Daily Business Report-June 18, 2019
Marchers walk to the California Capitol last spring to protest the high cost of rental housing in the state. (Photo by Steve Yeater/AP Images)
California Report:
With a blue wave and progressive governor,
why are so many leftist plans going under?
By Ben Christopher and Laurel Rosenhall | CALmatters
An unprecedented haul of tax dollars generated by a roaring economy. A governor who campaigned on a big-ticket policy agenda of long-time lefty favorites, including universal childcare and state-funded healthcare for all. A Legislature so thoroughly packed with Democrats it gives rise to a new term—”giga-majority.”
Californians could be forgiven for expecting it all to add up to a liberal bonanza, a gusher of policies that the Democratic Party’s base has been clamoring to enact for decades.
But as the new super-blue Legislature sends Gov. Gavin Newsom his first state budget and the Capitol passes the halfway point for making new laws this year, the progressive policies that are advancing amount to less of a torrent than a trickle.
California may look pretty far to the left from a national perspective, but state-wise, lawmakers have already killed or downsized major items on the progressive wish list. They rejected bills to rein in charter school growth, curb oil production, expand data privacy rights and regulate e-cigarettes. They drastically scaled back ambitious agendas to protect renters and limit soda consumption. Though they approved some big progressive goals—giving workers more paid time off to care for a new baby, boosting government funding for healthcare and childcare—those policies have been whittled down from their original versions, making them more incremental than revolutionary.
If voters expected last year’s blue wave to upend policymaking-as-usual in Sacramento, it seems, at least for now, that the old rules still apply. Why? Moderating forces are still at work: swing-district Democrats remain tax-wary, lobbying and campaign money still wield a lot of influence, and virtually no one wants to burn through the state’s $21 billion budget surplus or its nearly $16 billion rainy day fund.
“There was a lot of talk that with a supermajority and a very progressive governor, things were going to go crazy. But when you’re sitting in that spot and looking at what’s going on, you have to hold the line,” said Dana Williamson, a Democratic political consultant who worked closely with former Gov. Jerry Brown.
“It’s also not as easy as everyone thinks to get a two-thirds vote, even when you have a supermajority.”
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SDSU Veterans Center director
selected to help Post-911 veterans
By Jeff Ristine | SDSU NewsCenter
Derek Abbey learned all about San Diego State University’s support for veterans while researching a master’s thesis at the University of San Diego nine years ago.
The former Marine aviator’s case study spotlighted SDSU’s best practices on serving military-connected students and their families and has been used to support similar programs on college campuses across the nation.
Today, as interim director of SDSU’s Joan and Art Barron Veterans Center, Abbey heads up the operation he previously studied. And he hopes to help bring continued expansion and improvements to the military program as a participant in a select leadership initiative established by former President George W. Bush.
Abbey is one of 43 scholars accepted for the 2019 Bush Institute Stand-To Veteran Leadership Program, which seeks to bring together representatives of different sectors to increase their impact in helping post-9/11 veterans.
It’s the second year for the program, which meets for three to four days a month from next week until October, gathering in Dallas, Seattle and Washington, D.C.
“My goal is to keep San Diego State on the leading edge when it comes to being the ideal program in higher education for serving our military,” Abbey said. “We just need to continue to be innovative in our approach and get out in front of things.”
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Manson Construction to replace
Naval base pier under $93 million contract
Govcon Wire
Manson Construction has secured a potential $93.25 million contact from the U.S. Navy to design and build a new pier at Naval Base San Diego.
Under the firm-fixed-price contract, Manson will construct a single-deck pile supported reinforced concrete pier to replace Pier 8, the Department of Defense said.
The structure will have electrical utilities, water collection systems, sanitary sewer, fiber optic communications, data acquisition systems, fire alarms and underground distribution lines.
The platform will also feature new load out ramp cradles and primary and secondary fenders.
The Navy received three bids for the contract and will obligate $43 million in fiscal 2019 military construction funds at the time of award.
Contract work will run through October 2021.
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General Atomics announces new
Integrated Intelligence Center
The new Integrated Intelligence Center (I2C) from General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc. presents innovative ways to improve the user experience for operators of Remotely Piloted Aircraft using automation and user experience-based design, the company announced.
“I2C will rapidly transform data into actionable intelligence,” said David R. Alexander, president of GA-ASI. “We see benefits to the warfighter on many fronts, including the reduction of operational cost –- whether it’s Ground Ops, Air Ops, or Intel Ops. By combining XC2, Automatic Takeoff and Landing, MMC and our single-seat Certifiable Ground Control Station, we will reduce manning by 50 percent.”
GA-ASI’s modular and open software architecture designs promotes horizontal integration of third party software and rapid integration of new capabilities.
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San Diego Press Club event to focus on
interviewing techniques with Dean Nelson
The San Diego Press Club will present “We’re All Interviewers Here: Why Asking Better Questions Will Get You Better Answers In All Professions,” a program on interviewing techniques with Dean Nelson, founder and director of the journalism program at Point Loma Nazarene University, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., Wednesday, June 19, at the San Diego Downtown Central Library, Neil Morgan Auditorium, 330 Park Blvd., San Diego. The public is invited to attend.
Nelson will discuss his recently published book “Talk to Me: How to Ask Better Questions, Get Better Answers, and Interview Anyone Like a Pro.” The book, published by Harper Collins, is being used by businesses, podcasters, journalism and PR staffs and professors around the world.A frequent speaker at writing workshops and retreats, Nelson has a doctorate in journalism from Ohio University in Athens, Ohio, a master’s degree in journalism from the University of Missouri at Columbia and a bachelor’s degree in literature from MidAmerica Nazarene University in Kansas City. He has written or co-written 15 books.
Cost to attend the Press Club event is free. Refreshments will be served. RSVP can be made here, https://sandiego.librarymarket.com/author-talk-dean-nelson-phd-talk-me. The program is part of the Press Club’s “Nuts & Bolts” series.
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Seismic named CODiE Award
winner for Best Sales Enablement Platform
San Diego-based Seismic, a leader in sales and marketing enablement, has been named the Best Sales Enablement Platform of 2019 as part of the annual SIIA CODiE Awards. The CODiE Awards recognize the companies producing the most innovative businesses technology products across the country, and around the world. Seismic was recognized for its comprehensive sales enablement platform, including content management and content analytics, that ensure organizational success and sales execution intelligence.
Seismic aligns sales and marketing on the right content and messaging needed to engage a buyer in any given selling situation. Advanced content analytics tells sellers how best to interact with a buyer next, and it tells marketing which training, assets and content are resonating with sellers and prospects. Other features like bulk content editing, customizable approval and workflow processes, content collaboration and annotation, means marketers can ensure that all content is being updated by the right teams and distributed to the right sellers.
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AMN Healthcare Services completes
acquisition of Advanced Medical Personnel
AMN Healthcare Services Inc. announced the completion of the acquisition of Advanced Medical Personnel Services Inc. for a base purchase price of $200 million, with up to an additional $20 million to be paid if Advanced achieves certain financial results as of December 31, 2019. Advanced is an allied and nurse staffing firm that serves hospitals, schools, clinics, skilled nursing facilities, and home health settings.
“The addition of the innovative Advanced organization into the AMN family of companies is an exciting event for all of our stakeholders – our clients, health care professionals, team members and our shareholders,” said Susan Salka, president and CEO of AMN Healthcare, which is based in San Diego. “Advanced brings a very talented team that will enable us to collectively serve our nursing and allied clients most effectively during the current and expected future strong demand environment.
The Haynes and Boone team that represented AMN Healthcare in this transaction was headed by Charlotte Partner Justin Riess and included Orange County Counsel Laura Martone and Dallas Associate Robin Ladd.
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Cubic to showcase advanced air combat
training systems at Paris Air Show
Cubic Corporationsaid its Cubic Global Defense (CGD) business division will exhibit its advanced air combat training systems at this year’s International Paris Air Show from June 17–23 at the Le Bourget Airport in Paris, France. The 53rd International Paris Air Show will bring together key players in the aerospace industry from around the world for a weeklong event consisting of the latest technological innovations, product demonstrations and commercial opportunities.
“For nearly five decades, Cubic has continued to revolutionize air combat training to benefit the United States and our allied nations. Today, we are the only provider of fourth and fifth generation fielded interoperable Air Combat Maneuvering Instrumentation (ACMI) and Live, Virtual, and Constructive (LVC) training solutions,” said Mike Knowles, president of Cubic Global Defense.
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NASSCO launches first in new class
of 870-foot cargo ships to serve Hawaii
General Dynamics NASSCO held a special event Friday to christen and launch the containership Lurline, an 870-foot-long combination container and roll-on, roll-off vessel built for Honolulu-based Matson Inc. The ship is the largest containership ever built in San Diego.
Lurline has liquefied natural gas-capable engines and is designed for energy efficiency. It is the lead ship of a two-vessel contract being built for Matson at General Dynamics NASSCO.
Thousands of individuals had a role in constructing the Lurline. The design of the ship provides the capability to transport containers, automobiles and rolling stock, including trailers. The construction and operation of the Lurline and its future sister ship are aligned with the Jones Act.
NASSCO serves as the only major shipyard on the West Coast of the United States designing, constructing and repairing ships for the U.S. Navy and commercial customers.
Ceremony participants included General Dynamics NASSCO president Kevin Graney and Matson CEO Matt Cox. Constance Lau, CEO and director of Hawaiian Electric Industries and a Matson board of directors member, christened the ship with the traditional break of a champagne bottle on the hull.
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Jeanne Loring named ‘Stem Cell Pioneer
of the Year’ in inaugural Xconomy Awards
Genomics researcher Jeanne Loring, professor emeritus at Scripps Research and founding director of the institute’s Center for Regenerative Medicine, was honored as “Stem Cell Pioneer of the Year” at the Xconomy Awards San Diego’s gala.
The award is an acknowledgement of Loring’s groundbreaking work not only in academia but also as co-founder and chief scientific officer of Aspen Neuroscience, a La Jolla-based startup that’s building on her discoveries to create personalized stem cell lines that will help treat Parkinson’s and other diseases.
At Aspen Neuroscience, Loring is expanding the uses of induced pluripotent stem cells, or iPS cells, which are which are derived from adult cells such as skin cells and can develop into a variety of tissue types. Loring and her group developed a way to turn iPS cells into neurons that produce the neurotransmitter dopamine—the cells that die in the brains of Parkinson’s patients. She hopes to launch its first clinical trial in 2020 to test its personalized cell therapy.
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Locana lights up investors; raises $55 million
Local biotech company Locana made news last month when it raised $55 million in venture capital funding. Locana means “illuminate” or “vision” in Sanskrit, and the company is based on technology that was originally developed to illuminate RNA inside cells.
While most gene therapy attempts to correct the errant DNA underlying a disease, Locana is now developing ways to correct errors by targeting RNA instead.
Locana was co-founded in 2016 by Gene Yeo, professor of cellular and molecular medicine at UC San Diego School of Medicine, David Nelles, who was a graduate student in Yeo’s lab at the time, and Richard Schneeberger, Yeo’s former classmate at UC San Diego Rady School of Management. The company’s initial technology was licensed from UC San Diego.
“Running a research lab at UC San Diego is already a full-time job,” Yeo said. “But I’m driven by this opportunity to take our exciting scientific discoveries from the lab and translate them into products that will hopefully help people.” Yeo was recently recognized for his work with Locana with the inaugural Xconomy San Diego “Big Idea” Award.
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Kratos XQ-58A Valkyrie completes
another successful flight
Kratos Defense & Security Solutions Inc. announced that its XQ-58A Valkyrie completed another successful test/demonstration flight on June 11, 2019, at Yuma Proving Grounds, Ariz. The XQ-58A demonstrator is a low-cost unmanned air vehicle (UAV) developed by Kratos Unmanned Aerial Systems in partnership with the Air Force Research Laboratory on the Low Cost Attritable Strike Demonstrator Program. During the latest flight, the vehicle successfully completed its test objectives during a 71-minute flight. The Valkyrie is a multi-mission, runway-independent UAS capable of long-range flights at high-subsonic speeds and a variety of applications.
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Personnel Announcements
Joseph von Meier elected newest partner at
Crosbie Gliner Schiffman Southard & Swanson
Crosbie Gliner Schiffman Southard & SwansonLLP (CGS3), a San Diego-based commercial real estate law firm, announced it has elected Joseph von Meier as its newest partner. Von Meier joined CGS3 in 2017 as senior counsel and will continue to work from the firm’s San Diego offices.
Specializing in commercial real estate law with an emphasis on development and construction related
transactional matters, von Meier represents clients from across the country – concentrating his practice on high-profile, complex real estate transactions with a focus on student housing, multifamily, luxury residential and retail development and construction
Joe launched his career at Chicago-based Burke, Warren, MacKay & Serritella PC where he worked for nearly 15 years and rose to Partner. During his tenure with Burke, Warren, he served as in-house counsel for a prominent Chicago-based development and construction company as well as an award-winning, national student housing developer, where he oversaw financing, construction, and operations‑related matters.
