Daily Business Report-Jan. 24, 2018
Illustration by Victor Juhasz.
California Shows How to Beat
Trump, Now and in November
By Peter Schrag
It’s now just a year since the inauguration. In that year no party, no lobby, no organization has been as formidable an adversary to the Washington of Donald Trump, Paul Ryan, and Mitch McConnell as California has. None has both the will and the heft that California brings to this fight. None has been as determined.
“There should be no doubt that President Trump has officially declared war on California,” State Senate leader Kevin de León told The Guardian on Jan. 4, referring to the Trump administration’s plans to prosecute medical- and recreational-marijuana outlets, to allow oil drilling off the California coast, and to intensify efforts to deport immigrants.
When California fights back, it matters. With over 39 million people, it is the nation’s most populous state and the world’s sixth-largest economy, and it has thrived in large part thanks to the immigration that produced its ethnically diverse population. No other state in the Union comes as close to being a model of an alternative to the fearful future that Washington now offers.
Peter Schrag’s full article appeared in the February 12/19 edition of The Nation. Read it here.
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Air Force May Hand Over Some
Predator UAVs to the Navy
ExecutiveBiz
The U.S. Navy may take on some of the U.S. Air Force’s General Atomics-built MQ-1 Predator unmanned aerial vehicles as the latter prepares to transition to the MQ-9 Reaper drone by the end of 2018, The War Zone reported.
“There are a number of possibilities as to where they could go, including Air Force museums,” a spokesperson for the Air Force told the publication in an email. “The Air Force is working with the Navy to determine configurations and quantity for possible transfer.”
The Air Force, which flies its Predator drones for use in both unarmed and armed reconnaissance operations, initially announced plans to retire its fleet of more than 100 MQ-1s in 2015.
The Navy announced earlier this month that it is considering the possibility of tapping General Atomics to maintain and operate its Reaper UAVs in Afghanistan.
The report noted that the service could work with the company to fly the MQ-1s that it could potentially receive from the Air Force.
The USAF spokesperson said in the email the service does not expect the MQ-1s to be made available through the Excess Defense Article Program, but will screen the drone’s configuration and condition to identify potential candidates that can be offered via the program.
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Famed Geneticist Rusty Gage Named
Interim President of Salk Institute
With Elizabeth Blackburn planning to retire at the end of this summer, the Salk Institute has named Professor Fred “Rusty” Gage as interim president and Blackburn as president emerita while the board of trustees begins a search for a permanent successor. In December, Blackburn announced plans to retire and engage even more broadly in issues related to science and science policy.
Gage, a highly-regarded professor in Salk’s Laboratory of Genetics, was tapped previously in 2015 by former Salk President Bill Brody to serve in an interim capacity during Brody’s medical leave. Under the new structure, he will serve as the academic and administrative head of the institute, assuming responsibility for all affairs and oversight of day-to-day operations, faculty and administrative staff. He also will work closely with Blackburn on select projects and initiatives, including scientific endeavors currently underway and outgrowths of the SalkNext50 strategic planning process, as well as external fundraising efforts.
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Ra Medical Systems Expands
Footprint in Carlsbad
Ra Medical Systems, makers of excimer lasers and catheters for cardiovascular and dermatological diseases, has expanded into new corporate headquarters in Carlsbad. The company recently signed a 10-year lease valued at more than $4.4 million for the new 32,000-square foot headquarters. Colliers International represented the landlord, the Lloyd Wells Gift Trust. Noteworthy Advisors Inc. represented Ra Medical Systems.
Ra Medical Systems will operate its R&D, production, and sales and marketing functions for its Pharos and DABRA laser and catheter medical systems in the new building beginning this month. Last year, the Federal Drug Administration cleared the company to sell its DABRA system for the treatment of patients with Peripheral Artery Disease.
“Ra Medical Systems has experienced incredible growth over the past year,” said Dean Irwin, CEO of RA Medical Systems. “Our new space provides the ability to expand our team under one roof and support development of our innovative medical systems while still remaining in Carlsbad.”
The two-story property is located at 2070 Las Palmas Drive.
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University of San Diego wins 17th Annual
‘FanTAXtic’ Case Study Competition
A team of students representing the University of San Diego won the 17th annual FanTAXtic case study competition for best presentation of an analysis on a true-to-life tax case. The contest was sponsored by Deloitte and the Deloitte Foundation.
The 2018 FanTAXtic case study competition results:
First place: University of San Diego, consisting of team members Andrew Cole, Michael Diaz, Simon Finnie and Barbara Machado. Each student received $2,000 in scholarships, with the university receiving a $10,000 institutional award.
Second place: Loyola University received $1,000 per student and a $5,000 institutional award.
Third place: Michigan State University received $500 per student and a $2,500 institutional award.
Finals were held Jan. 12-14 at Deloitte University in Westlake, Texas.
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Las Patronas Awards $16,657 to
San Diego Center for Children
Las Patronas has awarded $16,657 to the San Diego Center for Children’s Academy expansion project. The money will go toward interior furnishings and teaching aids and equipment, including projectors, whiteboards and desks, for the two new classrooms at the academy campus in Kearny Mesa. “These will help meet the specific and unique needs of our students,” said Moisés Barón, president and CEO of the San Diego Center for Children.
The fully-accredited special-education K-12 school is primarily for low- to moderate-income families. Academy enrollment has grown by nearly 50 percent during the last few years. It will serve more than 100 students during the current school year and is expected to serve even more students from all over the county in the coming years.
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Coronado Climate Education Group Awarded
$1 Million Grant from MacArthur Foundation
Coronado-based Citizens’ Climate Education (CCE) has received a two-year, $1 million grant from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation to educate and empower citizens working on national solutions to climate change. The grant follows a previous two-year, $500,000 grant from the MacArthur Foundation. At that time, foundation President Julia Stasch described its climate work as the kind of “big bet” that would “strive toward transformative change in areas of profound concern. This is not a search for quick fixes or easy wins, but an all-in, timely commitment—of talent, resources, time, and reputation—to real change that matters for many, many people.”
Since then, volunteers with CCE and its sister organization Citizens’ Climate Lobby (CCL) have played a leading role in the formation and growth of the bipartisan Climate Solutions Caucus in the U.S. Congress. Membership in the Caucus tripled in 2017 and now stads at 66, with equal numbers of Republicans and Democrats.
Since 2007, Citizens’ Climate Education has trained ordinary citizens to educate political, business, and community leaders, along with members of the general public, about climate change and climate change solutions. To date it has enrolled more than 92,000 supporters to build bipartisan consensus for national climate action.
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County Ends Local Health Emergency
Declared for Hepatitis A Outbtreak
After four weeks with no new cases associated with the local hepatitis A outbreak reported, the San Diego County Board of Supervisors approved a motion Tuesday ending the local public health emergency. The emergency was declared on Sept. 1 by the County public health officer to raise awareness of the outbreak.
The action does not mean the outbreak is over, and local health officials will continue to work with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the California Department of Public Health on the efforts that were taken to control the outbreak.
The county will continue hepatitis A vaccinations at public health centers, jails and detention facilities, homeless tent shelters and locations where high-risk individuals congregate. Mass vaccinations will also be held for food handlers to further protect the public.
The total number of cases in the outbreak has remained at 577 with 395 hospitalizations and 20 deaths.
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County Supervisors Expand
Fire Safety Technology
County Supervisors have agreed to invest an additional $437,174 to install wildfire-spotting cameras on five more mountain peaks and boost the capability and capacity of the High Performance Wireless Research and Education Network (HPWREN) operated and maintained by Scripps Institution of Oceanography.
The request to invest in expanding and improving the partnership was brought forward by Chairwoman Kristin Gaspar and Supervisor Ron Roberts and approved unanimously by the board at the Jan. 23 meeting.
Roberts said the project will ensure firefighters have the best data available when they set out to battle a wildfire.
The existing network of more than 60 HPWREN/AlertSoCal stations utilizes more than 180 cameras to provide high quality, on demand time-lapse HD imagery that helps spot fire outbreaks and prevent them from reaching a catastrophic size by supporting proactive firefighting.
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Personnel Announcements
Kele Bigknife and Lisa Samuth Join
Higgs Fletcher & Mack as Associates
Kele Bigknife and Lisa Samuth have joined Higgs Fletcher & Mack as associate attorneys.
With the firm’s Business Litigation practice group, Bigknife will represent clients with business, tort, construction, intellectual property and transportation issues. As an intern with Higgs Fletcher & Mack, he researched and composed memoranda on legal issues including commercial contracts, federal Indian law and personal injury disputes.
At the University of Michigan Law School, Bigknife served on the Editorial Board of the Michigan Business and Entrepreneurial Law Review. He was also a student attorney for the Michigan Veterans Legal Clinic assisting veterans and their families.
Samuth joins the Trusts, Estates & Estate Planning Group designing and preparing foundational and multi-generational estate plans for individuals, families and business owners. She also advises clients in estate administration issues and helps clients navigate probate court proceedings and the administration of trusts.
For the San Diego County Bar Association, Samuth served three years on the board of the La Jolla Probate Section, and was a regular host of a weekly radio program about trust and real estate issues.
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Alyssa Williams and Jillian F. Hayes
Join CaseyGerry as Associates
CaseyGerry has added two new associate attorneys — Alyssa Williams and Jillian F. Hayes — to its growing legal team.
A cum laude graduate of University of San Diego School of Law, Williams interned at the USD Veterans Legal Clinic, worked at the mediation program for small claims at San Diego Superior Court and served as a legal extern for former San Diego Superior Court Judge Ronald S. Prager. At CaseyGerry, she will focus on complex litigation, including class actions and mass torts, working closely with partner Gayle Blatt.
Hayes previously focused her practice on insurance defense as an attorney at Taylor Anderson LLP. She earned her J.D. from California Western School of Law, where she served as an instructor for the school’s Street Law program — helping high-risk youth throughout San Diego understand their legal and constitutional rights. Now specializing in serious personal injury, she will work closely with partner Frederick Schenk.
Williams has a bachelor’s degree in sociology from St. Mary’s College of Maryland, while Hayes earned a bachelor’s degree in sociology from Arizona State University. Hayes is a member of the San Diego County Bar Association, the American Association for Justice, the Consumer Attorneys of San Diego and Lawyers Club of San Diego. Williams is also affiliated with the SDCBA and volunteers at the San Diego Legal Aid Society in her spare time.
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Alan Kwok Named Director of Learning for San Diego Grantmakers; Nancy Sasaki elevated to chair of board
Alan Kwok has been named the new director of learning for San Diego Grantmakers, and will oversee and provide direction for its 115 funder members.
The organization also announced that Nancy Sasaki, the executive director of Alliance Healthcare Foundation, has been elevated to the position of chair of the San Diego Grantmakers Board of Directors for a two-year term. She replaces David Lynn of the Lynn Family Fund at The San Diego Foundation.
Kwok brings over 15 years of experience building equitable communities through education, workforce development, community health care, and disaster resilience in San Francisco and Wellington, New Zealand. More recently, he managed a multi-year, FEMA award-winning Bay Area-wide disaster resilience program at the American Red Cross, which increased disaster training and response capacity of over 20 low-income and vulnerable communities across the region.
Sasaki previously served as the executive VP of Planned Parenthood of the Pacific Southwest and as the executive director of the ACLU of San Diego & Imperial Counties.
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Promises2Kids Promotes Emily Wilson Hassig
Promises2Kids announced the promotion of Emily Wilson Hassig to chief development officer.
Hassig comes to the organization with more than eight years of development experience and has been serving as the director of major gifts for Promises. Prior to joining Promises2Kids, Hassig oversaw fundraising initiatives at two Scripps Health hospitals — Scripps Memorial Hospital Encinitas and Scripps Mercy Hospital.
