Daily Business Report-Sept. 29, 2016
Bankers Hill Business Group flyer
Bankers Hill to Show Off Its New Image
As a Trendy Destination Neighborhood
For years, Bankers Hill was known for its late 19th century homes designed by such architects as Irving Gill, William Hebbard and Richard Requa, and for its reputation as a neighborhood for the affluent, from which it got its name.
The neighborhood also had its share of doctor’s and dental offices and, depending on where you stood, held commanding views of Downtown, San Diego Bay, Coronado and beyond.
The views today are still glorious, but Bankers Hill has a lot more to offer than what went on before, and a local nonprofit organization — the Bankers Hill Business Group — wants to make sure that San Diegans and others know what the neighborhood now has to offer: an explosion of restaurants, fitness studios, med spas, boutiques and more.
To that end, Bankers Hill Business Group is sponsoring the Bankers Hill Fall Festival on Saturday, Oct. 22 from 1 to 5 p.m. to celebrate local businesses and the change of seasons.
“Bankers Hill has grown tremendously in the 15 years that I’ve lived and work here, and a lot of us believe this neighborhood is the hidden gem of San Diego,” said Jake Sutton, co-founder of the Bankers Hill Business Group. “Our organization’s goal is to let San Diego in on this secret. Bankers Hill is home to many favorite restaurants, a booming wellness industry, several artists’ galleries, boutiques, salons and more. We hope San Diegans will join us this October to experience everything Bankers Hill has to offer.”
Designed to showcase Bankers Hill as a destination neighborhood following notable growth in recent years, the Bankers Hill Fall Festival is a free, walk-around event similar to “Tastes” and “Walkabouts” taking place in other neighborhoods.
Beginning at 1 p.m., attendees can visit either the North pick-up location (Royal Stone Bistro at 1st Avenue and Upas Street) or South pick-up location (Fifth Avenue and Kalmia Street) for a complimentary map exhibiting a trail of participating businesses along 10 blocks of Fifth Avenue. More than 20 restaurants, fitness studios, med spas and more will showcase their fare and wares inside their doors and upon sidewalks; streets will remain open to traffic and offer plentiful parking. Shuttle service along Fifth Avenue will be provided at no cost.
Attendees will be able to taste the flavors of newly opened eateries such as Parc Bistro-Brasserie (also celebrating its grand opening this day), Royal Stone Bistro and Back to Roots Market as well as long-time favorites Barrio Star, Pizzicato, Jimmy Carter’s Mexican Cafe and more.
Wellness centers including Club Pilates, Float Sanctuary, Orangetheory Fitness, AcruHealth, B Medical Spa, Healthy Foundations and Herbin Acupuncture will open their doors to health-minded demos, while additional participants such as Pilar Montano Paintings, Plush Salon, North Island Credit Union and Edward Jones Investments will show off all that Bankers Hill has to offer.
For more details, visit www.bankershillbusinessgroup.com.
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News from the Primordial World
Scientists find evidence for alternate theory of how life arose
A new study led by scientists at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) offers a twist on a popular theory for how life on Earth began about four billion years ago.
The study questions the “RNA world” hypothesis, a theory for how RNA molecules evolved to create proteins and DNA. Instead, the new research offers evidence for a world where RNA and DNA evolved simultaneously.
“Even if you believe in a RNA-only world, you have to believe in something that existed with RNA to help it move forward,” said Ramanarayanan Krishnamurthy, associate professor of chemistry at TSRI and senior author of the new study. “Why not think of RNA and DNA rising together, rather than trying to convert RNA to DNA by means of some fantastic chemistry at a prebiotic stage?”
The study was published recently in the journal Angewandte Chemie.
Researchers have explored the RNA world hypothesis for more than 30 years. The idea behind this theory is that a series of chemical reactions led to the formation of self-replicating RNA molecules. RNA then evolved to create proteins and enzymes that resembled early versions of what makes up life today. Eventually, these enzymes helped RNA produce DNA, which led to complex organisms.
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Cal State San Marcos Awarded $6M
STEM Grant for Engineering Program
California State University San Marcos has been awarded a nearly $6 million grant under the Hispanic-Serving Institutions STEM Program that will provide foundational funding for an engineering program.
The five-year grant will provide nearly $1.2 million each year beginning Oct. 1.
Gerardo Dominguez, an associate professor of physics at CSUSM, is the project director for the grant, which is titled “Si Se Puede!” to Close the Equity Gap in Engineering Degree Completion.
“I’m thrilled that this proposal has been chosen and I am excited about the possibilities that this brings to the campus community,” Dominguez said. “It will increase the professional and education opportunities for the residents of North County and the broader area served by CSU San Marcos. I am particularly excited that the funding provided by this grant will allow CSU San Marcos to start offering engineering options for our students in the near future.”
The goal of the grant is to develop and carry out activities to improve and expand CSUSM’s capacity to serve Hispanic and low-income students.
“I’m excited to be working with Ed Price in physics and Youwen Ouyang in computer science on this project, and I am confident that with humility, careful planning and support from the broader community we can achieve the goals set forth in the proposal,” Dominguez said.
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Ex-SDSU Basketball Coach Beth Burns
Awarded $3.3M in Wrongful Firing
By City News Service
A jury Wednesday awarded former San Diego State University women’s basketball coach Beth Burns $3.3 million in damages on her claim that she was wrongfully fired in retaliation for demanding equal treatment for female athletes.
Burns was fired in April 2013 following a school-record 27-win season, and nine months after she’d been given a five-year contract extension worth $220,000 per year.
Burns filed a lawsuit alleging breach of contract and whistleblower retaliation for complaining about equal treatment for women’s athletic programs. She has since taken a job at USC for about $150,000 per season.
“It’s almost a surreal moment,” Burns said outside court. “It’s been a long road. I didn’t waiver. I felt I had the truth on my side.”
Burns’ attorney, Ed Chapin, said SDSU “assassinated” Burns’ character during the trial and said it will be difficult for her to get her reputation back.
David Noonan, the lead attorney for the California State University system, told the jury that Burns had trouble controlling her emotions and from the university’s standpoint, none of its employees should have to go to work and be confronted by “an out-of-control boss.”
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BIA Names Jim Kilgore
Engineer of the Year 2016
Jim Kilgore, associate principal at Latitude 33 Planning & Engineering, was named Engineer of the Year by the Building Industry Association (BIA) of San Diego during its 2016 Icon Awards held at the Westin San Diego Gaslamp Quarter in Downtown San Diego.
“It was a nice pat on the back,” said Kilgore. “Engineers are used to not being in the limelight, but this recognition feels good because it speaks to my body of work for the past 30 years.”
Kilgore is a registered civil engineer with more than three decades of industry experience in the San Diego area. He has recently completed housing projects such as Avino, a residential community featuring apartment homes in San Diego’s Pacific Highlands Ranch, and Seta Apartments, a residential community from Fairfield Residential located in La Mesa, among others.
“As engineers, we plan and design the neighborhoods; places that people live, work and play,” said Kilgore. “These are challenging projects that you can be proud to be a part of.”
Kilgore is a long-time BIA member and currently serves on the nonprofit organization’s Storm Water Task Force.
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TSRI’s Peter Schultz Wins
Heinrich Wieland Prize
Peter Schultz, president of The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI), has been awarded the international Heinrich Wieland Prize, one of Germany’s most prestigious scientific prizes.
The award, presented by the Boehringer Ingelheim Foundation, honors “distinguished scientists for their outstanding research on biologically active molecules and systems in the fields of chemistry, biochemistry and physiology as well as their clinical importance.”
Schultz, who also holds the Scripps Family Chair Professor of Chemistry at TSRI, was selected for “his fundamental contributions to the biologically inspired synthesis of new molecules including his groundbreaking work on expanding the genetic code. Using his toolbox to extend the genetic code, over 100 amino acids with novel functions have been introduced site-specifically into proteins allowing to probe cellular processes in vivo in unprecedented detail.”
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County Waterfront Park to be
Closed to Public on Weekend
The county’s Waterfront Park has been reserved for a music festival taking place Saturday and Sunday. The entire park, including the playground, will be closed to the public for those two days.
Access to the park and metered parking spots will be limited in some areas through Friday as the promoter installs equipment and fencing for the event. The playground and restroom in the southeast corner of the park and the south fountain will remain open until the park’s regular closing time at 10 p.m. on Friday night.
Only ticket-holders over the age of 21 will be allowed into the festival. Attendees are urged to use public transportation or a ride service.
The park will re-open to the public at 6 a.m. on Monday, Oct. 3, with the exception of the civic greens and the West Plaza. Those areas will be closed so festival operators can break down the equipment and remove the fencing. The park will resume normal operations Tuesday, Oct. 4.
