Daily Business Report-Jan. 9, 2019
Home devastated in the Camp wildfire. (Photo courtesy CaseyGerry)
CaseyGerry law firm files lawsuit against
PG&E on behalf of Camp fire victims
The San Diego law firm CaseyGerry has filed a lawsuit in Butte County Superior Court on behalf of families injured and impacted by the November 2018 Camp wildfire. The suit alleges that the fire began with a malfunctioning high-voltage power line, one that Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) knew about and failed to repair.
“Our investigation has revealed that PG&E knew about the high fire risk of danger on Nov. 8 and yet they failed to safely maintain its equipment causing tragic deaths and loss of homes,” CaseyGerry attorney Angela Jae Chun told The Mercury News.
The lawsuit, which CaseyGerry filed with co-counsel Thomas Tosdal and Michael Feinberg on behalf of 35 families, claims that the utility company was notified about sparks falling from power lines in Paradise over the course of two years. PG&E reportedly said it would repair the line on Nov. 7, but the company failed to do so. Tragically, the fire started on Nov. 8 and rapidly spread throughout Paradise and elsewhere in Butte County.
“It’s important to remember that the cause (of the ‘Camp Fire’) has yet to be determined,” PG&E said in a statement to Reuters when the suit was first filed. “Right now, our primary focus is on the communities, supporting first responders and getting our crews positioned and ready to respond when we get access, so that we can safely restore gas and electricity to our customers.”
The legal team has coordinated as the Paradise Power Line Fire Attorneys and has developed a website of resources for the victims of the fire.
To view the full complaint, click here
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NASSCO to Maintain USS George H.W. Bush
carrier Under $91 million Navy Contract
GovCon Wire
General Dynamics NASSCO has received a two-year, $91.5 million contract modification to support the dry-docking planned incremental availability of a Nimitz-class aircraft carrier for the U.S. Navy.
NASSCO will conduct depot-level maintenance, alteration and modification efforts intended to update military and technical systems of USS George H.W. Bush, the Department of Defense said.
The Navy will initially provide $45.7 million in fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance funds to the company.
Work will take place in Portsmouth, Va., through February 2021.
The Mid-Atlantic Regional Maintenance Center served as the administrative contracting activity.
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San Diego welcomes entrepreneurs
to its Smart & Safe Cities initiative
Energized by San Diego’s emergence as a startup tech hub, a coalition of public and private entities has joined forces to create a startup accelerator competition that’s expected to attract dozens of entrepreneurial entrants hailing from Southern and Northern Calfornia and beyond.
Presented by the city of San Diego as part of its Smart & Safe Cities Initiative, this virtual accelerator program from one of the global Blockchain technology leaders, ConsenSys, has been dubbed SmartCityEDU. Launched in early December, the program continues through late March, culminating with the first International Smart & Safe Cities Conference, March 21-22, 2019 at the University of San Diego.
Designed as an open invitation to startups, early-phase companies and aspiring entrepreneurs, SmartCityEDU is designed to be a showcase for the latest cybersecurity solutions, Internet of Things, and Smart City products and services based on Blockchain technology.
Initially launched in late 2016, San Diego’s Smart & Safe Cities Initiative is a broad public-private collaboration of more than 1,000 technologists and entrepreneurs. The initiative’s prime objectives are to improve the region’s energy independence, empower consumers to use electric vehicles, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and encourage economic growth.
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City Council votes a 2nd time
on banning polystyrene foam
City News Service
The San Diego City Council voted 6-3 Tuesday in favor of a controversial ban on the use of polystyrene foam within the city limits. The ordinance, authored by City Councilman Chris Ward, bans the use and distribution within city limits of products like egg cartons, food containers, coolers, ice chests, pool or beach toys, mooring buoys and navigation markers made fully or partially of polystyrene foam, otherwise known by the commercial Dow Chemical Co.
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Supervisors vote to help find
temporary shelter for asylum seekers
By Times of San Diego
The San Diego County Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to help a coalition of local nonprofit groups assist asylum seekers by providing temporary shelter on county property.
“Now it falls to us to say, as leaders, what can we do? We have the obligation to help,” said Supervisor Nathan Fletcher at his first board meeting.
The supervisors directed staff to locate county-owned property that could be used on temporary basis and established a task force to seek federal and state assistance.
Since last fall, Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers have been dropping asylum seekers at bus stations and other public locations with identifying ankle bracelets but no assistance.
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Leidos to provide research support
services for Naval Health Research Center
Leidos has been awarded a contract by the Naval Medical Logistics Command to provide research support services at its Naval Health Research CenterL. The single award, cost-plus-fixed-fee contract has a one-year base period of performance, four one-year options, and a potential value of approximately $57.7 million if all options are exercised. Work will be performed in San Diego.
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Dianne Jacob named chair of Board of Supervisors
Supervisor Dianne Jacob was unanimously voted chairwoman of the San Diego County Board of Supervisors for 2019 at an organizational meeting at the County Administration Center Tuesday. The board also named Supervisor Greg Cox to serve as vice chairman and Supervisor Jim Desmond as chairman pro tem. Jacob accepted the gavel from Supervisor Kristin Gaspar, who served as chairwoman in 2018.
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San Diego North Business Chamber
sponsoring travel to Tuscany, Croatia
North San Diego Business Chamber has announced its international travel plans for 2019 — Tuscany in March and Croatia’s Enchanting Coast in October. Both trips are inclusive packages with options to extend travel to additional destinations.
Tuscany is March 20-27 from $2,599 and includes: 8 days, 6 nights, hotels, meals, tours, and transportation from San Diego to Los Angeles. Deadline to sign up is Jan. 20, 2019.
If private cruising is more your style, enjoy the enchanting coast of Croatia from Oct. 4-12. Your all-inclusive package is from $3,499 and includes 9 days, 7 nights, cruise and roundtrip airfare. Launched in 2014, the M/S Splendid is a small ship, built exclusively for cruising along the Adriatic Coast. More like a private yacht, she is perfect for exploring the smaller ports and remote islands. The M/S Splendid accommodates 38 guests in 19 staterooms. For trip details visit SDbusinesschamber.com.
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Wilson Turner Kosmo moving
offices to Emerald Plaza Downtown
San Diego-based Wilson Turner Kosmo LLP, one of the largest women-owned law firms in California, will open the doors to its new Downtown office space Tuesday, Jan. 22 in Emerald Plaza.“This is an exciting move for our firm after more than 25 years in our current space,” said Claudette Wilson, managing partner. “In addition to accommodating our growth, the new office was specifically designed around our client services and to promote increased efficiency. We look forward to practicing law and serving clients from our new location for many years to come.”
The firm’s new office, at 402 W. Broadway, Suite 1600, will occupy the entirety of Emerald Plaza’s more than 17,000-square-foot 16th floor. The recently renovated Emerald Plaza—a mixed-use building built in the 1990s that is composed of hexagonal towers resembling emerald crystals—is also home a 436-room Westin Hotel. The firm’s phone number remains the same: (619) 236-9600.
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Fabric Investments acquires
multi-tenant office and retail building
Fabric Investments, an Encinitas-based real estate development firm, has acquired a two-story, multi-tenant office and retail building located at 2110 South Coast Highway, Oceanside, for $3.75 million. The company plans extensive interior and exterior renovations to transform the existing building into a modern retail and office mixed-use building named “Lagoon.”
Lagoon will house 7,000 square feet of experiential retail space along the ground level and 8,000 square feet of creative office space on the second level. It is slated for completion by mid-2019, but is bringing on new tenants immediately.
Colliers International San Diego Region represented the seller, Bill Roskowski, and Fabric.
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Wealth, Poverty and Flight
California ranks first among the states in the percentage of residents over 25 who have never finished the ninth grade— 9.7 percent of California residents, or about 4 million Californians. It also rates 49th in the number of state residents who never graduated from high school — or about 18 percent of the current population.
In other words, about 7 million Californians do not possess a high-school diploma, about equal to the size of the nine counties of California’s Bay Area, roughly from Napa to Silicon Valley. In some sense, inside California, there is a shadow state consisting of high-school dropouts that’s larger than 38 other U.S. states.
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Personnel Announcements
Adam C. Witt named partner at Finch, Thornton & Baird
The construction industry law firm of Finch, Thornton & Baird, LLP announces the admission of Adam C. Witt as partner effective Jan. 1, 2019.
Witt focuses principally on serving the broad-based transactional needs of business owners and executives, contractors and developers, tenants and landlords, and buyers and sellers of real property. His practice includes the drafting and review of a broad range of contracts; advising on real estate transactions; construction and general business dispute negotiation and litigation; and guidance on business formation, operation, and governance. Clients include real estate developers, general contractors, subcontractors, and a rich mix of both large and small business owners, investors, and lenders. Witt grew up in the construction industry as the son of an iron worker in Minnesota. He was himself a journeyman ironworker on projects ranging from commercial buildings to bridge construction before attending law school. He joined the firm in June 2009 as a summer associate. He returned as a lawyer in fall 2010 after receiving his juris doctor, cum laude, from the University of San Diego School of Law in 2010, where he was a member of the Law Review and a member of the Order of the Coif. He earned his Bachelor of Arts in History from the University of Minnesota.
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Philip Morin promoted to senior counsel at Perkins Coie
Philip A. Morin has been promoted to senior counsel at Perkins Coie’s San Diego law office. Morin is a member of Perkins Coie’s Patent Litigation practice. He litigates complex patent disputes for innovative companies in such technologies as semiconductor processing and device fabrication, wireless communication devices, media streaming, electronics and gaming. Morin also has experience and is active in post-grant proceedings before the U.S. Patent Office, including IPR proceedings.
Senior counsels have at least eight years of experience, are recognized for delivering high-quality legal work, and have the ability to supervise junior lawyers and staff and collaborate with partners on the development and management of client matters.
