Daily Business Report/Jan. 6, 2017
The raised portion of the San Vicente Dam. (Photo courtesy of San Diego County Water Authority)
Expanded San Vicente Reservoir Eyed
As Backup Source of Electric Power
The recently expanded San Vicente Reservoir could become a backup source of electric power under a plan being considered by the San Diego County Water Authority and the City of San Diego.
The agency and city, which owns the reservoir, are studying a 500-megawatt pumped-storage project — big enough to power a quarter million homes during periods of high electrical demand.
An official request was issued Wednesday to utilities, developers and investors potentially interested in the project with response expected by Feb. 15.
The project would consist of a pumping system between the existing San Vicente Reservoir and a new, smaller reservoir located uphill. The pumping system would be used during off-peak periods to pump water from the existing reservoir to the new upper reservoir. That water would then be released to power generators during periods of high demand.
“When we filled San Vicente Reservoir last summer, we filled it with more than just water — we filled it with huge potential for energy benefits,” said Mark Muir, chair of the water authority board. “Given this new potential for energy from a recently expanded water resource, it’s only prudent to continue to research the potential benefits to our region’s ratepayers.”
The water authority currently operates a pumped storage facility at Lake Hodges that can generate up to 40 megawatts of electricity.
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Crackdown Coming on Restaurant
Surcharges Prompted by Wage Hike
San Diego is cracking down on several restaurants that city officials say are adding surcharges in misleading and illegal ways to help cover increased labor costs from the minimum wage hike that took effect Jan. 1.
Surcharges can be imposed legally and some restaurants in the city have done so this week, but City Attorney Mara Elliott said others are violating the law by not divulging the surcharge before customers order and by stating incorrectly that the surcharge is government-mandated.
Elliott said both strategies violate the false advertising provisions in California’s business and professions code, and that she is sending letters demanding these restaurants cease their illegal actions or she will take them to court. Read more…
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Superior Court Lacking Applicants
For San Diego County Grand Jury
For the first time in recent memory, the San Diego Superior Court may not have enough applicants to draw names for the 2017/2018 San Diego County Grand Jury, court officials said Thursday.
The court announced in November that it was accepting Grand Jury applications from San Diego residents, but only 47 people have applied. In a good year, more than 100 citizens apply, according to officials.
“It has been getting harder and harder each year to get people to apply to serve on the Grand Jury. We are having a hard time understanding the public’s lack of interest in the work of this very important group of people,” said Executive Officer Michael Roddy.
The Grand Jury performs a traditional function as a “watchdog” over government agencies and investigates citizen complaints. Grand jurors do not conduct criminal investigations.
Grand jurors are selected via a blind draw from each San Diego County Supervisorial District. The random drawing gives each district equal representation by population. At this point, the court does not have enough applicants in Districts 1, 3 or 5. The court draws six applicants from each district to cover the alternates and serving jurors. Currently the court only has four applicants for District 3, three applicants in District 1 and one applicant in District 5.
Applications are now available by telephone at (619) 450-7272 or in person at the San Diego Superior Court in the Jury Services Office at the Central (Downtown) branch, and the Jury Lounges at the North, South and East branches of the court. One may also download an application from the San Diego Superior Court’s website at www.sdcourts.ca.gov or the Grand Jury’s website at www.sdcounty.ca.gov/grandjury.
The 19-member body will work four days a week, approximately six hours a day, from July 1, 2017 through June 30, 2018 at 550 West C St., Suite 860 in Downtown San Diego. A small stipend per day, plus mileage, and downtown parking are provided. All application forms must be received by January 13, 2017.
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Katie Sawyer Named Executive Director
Of San Diego Women’s Foundation
Katie Sawyer, former director of philanthropy for United Way of San Diego, has been named executive director of the San Diego Women’s Foundation.
Sawyer will oversee day-to-day operations of the Women’s Foundation, a supporting organization of the San Diego Foundation.
Before moving to San Diego, Sawyer spent two years with “Girls on the Run of New Orleans,” both as a board member and committee chair and then as the interim executive director. Previously, she served two years as the Hispanic Outreach Specialist (AmeriCorps) at The Women’s Connection in Cincinnati.
Sawyer earned her bachelor’s degree in Spanish and Business at Ohio State University, and her master’s degree in Spanish and Portuguese at Tulane University. She is a member of the LEAD San Diego Impact Class of 2015.
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San Diego Sport Innovators Opens
Business Accelerator Program
San Diego Sport Innovators, the nonprofit business development organization for the Sports and Active Lifestyle Industry, is accepting applications to its business accelerator program, SDSI Springboard, sponsored by K2 Insurance Services.
SDSI Springboard is dedicated to fostering the next generation of sports and active lifestyle businesses through its 20-week, mentor-led business curriculum that puts growing companies on a path towards success. The program is open to founders and CEOs of sports and active lifestyle businesses of all sizes who are working through significant milestones such as; starting a new business, shifting their business model, preparing to raise capital or working through a significant growth phase.
Space is limited to a maximum of seven companies per class.
Sixty-one companies have graduated from SDSI Springboard since 2009, have raised $47.5 million dollars in funding and have created 350 jobs. Eighty-nine percent of graduates are still in business. Accepted companies are paired with some of the best CEOs, finance experts and marketing experts from Southern California.
There is no cost to apply but upon acceptance SDSI membership is required. Apply through Feb. 13 at http://www.sdsportinnovators.org/the-springboard-program/.
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New UC San Diego Program
Expands Campus Innovation Pipeline
An ambitious program that encourages graduate students, postdoctoral scholars, researchers and faculty to develop and commercialize their problem-solving ideas has been launched at UC San Diego.
The program — Accelerating Innovations to Market (AIM) — is coordinated by the Offie of Innovation and Commercialization. It invests
in milestone-based projects that develop proof-of-concept and de-risk early-stage technologies. Paul Roben, associate vice chancellor for innovation, said a central focus of AIM is value-driven engagement with industry.
“We want to facilitate mutually beneficial early-stage collaborations between industry and academia and help these innovators build relationships with industries,” Roben said. “AIM aligns with other campus initiatives as part of the broad innovation-support pipeline UC San Diego is developing.”
AIM provides UC San Diego graduate students, postdoctoral associates, researchers, and faculty up to 12-month awards in two tracks: 1) software-based technologies (awards up to $20,000), and 2) devices and materials (awards up to $50,000). The program provides additional opportunities to build industry relationships and move technologies toward commercial application.
The application deadline is Wednesday, Jan. 11. Click here for program details.
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Dr. Lynn Welling Appointed to Hospital
Quality Institute Board of Directors
Dr. Lynn Welling, chief medical officer at Sharp Chula Vista Medical Center, has been appointed to the Hospital Quality Institute Board of Directors.
The Hospital Quality Institute directs the statewide strategy and vision for patient safety and quality improvement activities for the California Hospital Association, Hospital Council, Hospital Association of Southern California and Hospital Association of San Diego & Imperial Counties.
Welling will serve a three-year term from 2017 through 2019.
