Daily Business Report-June 13, 2016
Startup Week Highlights San Diego’s
Growing Tech Innovation Role
Times of San Diego
The annual Startup Week in San Diego will highlight the city’s growing role as a hub for technology innovation and new companies.
The five-day event beginning today brings together entrepreneurs to share progress, exchange resources, and celebrate San Diego’s thriving innovation community.
Mayor Kevin Faulconer will kick off the event at a press conference in Horton Plaza Park on Monday.
Mark Suster, one of Southern California’s top investors, will give the keynote speech on Tuesday. Suster’s entrepreneurial career started when he founded BuildOnline, a SaaS company that was later acquired by SWORD Group. His second company, Koral, was acquired by Salesforce in 2007 who asked him to join their ranks as VP of Product. Currently, Suster is locked in as a partner at Upfront Ventures in Los Angeles, where his enthusiasm for early stage investments has brought the city unprecedented growth over the last few years.
Tracks include launching a tech business, finding seed money and growing the operation. Cyber security, biotech and cross-border opportunities are among the areas of focus.
The downtown startup crawl on Wednesday evening will take attendees of a tour of 17 companies, and Thursday will be demo night at the Broadway Pier pavilion for new startups and their products.
The event is sponsored by Startup San Diego, a grassroots, community organization focused on bringing San Diego entrepreneurs together and making resources for starting and growing business readily available.
A week-long pass to all events is $60 and available online.
For a full schedule of events, click here.
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Hillcrest Businesses to Increase Security
After Orlando Mass Shooting
By City News Service
Business owners in Hillcrest are calling for increased security following the shooting massacre at a gay nightclub in Florida.
They plan to meet with San Diego police officials in the next few days, and request additional police patrols in their neighborhood.
“For decades, nightclubs are a place where LGBT people have come and they feel safe and they can be who they are, and so this attack at a nightclub strikes at the heart of that,” said Benjamin Nicholls, executive director of the Hillcrest Business Association. “So we want to make sure that our nightclubs are still safe.”
The bouncers and security guards already have a collaboration with police when it comes to nightclub security in Hillcrest, according to Nicholls, but they want to make sure they are doing everything they can to protect patrons.
“What are the best practices for security at these nightclubs in light of this new environment?” Nicholls asked. “What can the nightclubs learn from the police department?”
He said the Hillcrest Business Association was in contact with a representative from Councilman Todd Gloria’s office about security issues, as Hillcrest is in Gloria’s district.
With Pride Weekend coming up July 15-17 and the huge Gay Pride Parade, there’s even more cause for concern, according to Nicholls.
“Just like everybody in Hillcrest this morning and throughout the country, I think this is a horrible way to wake up and to learn about how terror and these kinds of ridiculous gun incidents continue to tear apart our community,” Nicholls said of the worst mass shooting in U.S. history.
“It’s horrible, it’s a horrible tragedy and I know that everybody in Hillcrest and certainly San Diegans are standing with the community on Florida in solidarity.”
AT&T Launches Faster
Internet Service in San Diego
Times of San Diego
AT&T said it launched its gigabit-speed internet service Friday in parts of San Diego, San Marcos and Carlsbad.
The company said the new service is fast enough to download 25 songs in one second or a high-definition movie in 36 seconds.
Locations served include the Civita planned community in Mission Valley, an urban village that will ultimately include 4,780 residential homes and apartments.
“By launching AT&T GigaPower in the San Diego area, we are demonstrating our continued commitment to our customers whose appetite for high-speed data continues to grow,” said Amanda Harris, assistant vice president of AT&T Mobility Markets. “As the ways in which we communicate and seek entertainment become more data-intensive, our customers will benefit from the launch of our AT&T GigaPower service.”
AT&T plans to expand the high-speed, fiber optic-based service next in parts of Chula Vista.
County and City Hold Public
Hearings on Billion-Dollar Budgets
By City News Service
The San Diego County Board of Supervisors is scheduled to begin a series of public hearings today on its proposed $5.35 billion spending plan for the upcoming fiscal year, while the San Diego City Council will consider adopting its $3.3 billion budget.
The supervisors are scheduled to hear staff presentations today and Tuesday on their budget, which envisions spending 1.2 percent less money than the current fiscal year because of a shift to the state of responsibilities for in-home supportive services. Public testimony will be taken Wednesday beginning at 2 p.m.
The county plans to add the equivalent of 344.5 staff years in 2016-17, bringing total employment to 17,380 staff years — quantified in that manner to account for part-time positions. Most of the new jobs will be in public safety and the Health and Human Services Agency. The supervisors are scheduled to meet at 9 a.m. at the County Administration Center.
Hearings for the city of San Diego’s proposed spending plan were held last month. The City Council is scheduled today to consider some possible last-minute additions brought forth by its members and Mayor Kevin Faulconer.
Among them, spending $4 million to stem the flow of experienced police officers to other law enforcement agencies, $652,000 to shore up the San Diego Police Department’s dispatching staff, $1.5 million to fix up the dilapidated former Navy Hospital Library building in Balboa Park and $1.35 million to repair the Botanical Building in Balboa Park.
The two police issues have been some of the biggest thorns in the side of the Faulconer administration this year, and the mayor received criticism when his initial budget proposal in April didn’t address either one. He added the ideas last month.
Fixing up the library building would allow 50 Parks & Recreation Department Open Space employees to move from the downtown City Administration Building to Balboa Park, and let city workers currently housed in leased office space to move back to City Hall — saving at least $175,000 in annual rent payments, according to a report by the city’s Independent Budget Analyst.
The 102-year-old Botanical Building has been in line for restoration for several years. The IBA noted that the Balboa Park Conservancy has raised $500,000 toward the project, leaving an $850,000 funding gap on work projected to cost $2.7 million.
Council members have also proposed adding a second weekly trash pickup during the summer in Mission Beach to address an annual fly infestation, increase support for arts and culture programs, and spend more on library programs, among other things.
The City Council will meet beginning at the City Administration Building at 1 p.m. — one hour earlier than usual.
Upon adoption, the county and city budgets would take effect July 1.
