Daily Business Report-Feb. 12, 2020
Each course offers hands-on experience. (Photo credit: The Hour Glass)
Horological Society to offer watchmaking
courses March 7-8 at Solana Beach boutique
The Horological Society of New York (HSNY), America’s first watchmaking guild, founded in 1866, will be traveling to Solana Beach to teach watchmaking courses on March 7-8.
As in years past, the coveted courses will be hosted by Passion Fine Jewelry at its boutique at 415 South Cedros Ave.
Each four-hour course offers hands-on experience with the disassembly and reassembly of a complete mechanical movement, as instructors work with an intimate group (8 per class) and cover HSNY’s Horology 101 through 103 curricula of movement mechanics, gear training and winding & setting.
It’s a great opportunity for watch lovers to find out what makes a timepiece tick, and best of all, classes are designed for any level of enthusiast as no previous experience is required to enroll.
Passion Fine Jewelry can be reached at (858) 794-8000.
The Horological Society of New York is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing the art and science of horology. Members are a diverse mix of watchmakers, clockmakers, executives, journalists, auctioneers, historians, salespeople and collectors, reflecting the rich nature of horology in New York City.
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City moves forward with project to add
pedestrian friendly space in Balboa Park
The San Diego City Council took the final action needed to begin construction of the $1.2 million Palisades Plaza project to replace a portion of a Balboa Park parking lot with a pedestrian-friendly space for the public to enjoy.
Monday’s action gave authorization to expend $600,000 to use city employees to begin the work, following initial approval in the fiscal year 2020 budget.
“The City can now begin to restore the Palisades area to its original vision of a walkable, family-friendly space where people can find a spot to sit and enjoy a beautiful day in San Diego’s crown jewel,” said Mayor Kevin Faulconer. “The new seating and landscaping amenities will be a welcome addition for park visitors, and the project is a great first step to revitalizing Balboa Park.”
The Palisades project will reduce motorized vehicles in the area, and create a more welcoming community space for pedestrians. The current project will remove a section of the existing parking lot asphalt and replace it with turf, benches, tables, chairs and more. New accessibility curb ramps, trees, lighting, irrigation and other landscaping will also be installed.
The remaining parking area in the northern section of Palisades will be repaved and re-striped along with upgrades to the existing tram stop. City crews will also be resurfacing other parking lots in the park to minimize the parking spaces removed as part of the project.
The project is expected begin in March and take about four months to complete.
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MTS Trolley and bus network
ridership continues steady climb
Ridership on the Metropolitan Transit System (MTS) Trolley and bus network continues its steady climb reaching nearly 1.2 million extra passenger trips in the first six months of Fiscal Year 2020, which began on July 1, 2019, according to MTS.The last time MTS saw this level of ridership gains was in FY 2015, when the agency recorded back-to-back years of record ridership.
The spike has been led by the Trolley which last year posted eight straight months of year-over-year gains (April-November), including a 9 percent jump in September.
On the rail side, Trolley ridership increased by 753,435 passenger trips in the first two quarters of the fiscal year. Notable is that Trolley ridership was 9.1 percent higher in September 2019 compared to the same month in 2018. On the bus side, ridership increased by 461,148 passenger trips in the first six months. Notable to this increase is that MTS buses had a 5 percent ridership spike in July, the largest year-over-year increase since October 2014.
In the first six months of the fiscal year, (July- December) bus and Trolley ridership combined has grown by 1.2 million compared to the same months in 2018. Going back even further, Trolley ridership has improved in 13 of the past 16 months compared to the same months in previous years.
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High school students take part
in financial literacy workshop
Pima Medical Institute along with The San Marcos Promise and California Coast Credit Union kicked off 2020 by hosting a recent two-day financial literacy workshop at San Marcos High School in San Marcos.
The Future You Initiative aims to provide students with a no-cost opportunity to learn valuable financial literacy lessons to strengthen their knowledge of personal finance. More than 50 students attended the workshop, which was voluntary.
“We recognized a need in the school district and a desire from students to learn these necessary life skills,” said Lisa Stout, executive director of The San Marcos Promise. “Being able to offer this program with our partners gives students the knowledge and confidence they need to navigate these real-world financial situations when they encounter them after high school.”
The workshop brought in various experts to teach students about debit cards, credit cards and building credit. Students also learned how to open a bank account, write checks and begin to navigate their financial futures.
John Hanson, Regional Director of Operations for Pima Medical Institute, spoke to students about planning for college. An eye-opening experience for many in attendance.
“Whether it is a traditional four-year university, or career and technical education at a college like Pima Medical, we feel strongly that empowering students with knowledge that can be used immediately is very important,” said Hanson.
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C-3 Feb. 27 event to explore
The Future of San Diego Bay
Guest speakers at Citizens Coordinate for Century 3’s (C-3) Feb. 27 breakfast event, titled The Future of San Diego Bay, will address the opportunities and risks associated with the development of Port lands and the importance of a comprehensive and inclusive plan that balances the pressures of growth with the preservation of communities and ecosystems.
Panelists who are leading the policies and design visions that will shape Port lands for generations to come include:
- Yehudi Gaffen, CEO of Gafcon
- Ann Moore, chair of the Board of Port Commissioners
- Brad Raulston, city manager of City of National City
- Mike Singleton, principal at KTU+A
Since its founding in 1961, C-3 has advocated to protect and restore opportunities for public access to the San Diego Bay. C-3 will be hosting a series of events and forming a Knowledge Action Network dedicated to exploring land use issues and solutions surrounding the San Diego Bay, with this panel event as its kickoff.
Admission is $35 for members, $45 for nonmembers. For reservations or more information, visit www.c3sandiego.org or call 858-633-3860.
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BNBuilders building San Diego’s first
Power over Ethernet project for Scripps Health
BNBuilders is currently under construction on San Diego’s first Power over Ethernet (PoE) project at Scripps MD Anderson Cancer Center. The design/build cancer clinic is located at 10670 John Jay Hopkins Drive in La Jolla.
BNBuilders also completed the recent obstetrics unit remodel at Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla.
The 16,500-square-foot project will serve as Scripps’ Pilot project for PoE connected lighting solutions. Lighting will be powered by the electric charge carried over Ethernet cables, which also route data to the building’s management system. PoE will bring smart building features, including asset tracking, remote control of HVAC and access/security, data acquisition at the room level, and the ability to manage features by smart phone.
Scripps intends to use PoE on its upcoming hospital tower. Designed by BNBuilders, FreemanWhite, and TK1SC, the four-phase project is anticipated to be complete in April 2020.
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County stands to get nearly $10 million
to address homelessness in region
The county of San Diego Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to let the Health and Human Services Agency to apply for and receive nearly $10 million from state funds to address homelessness in the region.
The vote also allows HHSA to apply for future funding opportunities related to addressing homelessness throughout the region. Securing homeless funds aligns with the county’s Live Well San Diego vision to improve the health and wellbeing of area residents by addressing the housing and service needs of people experiencing homelessness throughout the county.
Funding may be used for a wide variety of activities including, but not limited to, rental assistance, workforce and other supports to retain housing and other innovative housing solutions and services.
If awarded and approved, HHSA will get about $2 million during Fiscal Year 2019-20 and another $2 million in Fiscal Year 2020-21. HHSA anticipates receiving $9,996,652 in total program funds through Fiscal Year 2024-25.
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Hecht Solberg names 2 senior partners,
a partnerand adds three new associates
Hecht Solberg Robinson Goldberg & Bagley LLP has named Jennifer Chang and Márcia Loeffelholz senior partners at the real estate and business law firm and named Talon Powers a partner. The firm also announced the addition of three new associates: Beth Abramson, Sadaf Behdin and Pooja Pujara.
Chang’s practice focuses on real estate transactions, acquisitions, dispositions, entity formation and financing; title-related issues; and business entity structuring. Before joining Hecht Solberg in 2017, she practiced law at two San Diego law firms. Earlier, she worked as in-house counsel for Sempra Energy and DaimlerChrysler Corp.
Loeffelholz concentrates in real estate and business transaction matters, with a focus on acquisitions and dispositions, financing transactions, commercial leasing, entity formation and corporate governance, as well as purchases and sales of business entities and assets. She rejoined the firm in 2018.
Powers joined HechtSolberg in 2014. His practice focuses on business litigation and risk management, with emphasis on construction, land use and environmental appeals, purchases and sales, commercial leases, real estate brokerage, and insurance issues. He is a director on the board of Rebuilding Together San Diego.
The new associates, Abramson, Behdin and Pujara, will wor in all firm practice areas, with particular emphasis on litigation, risk management and transactional matters in real estate, business and finance.
Abramson, a native of South Africa, earned her Juris Doctor from University of California, Los Angeles, School of Law in 2019 and a bachelor’s degree, summa cum laude, in global studies from UC Santa Barbara in 2015.
Behdin earned a Juris Doctor degree in 2019 from the UC Irvine School of Law and a BA degree, cum laude, in 2015 from UC San Diego in history and political science/public law.
Pujara earned a Juris Doctor degree from the UC Irvine School of Law in 2019 and BA degrees in both psychology and global studies from UC Santa Barbara in 2015.
