Daily Business Report-Nov. 3, 2017
Gubernatorial Appointments
Patricia Guerrero Named Associate
Justice of Fourth District Court of Appeal
2 other San Diegans appointed to San Diego Superior Court Bench
Gov. Jerry Brown has appointed Patricia Guerrero of San Diego as an associate justice of Division One of the Fourth District Court of Appeal, and has named two other San Diegans to judgeships in San Diego County Superior Court.
Guerrero, 45, has served as supervising judge for the Family Law Division at the San Diego County Superior Court since 2017, where she has served as a judge since 2013. She was a partner at Latham and Watkins LLP from 2007 to 2013, where she was an associate from 2003 to 2006 and from 1997 to 2002. Guerrero served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney at the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Southern District of California from 2002 to 2003. Guerrero fills the vacancy created by the death of Justice Alex C. McDonald. The position requires confirmation by the Commission on Judicial Appointments. Guerrero is a Democrat.
Edlene C. MaKenzie, 56, and James E. Simmons Jr., 37, were appointed to judgeships in Superior Court. McKenzie has served as a commissioner at the San Diego County Superior Court since 2005. She was a Dispute Settlement Board administrator at DeMars and Associates and a member of the Viejas Band of Kumeyaay Indians Independent Gaming Review Board and Torts Claim Review Board from 1998 to 2005. McKenzie was a sole practitioner from 1987 to 2005 and an associate at Archer and Koliwer from 1986 to 1987. She fills the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Charles Ervin. She is registered without party preference.
Simmons has served as a deputy district attorney at the San Diego District Attorney’s Office since 2006. He served as a deputy city attorney at the San Diego City Attorney’s Office from 2005 to 2006. Simmons earned a Juris Doctor degree from the Golden Gate University School of Law and a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of California, Berkeley. He fills the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge David M. Szumowski. Simmons is a Democrat.
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Scripps Oceanography Receives
$3 Million NOAA Grant
A climate research program led by scientists at Scripps Institution of Oceanography and partners at Desert Research Institute in Reno, Nev., that has spent more than 15 years understanding climate risks will receive a new five-year award from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to improve the ability of decisionmakers in California and Nevada to prepare and plan for hazards and extreme events.
A total $7.5 million was awarded, and Scripps Oceanography will receive an estimated $3 million over the next five years for work in the California/Nevada region.
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City of San Diego Wins Case
Over Future of Belmont Park
Superior Court Judge Judith F. Hayes issued a final decision Thursday that found the city correctly followed the law on a lawsuit that sought to invalidate the city lease of Belmont Park in Mission Beach to a company that has invested more than $20 million in improvements to the oceanfront amusement park.
The lease, which took effect in 2015, will bring a minimum of $100 million in revenue to the city if it runs its full course, according to City Attorney Mara Elliott, whose office defended the city.
The lease terms include $18 million in capital improvements and upgrades, $2.5 million to refurbish the Giant Dipper, and $5.9 million in renovations to The Plunge, the park’sindoor swimming pool which had been closed for years before the lease took effect.
San Diegans for Open Government sued to halt the lease, arguing that the lease terms should have gone to a public vote and that it violated the city charter, the Coastal Act and the California Environmental Quality Act.
“Many of us remember when Belmont Park was a sketchy and rundown venue. Under the new lease, an upgraded Plunge will reopen, safety is improved, and Belmont Park is again a place for families and tourists alike to create memories,” said Elliott.
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Scientists Decipher Mechanisms
Underlying the Biology of Aging
Understanding the factors that control aging has been one of humanity’s endless pursuits, from the mystical fountain of youth to practical healthful regimens to prolong life expectancy.
A team of scientists at the University of California San Diego has helped decipher the dynamics that control how our cells age, and with it implications for extending human longevity. As described in a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, a group led by biologist Nan Hao employed a combination of technologies in engineering, computer science and biology to analyze molecular processes that influence aging.
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Roundtable on Employee Engagement
The San Diego Employers Association will host a Nov. 9 lunchtime Roundtable on The 7 Drivers of Employee Engagement, scheduled for 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. The event will feature Catherine Mattice Zundel, founder of Civility Partners, a consulting firm dedicated to helping employers build strong, resilient, anti-bullying workplace cultures.
In this presentation, attendees will learn the seven drivers of engagement based on hundreds of research articles and will be provided clear action items which can be implemented in each area.
The cost to attend is $35 for SDEA members and $45 for nonmembers. Lunch is included. To learn more and to register visit www.sdeahr.org.
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Researchers Find Protein That Could
Help Fight Antibiotic Resistance
Bacterial growth on medical devices — such as artificial hip implants, knee implants and catheters — are a major threat to patient health.
Now, investigators at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) and the University of Michigan (U-M), have found that a protein produced within the human body, not previously known to influence bacterial infections, could fight this problem. The team’s results were published recently in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
