Daily Business Report-May 20, 2020
Hair salons could reopen soon in California, Gov. Gavin Newsom said. (Image via iStock)
Almost time to play ball — and to get a haircut
MLB could resume in early June, hair salons a little later
It’s (almost) time to play ball.
Pro sporting events could resume in California as early as the first week of June, Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a surprising announcement that likely marked the first ray of light at the end of the tunnel for many Californians, even if fans won’t be allowed back in the stands for a while.
Oakland A’s manager Bob Melvin: “That’s great to hear. If we get further down the road with this, at least it makes planning easier.”
And that wasn’t the only piece of positive news: Hair salons will likely be eligible to reopen statewide in a few weeks, the governor said.
Suddenly, California’s future looks very different from the way it did just last week, when Newsom expressed hesitation about Major League Baseball restarting in July. What’s changed?
Newsom said Monday the state is comfortable moving forward because hospitalizations have declined by 7.5 percent and ICU patients by 8.7 percent over the past 14 days, millions of protective masks have been distributed, and the state’s testing and tracing capacity has ramped up (though not enough to pinpoint the virus’s true scope, experts say).
The state is comfortable enough, in fact, that it’s significantly loosening county reopening requirements. Newsom said that under the new criteria, 53 of 58 counties are eligible to reopen dine-in restaurants and shopping centers (24qualified under previous requirements).
To reopen faster than the state, counties originally had to prove that they had no more than one COVID-19 case and no COVID-19 death in the past 14 days, something many large counties labeled as unrealistic.
The new requirements don’t mention deaths at all. Counties now need to prove they have fewer than 25 new cases per 100,000 residents in the past 14 days, or less than 8 percent testing positive in the past seven days.
Newsom: “The bottom line is people can go at their own pace, and we are empowering our local health directors and county officials who understand their local communities and conditions better than anyone.”
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Attorney John Gomez helps local restaurants
in legal battles and by spending money at them
John Gomez of San Diego-based Gomez Trial Attorneys is a proclaimed foodie and huge supporter of local restaurants. Throughout the pandemic, Gomez has been helping restaurants not only in legal battles but also by simply spending money at them.
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, restaurants are being hit by insurers denying their claims. Across the country there is a
movement of chefs that are teaming up with law firms to take on insurers and Gomez Trial Attorneys is currently representing over 300 restaurants and small businesses.
In addition to helping restaurants and small businesses on the legal side of things, Gomez Trial Attorneys has also injected over $25,000 into local restaurants by doing the following:
- John Gomez gave $500 to each of his employees (roughly 50 people) to spend at local restaurants, encouraging them to tip 25 percent or more.
- Supported local restaurants like The Crack Shack by purchasing 200 meals every Friday for a month and donating them to essential workers in San Diego. Through this effort, employees of Gomez Trial Attorneys volunteered their time to drive around the county dropping the meals off to nurses, fire departments, elderly homes, EMTs and essential workers. In fact, the company purchased a sprinter van just for this initiative.
- Gomez Trial Attorneys also created a fundraiser for Meals on Wheels, which has currently raised over $3,500.
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Mesa College journalism student
takes the coronavirus fight to New York
When the COVID-19 pandemic forced the San Diego Community College District to transition to online and distance learning, Mesa College journalism student Lance Nelson saw an opportunity to make a difference. He sold virtually all his possessions and flew to New York — the epicenter of the nation’s coronavirus outbreak — where he has been volunteering since April 1 with food banks and pantries that feed struggling residents.
“Every person I meet tells me the same thing: ‘You picked a weird time to move to New York,’ ” Nelson said.
Giving back isn’t anything new; Nelson has volunteered with the San Diego Food Bank and other nonprofits during the two years he has attended Mesa College, where he also worked as co-editor-in-chief for the Mesa Press student-run newspaper.
“It just seemed like the right thing to do,” he said about volunteering in New York City. Almost as soon as Nelson arrived, he signed up with New York Cares, the largest volunteer network in the city.
“It’s been surreal,” said Nelson, who is staying near Greenwich Village at the apartment of a friend who left for upstate New York to escape a city where nearly a thousand residents were dying daily and tens of thousands more were being diagnosed with the disease at the peak of the pandemic. “The subways are deserted. Everyone is wearing a mask. You’re providing meals and groceries to people who have lost their job, who have lost a friend, who have lost a relative, and they’re just so grateful for what you’re doing.”
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ChromaCode raises $10 million
Series C financing from Adjuvant Capital
ChromaCode Inc., a Carlsbad company redefining molecular testing through data science, announced a $10 million Series C extension with an investment from Adjuvant Capital. The Adjuvant investment brings the company’s total Series C funding to $38 million. Managing Partner Jenny Yip will join ChromaCode’s board of directors. Funding from this round will support global expansion and continued development of ChromaCode’s high-definition PCR platform, through which the company recently launched a high-throughput SARS-CoV-2 assay. Adjuvant joins existing ChromaCode investors Northpond Ventures, New Enterprise Associates (NEA), Domain Associates,Windham Ventures, Okapi Ventures, Moore Venture Partners and the California Institute of Technology.
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Harrah’s Resort Southern California
to reopen casino on Friday
Harrah’s Resort Southern California announced that it will reopen its Valley Center casino in phases beginning Friday.
“We have implemented robust reopening guidelines from the National Indian Gaming Commission and Caesars Entertainment, that include strong sanitization protocols, social distancing procedures, and limiting the capacity of the guests allowed at a time in the casino,” Rincon Tribal Chairman Bo Mazzetti said in a statement.
Guests will be required to wear face coverings, will undergo temperature checks before entering the casino and must practice social distancing. No more than three players will be allowed at blackjack tables, and no more than four players per roulette.
The hotel, along with the outdoor pool area, the spa, the buffet, the fitness center and the poker room will remain closed.
Harrah’s and other county tribes are ignoring Gov. Gavin Newsom’s letter asking them to reconsider their decisions to reopen this month.
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Girls Inc. of San Diego County receives
$400,000 grant, hires full-time CEO
Girls Inc. of San Diego County has received a three-year, $400,000 grant from Girls Inc. national, funding the appointment of nonprofit leader Sandra Ainslie as the full-time CEO of the San Diego Girls Inc. affiliate.
The grant will fund the expansion of the organization’s program and staff team while enabling 450 more underserved girls in San Diego County to participate in life-changing programs at no cost to them or their families.
A strong advocate for youth for more than 20 years, Sandra has a track record of building and leading innovative youth organizations and programs. In her new role, Sandra will help GISD increase its impact in the region and will work to further develop the chapter’s organizational strategy and financial growth.
Girls Inc. of San Diego County provides no-cost programming to girls ages 8 to 18 from underserved communities. The comprehensive Girls Inc. approach to developing the whole girl equips girls to navigate gender, economic and social barriers and grow up healthy, educated and independent.
“With the support of Girls Inc. programming, girls gain important skills, confidence to succeed, have the support they need to safely process their feelings and fears, as well as develop a vision for their success at school and in life,” said Ainslie.
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Bill McGreevy named VP of administrative
services at Grossmont College
Bill McGreevy, an administrator with more than 25 years’ experience in higher education, has been appointed vice president of administrative services at Grossmont College.
McGreevy filled the post in an interim capacity before his appointment, overseeing the construction of the college’s new Performing and Visual Arts Center, managing budget development for the college, and monitoring the work of outside vendors.
The Crest resident was hired at Grossmont College in January 2017 as dean of arts, languages and communication. Between 2012 and 2017, he served as the dean of instruction and interim campus director for Red Rocks Community College in Lakewood, Colo.
Before joining Red Rocks, he was the assistant dean of the Morgridge College of Education at the University of Denver. Prior to joining the University of Denver, he was the assistant dean for Colorado Mountain College, a seven-campus community college system. He held administrative positions at University of Missouri campuses in Kansas City and St. Louis before moving to Colorado.
McGreevy has a master’s in higher education administration from the University of Missouri-St. Louis, and a bachelor’s in journalism from the University of Missouri-Columbia.
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James Taylor San Diego concert
rescheduled to May 29, 2021
James Taylor and his All-Star Band, with special guest Jackson Brown, have have rescheduled their San Diego appearance to May 29, 2021, in Pechanga Arena (also known as the San Diego Sports Arena.)
Previously purchased tickets will be honored for the rescheduled date and fans are encouraged to hold onto their tickets. If patrons are unable to attend the rescheduled date, they should reach out to their point of purchase for information on refunds.
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Samuel Bellomio joins Ware Malcomb
as a project manager in San Diego
Samuel Bellomio has joined Ware Malcomb’s civil engineering team as a project manager in the San Diego office.
Bellomio will oversee civil projects in San Diego. He will work closely with Luke Corsbie, Ware Malcomb director of civil engineering, who has responsibility for the overall growth and management of civil engineering services for the Southern California region.
Bellomio brings 10 years of experience in the civil engineering field to Ware Malcomb. Prior to joining Ware Malcomb, Bellomio was a project engineer with a local San Diego firm, and previously worked in the Seattle market. His civil design experience spans both public and private land development projects, with a primary focus on land development and storm water analysis.
Bellomio holds a Bachelor of Science degree in civil engineering from Seattle University. He is also a registered Professional Engineer in the state of California. He is an active member of the Building Industry Association (BIA) Stormwater Taskforce, the California Stormwater Quality Association Best Management Practices Subcommittee, and the County of San Diego Land Development Workgroup.
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Crew Swap
