadlines, longer-term payment plans, one-time waivers of shut-off and restoration fees, and no longer shutting off water over holidays and weekends.
Staff conceded that they don’t know how much revenue the program will generate. They plan to begin informing customers through various means next month, and hope to have an estimate by December.
After the vote was taken, Wilson Kennedy, a PUD employee who helped develop the program, pledged a $500 donation. He told the council members that his single mother benefited from similar assistance when he was growing up.
Don Kelly, executive director of the Utility Consumer Action Network, stepped up to the podium and matched his contribution.
Scripps Scientists Identify Markers
Of Kidney Transplant Rejection
Despite advances in organ transplant medicine in recent decades, about half of all kidney transplant patients still lose their organ to rejection within 10 years.
Now a study led by scientists at The Scripps Research Institute shows that genome-wide molecular profiling of kidney biopsies may be a key to catching organ rejection before it’s too late. The research demonstrates that acute and chronic kidney rejection — currently believed to be separate diseases — are actually different parts of the arc of the same immune rejection process.
“For our transplant population, this is a major new understanding of the molecular basis of immune rejection that challenges the field to reconsider its current paradigms and has multiple immediate and actionable therapy implications for patients,” said TSRI Professor Daniel Salomon, director of the Laboratory for Functional Genomics at TSRI. “The insights here most likely apply to liver, heart and lung transplants, too.”
The research was published online by the American Journal of Transplantation.
UC San Diego’s Office of Innovation
Names Director of Commercialization
The Office of Innovation and Commercialization at UC San Diego has named Rubén D. Flores as director of commercialization to energize the creation of campus startups.
Most recently, Flores served as vice president of business development and technology transfer for the Los Angeles BioMedical Research Institute at Harbor UCLA Medical Center, where he focused on fostering the entrepreneurial ecosystem for startups in Los Angeles.
“Rubén has worked in industry and in academia, and thoroughly understands the challenges of managing our patents and licenses, and guiding the new generation of startups,” said Sandra Brown, vice chancellor for research. “His guidance and counsel will be invaluable as UC San Diego dramatically boosts our efforts to encourage faculty and student entrepreneurial innovation.”
Flores earned his doctorate in chemistry and biochemistry at UCLA, and began his career in the San Diego biotechnology industry at BD Biosciences Pharmigen. He has held a variety of positions with increasing responsibility in R&D, marketing, business development and technology commercialization.
His professional career also includes Biosite (now Inverness), where he helped design, initiate, negotiate and monitor clinical trials; and later joined Chemicon (now Millipore-Sigma), where he managed R&D, worldwide clinical-trial operations, and marketing activities for diagnostic products.
Firefighter Candidates Now Can Be
Put to the Test at Miramar College
San Diego Miramar College’s Fire Technology and Emergency Medical Technology facility will serve as a candidate testing center thanks to a $44,000 Neighborhood Reinvestment Program grant from the county.
Previously, firefighter candidates had to travel to Orange County or Sacramento to undergo their mandatory CPAT training. The Firefighter Candidate Testing Center, the agency that administers the CPAT examinations, has also selected Miramar College as the state’s third testing site.
The Neighborhood Reinvestment Program Grant will allow for the purchase of vital equipment necessary to successfully prepare local firefighting candidates.
“We are always looking for new recruits,” said San Diego Fire Chief Brian Fennessy. “It will be much easier now that this training facility is open here at Miramar College. The certifications firefighters can receive here can help aspiring firefighters compete for positions here in San Diego County as opposed to neighboring counties. That is good for us and it is good for public safety.”
The new, $16 million dollar firefighting and EMT training facilities at Miramar College opened in fall of 2014 and includes a five-story rappelling tower, command simulators, a “roof prop” for cutting ventilation holes, and classroom space. The facility was paid for through Proposition N funds.
Coastal Commission Approval Marks
Key Step for North Coast Corridor Program
The California Coastal Commission voted unanimously on March 9 to approve the initial set of highway, bike, and pedestrian path improvement projects near the San Elijo Lagoon as part of the North Coast Corridor (NCC) Program.
The vote helps set the stage for implementing the first phase of transportation and environmental enhancements later this year. Oficials said the decision marks a key step in the 10-year collaborative effort between Caltrans, SANDAG, community members, local corridor cities, the Coastal Commission, and resource agencies.
The Coastal Commission approved a Coastal Development permit for the replacement of the San Elijo Lagoon highway bridge, which is slated to begin construction this fall. The new bridge will be wider to accommodate new carpool lanes, and longer to improve lagoon tidal flow. This work also includes a new Multi-Use Facility/Park & Ride at Manchester Avenue, and new bike/pedestrian trails in and around the San Elijo Lagoon.
Pre-construction public meetings will be held later this year to inform residents and business about what to expect during construction.
Northrop to Help DARPA Build
Miniature Navigation Sensor Tech
ExecutiveBiz
Northrop Grumman has received a potential $11.6 million contract from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency’s microsystems technology office to develop a miniaturized inertial measurement unit for navigational use.
The company said Monday it aims to build a microelectromechanical system-based sensor IMU technology for the detection of angular motion and acceleration under DARPA’s Precise Robust Inertial Guidance for Munitions Navigation-Grade Inertial Measurement Unit project.
Alex Fax, program director for advanced positioning, navigation and timing solutions at Northrop’s mission systems unit, said he believes miniaturization of IMUs can help warfighters operate in contested environments.
The contract has a $6.27 million base value and calls for the company to demonstrate that its suite of MEMS-based accelerometers and gyroscopes can address the program’s system performance and environmental requirements.
Northrop noted the $5.3 million in contract options will cover performance assessment on a prototype IMU technology in a Defense Department-run simulated environment.
Escondido Woman Appointed to
California Board of Optometry
Debra McIntyre, 49, of Escondido, has been appointed to the California Board of Optometry by Gov. Jerry Brown.
McIntyre has been an optometrist at West Coast Eyecare since 2013, where she was an optometrist from 2002 to 2003. She was chief executive officer and an optometrist at Accent on Eyes Optometry from 2003 to 2013 and at Paradise Optical from 1999 to 2002.
McIntyre is a member of the Escondido Sunrise Rotary. She earned a Doctor of Optometry degree from the Marshall B. Ketchum University, Southern California College of Optometry. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. McIntyre is a Democrat.
San Diego Supervisors Support
Drunken Driving Legislation
City News Service
State legislation that would require first-time drunken drivers to install an ignition interlock system in their vehicle gained the unanimous support of the San Diego County Board of Supervisors Tuesday.
The board voted 4-0, with Supervisor Ron Roberts absent, to send a letter of support for Senate Bill 1046, which was recently introduced in Sacramento.
If SB 1046 becomes law, it would expand a current four-county pilot program statewide by requiring anyone convicted of a single DUI offense to install a certified ignition interlock device on each vehicle they own or operate.
The device would measure the driver’s blood-alcohol content before unlocking the vehicle’s ignition system. If alcohol is detected on the driver’s breath, the car won’t start.
“I firmly believe that this legislation will help us provide another tool to help stop drunk driving before it starts,” said Supervisor Dianne Jacob.
