Daily Business Report-April 25, 2018
The Army aims to rearrange its modernization priorities under Futures Command. (U.S. Army photo)
San Diego on Shortlist for New
Army Futures Command
Innovation center would create nearly 500 jobs
San Diego is among 15 cities being considered for the Army Futures Command, a new major command for the United States Army that will incubate emerging technology and innovations. San Diego Regional EDC, an independent nonprofit that promotes San Diego’s economic competitiveness, will be submitting a joint response with the city of San Diego to the Army’s request for additional information on the city.
The new Army Futures Command will employ both a military and civilian workforce, creating nearly 500 jobs.
“San Diego easily checks all the boxes for the Army Futures Command. We have a community that embraces its innovation economy, an unparalleled workforce and top-tier universities,” said Mark Cafferty, president and CEO of San Diego Regional EDC. “But beyond that, San Diego has a long history of collaborating with the military to spur innovation and protect national security.”
The city was informed of its candidacy in a letter sent to Mayor Kevin Faulconer on April 17, 2018. “Your city appears to have a combination of talent, commercial and academic innovation, and quality of life that we are looking for in locating the command,” said Under Secretary of the Army Ryan D. McCarthy in the letter. The document also states that the Army favors locations with a growing technical workforce and is looking for a concentration of occupations including engineers (biomedical, chemical, computer, electrical), as well as software developers.
According to the San Diego Military Advisory Council, the San Diego region is currently home to the largest concentration of military in the world. The military generates one out of every five jobs in the San Diego region. While the U.S. Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard have a significant presence in the region, the Army Futures Command would establish a new military branch in San Diego.
“Like San Diego, many cities in the running offer a strong quality of life and skilled workforce. However, San Diego’s legacy of military innovation sets us apart,” said Jesse Gipe, senior manager of economic development at San Diego Regional EDC who handles the organization’s military portfolio. “If the Army views a long history of collaboration with military personnel, a focus on commercializing military technologies and a highly-skilled workforce with security clearances as an asset, then San Diego has a competitive chance of becoming the new Army Futures Command headquarters.”
The other cities being considered include Atlanta, Austin, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, New York, Philadelphia, Raleigh, San Francisco and Seattle.
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EPA Announces $326,776 in Grants
for Environmental Projects Along Border
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency awarded $326,776 in grants to fund four environmental projects in California and Baja California, along the U.S.-Mexico border. The projects aim to increase understanding of binational airshed data, assess transboundary wastewater spill impacts, improve waste management and reduce plastic bag pollution. The funds will be matched by an additional $318,813 from the recipient organizations.
The University of Washington will receive $99,935 to assess and prioritize sources of particulate matter through the installation of six air quality monitors near the San Ysidro port of entry, the busiest land port of entry in the Western Hemisphere. The community air study project will increase knowledge of this binational airshed and provide information on emissions entering the U.S. from Mexico.
The Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California San Diego will receive $87,556 to study transboundary wastewater spill impacts along the Pacific coastline between Punta Bandera and Imperial Beach. The assessment will lead to more accurate and timely beach advisories and quantify the extent of the February 2017 wastewater spill in the San Diego/Tijuana region.
An additional $139,285 will be awarded to two projects to prevent transboundary waste from entering the Pacific Ocean, Tijuana River Estuary and New River. These projects will increase the use of reusable bags, reduce plastic bag marine debris, promote recycling and improve waste management along the U.S.- Mexico border.
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Vitamin D Deficiency Linked
to Greater Risk of Diabetes
An epidemiological study conducted by researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine and Seoul National University suggests that persons deficient in vitamin D may be at much greater risk of developing diabetes.
The findings are reported in the April 19, 2018 online issue of PLOS One.
The scientists studied a cohort of 903 healthy adults (mean age: 74) with no indications of either pre-diabetes or diabetes during clinic visits from 1997 to 1999, and then followed the participants through 2009. Vitamin D levels in blood were measured during these visits, along with fasting plasma glucose and oral glucose tolerance.
Over the course of time, there were 47 new cases of diabetes and 337 new cases of pre-diabetes, in which blood sugar levels are higher than normal but not yet high enough to be categorized as type 2 diabetes.
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Poll Shows Republicans Give Democrat Kevin de Leon
Narrow Edge over Sen. Diane Feinstein in November
There is little doubt that incumbent U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein and State Sen. Kevin de León will advance to the November General Election as the top two vote getters. With that in mind, Probolsky Research chose to look ahead to see how the race is shaping up so far.
The biggest discovery from the poll is that Republicans, who generally know and dislike Feinstein, give de León their vote by a slim margin, in the absence of a Republican on the ballot.
Feinstein leads across nearly all categories of voter propensity, except among newer voters wher de Leon has an edge.
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Port Finds a Use for Cigarette Butts:
Recycle Them for Useful Products
The Port of San Diego has embarked on a unique project to recycle a type of waste that is often left behind as litter – cigarette butts. The Port is working with TerraCycle, an innovative recycling company that has become a global leader in recycling items such as used cigarette butts, coffee capsules and ocean plastic.
The project will not only reduce the amount of discarded cigarette butts on Port tidelands, but it will help repurpose the waste into useful products.
The Port recently installed 31 cigarette butt receptacles purchased from TerraCycle around San Diego Bay, in Port parks and in other Port areas with heavy pedestrian traffic. The receptacles provide a convenient option for smokers to dispose of their used cigarettes.
Staff from the Port’s General Services Department will empty the receptacles and ship the used cigarette butts to TerraCycle. TerraCycle will then process the used butts, separating the tobacco from the paper. Those elements will be composted and the cigarette’s filter will be recycled into plastic pellets. The pellets can then be used by manufacturers to make several different types of products such as plastic lumber and shipping pallets.
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Jacobs Medical Center Receives
Baby-Friendly Designation
Jacobs Medical Center in La Jolla has been recognized with the Baby-Friendly Designation for the services offered to babies and their mothers.
Baby-Friendly USA Inc. is part of a global program sponsored by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). The initiative encourages and recognizes hospitals and birthing centers that are designed to optimize mother-baby bonding and to promote breastfeeding in the first few days of a baby’s life. The designation means UC San Diego Health provides education to enable families to make informed decisions and offers services, such as lactation support, throughout and beyond the hospital stay.
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Roger Bronner Named Nation’s
Top Sanitation Driver for 2018
Longtime city of San Diego driver Roger Bronner has been named the nation’s top sanitation driver by the National Waste & Recycling Association. The award was presented during the sanitation industry’s annual 2018 WasteExpo in Las Vegas. Bronner is a 29-year veteran of the city’s Environmental Services Department, Collections Services Division.
The Driver of the Year award was presented to Bronner during the NWRA’s annual awards breakfast. He previously finished as a semi-finalist in 2004
Bronner was recognized for his many contributions to his job, including a notable record of zero traffic accidents over the span of his career. He joined the city’s ESD on April 17, 1989 and has driven a variety of trucks, including one of the city’s new Compressed Natural Gas vehicles. Over the years, Bronner has earned recognition by the city for his dedication and commitment to customer service.
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Personnel Announcements
Kathy Majam Joins Cavignac & Associates
Kathy Majam, a 34-year veteran of the insurance industry, has been appointed by Cavignac & Associates to serve as a senior account manager within its Personal Lines Department. As such Majam serves as the main contact at the agency for clients whose accounts she has been assigned. She processes new and renewal policies, prepares quotes, submits endorsement requests to insurance companies, issues auto ID cards, and processes endorsement transactions, daily certificates and renewal certificates.
Previously Majam was vice president of personal lines for Orr & Associates Insurance Services in Temecula, where she was employed for three years and built the company’s personal lines department from the ground up. For nine years before that, she was the office manager for North County Insurance, located in Escondido. Prior career experience includes serving as personal lines manager for Bauer Insurance, later sold to Wateridge Insurance Services, where she worked for eight years. Before that, she was an agent/trainer for Allstate Insurance.
Her honors include having been awarded the AIG JoAnne Heltibridle award for Professional Excellence and Rookie of the Year from the Boys & Girls Club. She was selected to be part of an advisory board for Travelers Insurance.
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Olga Bryan Joins Noonan Lance Boyer & Banach
Noonan Lance Boyer & Banach LLP has hired Olga Y. Bryan as an associate attorney to work on a variety of civil litigation matters, including contract and lease disputes, intellectual property disputes and other commercial cases.
In her previous work for a civil litigation firm in Los Angeles, Bryan handled matters relating to white collar defense, civil rights, real estate and employment matters. She has represented both plaintiffs and defendants and is known for her legal acumen, consistency, organization and strong analytical skills.
A member of the San Diego County Bar Association and Association of Business Trial Lawyers, Bryan received her bachelor’s degree in philosophy from the University of California, Santa Cruz. She earned her J.D. from Loyola Law School, Los Angeles, where she graduated with honors in the intellectual property concentration.
While in law school, Bryan was an active member of th Women’s Law Association, Women,Phi Alpha Delta, and Los Angeles County Bar Association. She was also the recipient of the Judge Barry Russell Award for Outstanding Achievement.
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Native San Diego Band to Perform
April 28 at Grassroots Oasis
Sandé Lollis of San Diego, named the 2018 Best Female Vocalist at the North America Country Music Association International competition, will perform with her group — Enter the Blue Sky — on April 28 at Grassroots Oasis, 3130 Moore St., San Diego. Concert is from 8 to 10 p.m.
The group’s debut album, “Re-Entry,” will be available for sale and signing, along with t-shirts and band pins.
Lollis is lead vocalist and rhythm guitar player, joined by Alberto González on upright bass and Karen Childress-Evans on viola.
Advance tickets are $10. Click here. At the door, $15.
Frank Kocher, in San Diego Troubadour: “Blending genres too much to be easily pigeonholed, Lollis’ strong vocals and interesting lyrics are the centerpiece in a band that largely avoids showy displays of instrumental prowess. Thirty minutes of listening and Lollis’ talent as a wordsmith is evident.”