Daily Business Report-May 24, 2016
The building, slated to open in early 2018, will contain ground floor retail space and 99 apartments.
Luxury Apartment Building Going Up
In East Village’s I.D.E.A. District
Construction has started on a seven-story luxury apartment building and parking garage in in the I.D.E.A. District of East Village in Downtown San Diego. The Richman Group of California Development Co. is the developer.
The building, slated to open in early 2018, will contain ground floor retail space and 99 apartments (11 one bedrooms, 51 two bedrooms and 37 studios), parking for 103 vehicles in a multi-level partially subterranean parking garage and recreational amenities.
The mixed-use project called F11 will front on the north side of F Street between 11th Avenue and Park Boulevard.
Architect DesignARC Inc. designed a modified H-shaped building that showcases a large indoor/outdoor activity center on the third floor with a pool/spa area, entertainment center and outdoor kitchen. Other amenities include a fitness center and indoor bocce ball court.
The development team also includes Nexus Planning Consultants, landscape architects
Luke Daniels, president of the developer, was a member of the development team for several San Diego projects, including Park Laurel overlooking Balboa Park and Mission Hills’ 1Mission, which earned the Gold Nugget Grand Award for best mixed-use project.
Later this year, The Richman Group of California will break ground on a 23-story, high-rise apartment tower across the street from the Central Library in Downtown at 330 13th St. The project, designed by DesignARC and Rob Wellington Quigley of San Diego and landscape architect Spurlock Poirier of San Diego, is planned for 222 apartments and more than 7,000 square feet of commercial space, as well as an adjoining low-rise building, which will include two penthouses, a restaurant with extensive outdoor seating and a park-like open space corridor.
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Region’s Successful Water Savings
Continues with Sharp Reduction in April
Preliminary data released by the San Diego County Water Authority show that the San Diego region continues to beat the state’s aggregate water savings target, reducing cumulative potable water use 21 percent from June 2015 through April.
The savings (compared to 2013) were bolstered by a 23 percent reduction in water use in April, the county’s highest savings rate since September.
Under the current regulation, the region’s aggregate cumulative water-savings target is 13 percent – down from 20 percent between June 2015 and February 2016 due to credits for drought-resilient water supplies from the Claude “Bud” Lewis Carlsbad Desalination Plant. The plant produces up to 56,000 acre-feet per year, enough to serve roughly 400,000 residents.
The State Water Resources Control Board on May 18 decided to continue its existing water-use regulation through May, after which state-mandated conservation targets will be replaced with a supply-based approach that considers each agency’s specific circumstances and available water supplies.
Council Passes Comprehensive
Ban on Synthetic Spice Drug
By City News Service
The City Council Monday unanimously approved a ban on a synthetic drug known as “spice,” which San Diego authorities say is responsible for a rash of hundreds of medical distress cases in recent months.
The law prohibits the manufacture, sale, distribution and possession of federal Schedule I drugs, “novel synthetic drugs” and “novel psychoactive drugs,” categories that include spice, according to the City Attorney’s Office.
The San Diego Police Department recommended the ban — which does not apply to medical marijuana — because of holes in state and federal regulations that are exploited by makers and sellers of so-called designer drugs. Only a handful of the 100 or so chemical formulas used to make the drug are prohibited.
According to a staff report, emergency medical personnel responded to 650 cases of medical distress caused by spice between November and March, around two-thirds in a swath of the city running from Barrio Logan through downtown to Hillcrest. Downtown and East Village saw about half the cases.
Tony Gwynn’s Family Sues Tobacco Industry
By City News Service
The family of baseball Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn filed a lawsuit Monday against the tobacco industry, claiming the former Padre was targeted to use the smokeless tobacco that caused the cancer that led to his death.
The suit — which seeks unspecified damages — alleges the tobacco industry induced Gwynn to begin using smokeless tobacco in the late 1970s when he was a star at San Diego State University.
The lawsuit was filed against Altria Group Inc., formerly Philip Morris. There was no immediate response from the company.
According to the lawsuit, Gwynn used as many as two cans of smokeless tobacco per day, which is equivalent to smoking four or five packs of cigarettes daily.
In the San Diego Superior Court lawsuit, Gwynn’s family alleges that the tobacco industry chose the former Mr. Padre specifically because it was trying to market its product to black consumers, and that it intentionally misled Gwynn to use the product.
Gwynn used smokeless tobacco for 31 years, and admitted an addiction when he tried to stop using the tobacco.
Gwynn had multiple surgeries on his neck to remove an abscess and a tumor and died from salivary gland cancer in 2014 at the age of 54.
Tony Gwynn Jr. and Anisha Gwynn-Jones, Gwynn’s adult children, are scheduled to make prepared remarks about the lawsuit Tuesday afternoon in San Diego.
San Diego State Eateries Become
Certified Green Restaurants
SDSU NewsCenter
Aztec Shops at San Diego State University just achieved several significant distinctions in the world of sustainable foodservice.
• First Café in a Convenience Store to become a Certified Green Restaurant.
• First Chipotle Mexican Grill in the World to become a Certified Green Restaurant.
• First Habit Burger Grill in the World to become a Certified Green Restaurant.
“Sustainability is a top priority for SDSU,” said Duane Buske, Aztec Shops senior general manager of purchasing and distribution. “Partnering with the Green Restaurant Association keeps our operations in alignment both with the vision of campus and Aztec Shops as a whole.”
Last year, SDSU led with more firsts:
• First campus to require all of its tenants to meet the Certified Green Restaurant environmental standards.
• Most stadiums/arenas with Certified Green Restaurants of any campus in the world.
Twenty-three SDSU foodservice entities have met the 2 Star Certified Green Restaurant standards and have implemented a total of 841 environmental steps.
“From Chipotle and Market Fresh to Starbucks and the Open Air Theatre and Viejas Arena, San Diego State University has increased its already great leadership in integrating Green Restaurant practices throughout the campus,” said Michael Oshman, CEO and founder of the Green Restaurant Association. “If every institution of higher learning took the comprehensive steps that SDSU has, our world would be a step closer towards its sustainable goals.”
San Diego-Based Hospital Ship Taking
Part in Disaster Relief Preparedness Mission
The San Diego-based hospital ship USNS Mercy has arrived in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations to support Pacific Partnership 2016, a multilateral, disaster relief preparedness mission conducted in the Indo-Asia-Pacific Region.
Pacific Partnership will conduct stops in Timor Leste, the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia and Palau, with partners from around the Pacific — including Australia, Japan, New Zealand, Republic of Korea, Singapore, Canada, and the United Kingdom. Non-governmental organizations also participate in the mission including Project Hope, Latter Day Saints Charities, University of California San Diego, Project Handclasp, and World Vets. Medical and civil-engineering teams will collaborate with partner nations in subject matter expert exchanges, disaster relief preparedness exercises and community relations projects.
USNS Mercy is 894-feet-long and is outfitted to provide mobile acute and surgical medical services in disaster or humanitarian relief efforts. Hospital capabilities include a wide range of life-saving surgical procedures and blood bank services to diagnostic x-ray or laboratory services. The team of medical professionals include doctors, nurses, technicians and support staff who provide the full spectrum of care in surgical specialties, internal medicine, radiology, dental prosthetics and eye health among many others.
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Personnel Announcements
Fish & Richardson Adds 4 Associates
Fish & Richardson has added four associates to its San Diego law office — Crystal Culhane, Veronica Sandoval, Jared Smith and Nicole Williams. They are among 38 associates hired across the firm’s 12 offices.
Culhane focuses her practice on patent prosecution work in the areas of chemistry, pharmaceuticals, and biotechnology, as well as patent litigation matters. Prior to joining Fish, she was an associate at a general practice law firm where she handled patent prosecution matters and also assisted in Hatch-Waxman litigation matters.
Sandoval previously served as a judicial extern to Judge Charles K. Wiggins of the Washington Supreme Court and as an extern at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Prior to her legal career, Sandoval was a medical liaison for two different pharmaceutical companies and an adjunct professor at the University of Utah in the Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology.
Smith previously was a senior systems engineer on classified projects for Raytheon and Northrop Grumman. He received his J.D., cum laude, from the University of California, Hastings College of Law in 2015, where he was staff editor of the Hastings Science & Technology Law Journal, his M.S. in systems architecture and engineering from the University of Southern California.
Williams focuses her practice on patent litigation and has experience with various technologies, including DNA sequencing and stem cell technology. Previously she served as a judicial extern for Judge Sharon Johnson Coleman of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. Williams received her J.D., cum laude, from Northwestern University School of Law in 2013, where she was the Supervising Note and Comment Editor for the Northwestern Journal of Technology and Intellectual Property.
Yandro Valdez Joins Regents Bank
Regents Bank has hired Yandro Valdez as vice president and relationship manager for the North County region.
Valdez has experience assessing and customizing financial solutions for clients. He worked at local offices of Bank of America/Merrill Lynch as a vice president/ commercial relationship manager for the past six years. He studied finance at the University of South Florida in Tampa and is majoring in International Business Communications at Florida International University.
Valdez volunteers at Covenant House, Boys & Girls Clubs of America, Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, Junior Achievement and Habitat for Humanity.
