Daily Business Report-June 18, 2018
Punch Bowl Social interior (Photo courtesy of Punch Bowl Social)
Punch Bowl Social opens — modern
descendent of 1920s boxing venue
After four years of planning and development, and several million dollars of investment, the storied legacy of the Coliseum Federal Athletic Club in Downtown San Diego is being revitalized through the grand opening of Punch Bowl Social — a nationally recognized restaurant, bar and entertainment destination with James Beard Award winning chef & Top Chef judge Hugh Acheson at the helm.
The multi-million dollar, 23,500-square-foot build out of Punch Bowl Social is an example of adaptive reuse, a halfway point between history and modernization. Under the stewardship of developers HP Investors and Lankford & Associates, the building’s unique physical features, including its towering barreled wooden roof and repurposed stadium bleachers, serve as a backdrop to its newly reimagined “eatertainment” concept.
Inside, design elements such as boxing-themed murals, furniture, and wallcoverings add to the overall social experience while honoring the Athletic Club’s earliest roots.
Once a gathering place for Hollywood celebrities, gamblers and city influentials, the 1920s boxing venue was home to an illustrious list of boxing legends including Jimmy Braddock, Ken Norton and Archie Moore.
Punch Bowl Social is at the heart of the six-block Makers Quarter, the Downtown neighborhood where it and other buildings are being transformed by the local development team of HP Investors and Lankford & Associates.
According to the developers, the opening of Punch Bowl Social sets a tone for creative office and residential developments to come.
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Council Committee moves forward on
ballot measure for affordable housing
The Rules Committee of the San Diego City Council voted to direct the City Attorney’s office to move forward with drafting language for a ballot measure to raise $900 million to build affordable homes for veterans, seniors, individuals with disabilities, those currently experiencing homelessness and low-income families.
“The action by the City Council is a crucial step to getting this measure on the ballot in November,” said San Diego Housing Federation Executive Director Stephen Russell. “San Diego is experiencing an unprecedented homelessness crisis and this measure invests in long-term solutions to get folks off the street and prevent homelessness for those at-risk.”
At the special meeting of the Rules Committee on June 13, Councilman Christopher Ward instructed the City Attorney to work directly with the San Diego Housing Federation in developing language for the ballot measure.
The Rules Committee passed the measure in a 3-2 vote, with Councilmembers Myrtle Cole, Barbara Bry and Christopher Ward supporting moving forward, while Councilmen Mark Kersey and Chris Cate opposed.
The bond measure proposed by the Housing Federation would fund the construction of approximately 7,500 homes for vulnerable San Diegans and would be backed by city property taxes, on average about $72 per year. The bond measure will also enable San Diego to claim its share of federal and state matching funds.
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Judge Rejects lawsuit aimed at removing
SDSU West Initiative from ballot
San Diego Superior Court Judge Joel R. Wohlfeil on Friday rejected a lawsuit backed by SoccerCity promoters to remove SDSU West from the November ballot, declaring Friends of SDSU and its SDSU West initiative’s use of the San Diego State University name in its campaign is legal and appropriate. The ruling also affirmed the intention of the SDSU West initiative to empower the city of San Diego to sell the Mission Valley stadium site to San Diego State University at fair market value for a campus expansion including research facilities, a stadium and river park.
“The court’s decision affirms that SDSU West creates the opportunity to expand San Diego State University and grow the regional economy through an open and transparent process,” said Bill Hammett, Friends of SDSU steering committee member. “Today’s decision also makes it clear that the frivolous FS Investors-backed lawsuit lacked any merit in its allegations, because SDSU West fully complies with California State Law, San Diego City Charter and the California Education Code.”
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San Diego County Jobless Rate Stays at 2.9 Percent
The unemployment rate in the San Diego County was 2.9 percent in May, unchanged from a revised 2.9 percent in April 2018, and below the year-ago estimate of 3.7 percent, the state Employment Development Department reported. This compares with an unadjusted unemployment rate of 3.7 percent for California and 3.6 percent for the nation during the same period.
Between April 2018 and May 2018, total non-farm employment increased from 1,480,200 to 1,485,800, adding 5,600 jobs. 100 jobs were added to farm employment, increasing to 9,100.
Between May 2017 and May 2018, total non-farm employment grew by 32,500, up from 1,453,300. Farm employment increased from 8,900 to 9,100, adding 200 jobs.
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T. Denny Sanford donates $100 million
to the National University system
T. Denny Sanford has donated an unprecedented $100 million to the private, nonprofit National University System to make social emotional learning available to every child in pre-school through 6th grade. The gift allows for the program, called Sanford Harmony, which is the fastest-growing social emotional learning program in the country, and is already reaching schools in all 50 states and reaching approximately 1.5 million students, to expand its impact up to 30 million students nationally and around the world.
Based on Sanford’s vision, the program offers a toolkit of lessons and strategies emphasizing diversity and inclusion; empathy and critical thinking; communication; problem-solving; and peer relationships. The program has been recognized as a quality SELect program by CASEL, the nation’s premier organization that evaluates social emotional learning programs, and has also been evaluated for its ease of implementation by the Johns Hopkins University Center for Research and Reform in Education.
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Before taking your dog to work,
know what the rules are
Although June 22 is “Take Your Dog to Work Day,” dog owners should understand the difference between ADA public access rules and ADA workplace accommodation rules.
“Rules governing dogs in the workplace are very different,” said attorney Karen Elliott. “There are numerous things to consider before officially recognizing ‘take your dog to work day’ including building lease, and the impact on other employees and whether or not other employees will demand ‘take your snake to work day’ and a variety of other issues.”
“Take Your Dog to Work Day” was established by Pet Sitters International in 1999. This annual event urges businesses around the globe to experience the employee benefits of dogs in the workplace and to promote adoptions from local shelters, rescue groups and humane societies.
