Daily Business Report-Feb. 4, 2019
Headquarters of the San Diego County Water Authority at 4677 Overland Ave. (Photo: San Diego County Water Authority)
Hard to tell where the Water Authority
ends and a powerful law firm begins
By Ry Rivard | Voice of San Diego
Over the past two decades, the San Diego County Water Authority has paid $25 million to a single law firm.
The firm, Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, is known for its water law practice across the West. Locally, though, few people know of its influence.
The firm and two of its attorneys – Chris Frahm and Scott Slater – have been involved in major Water Authority decisions since the mid-1990s, decisions that affect the cost and availability of water in San Diego.
To justify the $1.2 million the agency pays to Brownstein in an average year, the Water Authority sent Voice of San Diego a list of 16 “critical matters” the firm has helped with. Most relate to a series of agreements and lawsuits that center on one big thing: About 40 percent of San Diego’s water now comes from a decades-long, multi-billion dollar water deal the firm helped the Water Authority put together.
Because of all that work, it’s sometimes hard to tell where the Water Authority ends and where Brownstein begins.
Frahm, a former Water Authority board chairwoman, joined the firm within weeks of leaving the Water Authority in 1999. She’s spent much of the past 20 years working on aspects of that deal, which she helped construct as a public servant. In recent years, the Water Authority agreed to pay the firm over $27,000 a month for Frahm’s legal work.
Slater and Frahm are also architects of a legal strategy that not only locked the Water Authority into litigation for years but, if successful, could open up opportunities for at least one of their other clients.
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Congress to hold hearing on San Diego VA human research
Congress will hold a hearing as early as this spring into allegations by two whistleblowers of dangerous human research conducted at the San Diego VA medical center — a development that resulted from an inewsource investigation.
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Summary of upcoming major events at the
San Diego Convention Center:
• Golf Course Superintendents Association of America
Feb. 2-7 | 12,500 attendees
• West 2019 – AFCEA & U.S. Naval Institute
Feb. 13-15 | 8,500 attendees
• 2019 SCCM Critical Care Congress
Feb.17-20 | 6,000 attendees
• The NGA Show
Feb. 24-27 | 3,900 attendees
• EUEC 2019 — Energy Utility & Environmental Conference
February 25-26 | 2,300 attendees
• Oceanology International Americas -2019
Feb. 25-27 | 2,500 attendees
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Brian Jones named GOP Caucus chair, increasing San Diego Clout in Sacramento
Times of San Diego
San Diego County gained another high-level voice in the state Legislature with the election of Sen. Brian Jones as Republican Caucus Chair. Jones, who was elected to his first term in the Senate in November, joins San Diego-area lawmakers Toni Atkins and Todd Gloria, both Democrats, and Marie Waldron, a Republican, in top leadership roles.
Gloria is Majority Whip in the Assembly, and Waldron is the Republican Leader in that body.
The Caucus Chair is the number two position in the Republican leadership structure. Jones will assist Senate Republican Leader-elect Shannon Grove, who represents the Bakersfield area, in overseeing caucus operations, advancing the Republican message, and achieving the caucus’ legislative goals.
“Sen. Jones and I have a great working relationship that began while we served in the Assembly. I have great respect for him and the strengths he brings to the Republican Caucus leadership team,” said Grove.
Jones represents the 38th District, which covers San Diego County north of Interstate 8 and east of Interstate 15.
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San Diego Planning Partnership hosting free estate planning workshops
The San Diego Planning Partnership will host free one and two-day workshops where attendees receive unbiased information and learn the language of estate and long-term care planning. Attendees will be presented with options for managing, preserving, and ultimately distributing an individual’s assets. End of life and incapacity decisions will also be discussed. Their goal is to increase the number of San Diego County adults that have their documents and future plans in order, lessening the need for court intervention when families are in the midst of a caregiving crisis.
When: Wednesday, Feb. 6: 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., and Thursday, Feb. 7: 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Where: St. Paul’s Senior Services – Mathes Center, 1420 E Palomar St, Chula Vista.
Participants must pre-register as space is limited. Workshop schedule is subject to change. Visit the San Diego Planning Partnership website a tsd-pp.org or call (619) 500-1902 or more details and to RSVP in advance.
Established in 2018, the San Diego Planning Partnership assists older adults with estate planning as they age to help them maintain independence, as well as helping to legally grant authority to someone to make medical decisions for them should they become incapacitated.
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Design work begins for new buildings at
MiraCosta Community College District
The design phase is now underway for four new buildings and a new parking lot at the MiraCosta Community College District’s Oceanside Campus. The projects, funded by Measure MM, the $455 million bond measure approved by district voters in November 2016, will be aligned with the vision set out by the district’s Facility Master Plan, which calls for the creation of academic hubs throughout the campus centered around different academic themes and each including instructional space, tutoring and study space, faculty space, and outdoor learning and gathering spaces.
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Peter Doody named president of Association
of Southern California Defense Counsel
Just a week after being honored as San Diego Defense Lawyer of the Year, Higgs Fletcher & Mack Attorney Peter Doody was named president of the Association of Southern California Defense Counsel.
As president, Doody will represent more than 1,200 civil defense lawyers from Santa Barbara to San Diego. The association provides continuing education, thought leadership and opportunities for mentoring younger attorneys in the industry.
Doody will be sworn in as president during the 58th annual seminar in Los Angeles Jan. 30 to Feb. 1. The event culminates with a luncheon where Alan Dershowitz will address 500+ in attendance.
Doody earned his Juris Doctor degree from the University of San Francisco School of Law. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Colorado. In 2003, he served as president of the San Diego Defense Lawyers organization.
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Commander of Naval Medical Center
San Diego honored for mentoring work
Naval Medical Center San Diego’s commanding officer received honors from the American Medical Association 2018 Inspirational Physicians Recognition Program during an awards ceremony held in Chicago.
Capt. Bradford Smith was formally recognized for sharing his “wisdom, expertise and passion for medicine to inspire other physicians” at the ceremony.
When asked about the award, which was created by the AMA Women Physicians Section to honor leaders who have offered their time, wisdom and support to mentor women in the medical field, Smith was characteristically self-effacing in his response.
“To the best of my ability I try to lead and mentor anyone who I feel may benefit from my tutelage, which in the U.S. Navy Medical Corps includes both men and women,” said Smith.
“And if in receiving this recognition, which is specifically geared toward mentoring women, I can inspire others to also take an active role in mentoring women, then to me that is a good thing.”
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Personnel Announcements
Nancy Maldonado named CEO
of Chicano Federation of San Diego County
The Chicano Federation of San Diego County has named Nancy Maldonado as it new chief executive officer. Maldonado will lead the organization in meeting the region’s ever-increasing needs for quality child development programs, affordable housing, and additional comprehensive programs and services.
Maldonado joined the Chicano Federation in 2017 as senior program director and was promoted to chief operating officer, and then to interim chief executive officer in 2018. Maldonado is a resident of Tierrasanta.
Maldonado is a community advocate with deep knowledge of health and wellness, and has dedicated her career to improving health outcomes for youth and underserved communities. She has been recognized for designing, and leading the strategic development of community-based programs and interventions, and is an active member on several organizational committees and boards, including the California Alternative Payment Program Association Public Policy Committee and the San Diego County Child Care and Development Planning Council.
Prior to joining the Chicano Federation, Maldonado served as the director of community health for the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association. She previously owned and operated her own business where she developed and implemented corporate wellness programs.
Maldonado succeeds Ray Uzeta, who previously served as the organization’s CEO.
