Daily Business Report-May 8, 2020

Local news organizations

Four San Diego County news organizations share

$371,000 in grants from Facebook relief fund

Four news organizations in San Diego County will receive a combined $371,000 in grants from the Facebook Journalism Project’s relief fund for local news.

The grants stem from $25 million in local news relief funding announced in March as part of Facebook’s $100 million global investment in news.

East County Magazine and Embarcadero Media, both of La Mesa, each will receive $100,000 in grants. Voice of San Diego will receive $96,250 and Village News Inc. in Fallbrook will receive $75,000.

Facebook said $10.3 million is being awarded to 144 local newsrooms as part of the COVID-19 Local News Relief Fund Grant Program. The fund is supporting many publishers who are hardest hit by this crisis: nearly 80 percent of recipients are family- or independently owned and more than half are published by or for communities of color.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the critical role local news plays in our communities, while simultaneously threatening their very existence,”

“Reviewing hundreds of applications on a tight timeline both illustrated the depth of need, but also highlighted the innovation that these small, independent publishers can provide for their communities when given the resources,” said Jonathan Kealing, chief network officer for the Institute for Nonprofit News, one of the organizations selecting the grant recipients. “I’m excited to see new news products and more critical original reporting in these communities, thanks to Facebook’s support.”

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California’s essential workers to get

benefit of the doubt if they contract COVID-19

In a big win for labor unions, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed an executive orderWednesday that presumes California’s essential workers who contract COVID-19 did so on the job.

The order makes it easier for employees to access workers’ compensation benefits by shifting the burden of proof to employers, who will have to prove employees did not contract COVID-19 at work in order to avoid a claim, CalMatters’ Barbara Feder Ostrov reports. Such an expansion has been estimated to cost the state workers’ compensation system billions a year.

Newsom: “This is a way of providing support to our critical workers that are essential in our capacity not only to meet the needs of people today, but as we begin to enter into this new phase and start to reopen our economy.”

The order applies to all essential workers, not just health care workers and first responders. It lasts for two months and retroactively covers those who tested positive for coronavirus within 14 days of working after Newsom’s March 19 stay-at-home order.

It was met with strong approval from labor groups and intense criticism from business groups, who say they can ill afford the increased insurance premiums.

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Blue Flame Medical LLC under federal

probe for mask deal with California

The U.S. Department of Justice has reportedly opened a criminal investigation into Blue Flame Medical LLC, the company to which California sent $456.9 million in March for medical-grade masks before the deal mysteriously collapsed hours later, as CalMatters’ Laurel Rosenhall reported Tuesday.

Federal prosecutors are focused on canceled contracts the company signed with Maryland and California, according to the Washington Post, which reported the investigation Wednesday morning.

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James O’Callaghan takes helm of

South County Economic Development Council

South County Economic Development Council has named James O’Callaghan as the organization’s new chief executive officer and president, succeeding 15-year President and CEO Cindy Gompper-Graves.

O’Callaghan served as executive director at the West Hollywood Travel and Tourism Board and before that served as president and CEO of two Chambers of Commerce from 2012 to 2018.

s O’Callaghan graduated from Hofstra University in 2000 and received his master’s degree from Columbia University in 2002. His immediate position before South County EDC was as executive director of the West Hollywood Travel and Tourism Board, where he operated two business improvement districts and developed programs to attract and retain businesses within the districts.

He was also president and CEO of the Huntington Beach Chamber of Commerce from 2016 to 2018 and the Manhattan Beach Chamber of Commerce from 2012 to 2016. O’Callaghan has 24 years of experience in business development.

O’Callaghan will report to the South County EDC Board of Directors and will assume responsibility for all areas of the organization’s programs and activities, including managing a team of three full-time staff, plus a group of interns, and an operating budget of approximately $750,000. He will be the leading advocate for the region, forging innovative partnerships with private and public sector stakeholders, working closely with elected officials, attracting and retaining business, nurturing bi-national business growth, and backing key initiatives to move the region forward.

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Majestic Sunroad Center reaches

tilt-up construction milestone

Majestic Realty Co. and Sunroad Enterprises have reached the concrete panel tilt-up construction milestone for the Majestic Sunroad Center in Otay Mesa. The Class-A, three-building industrial center totaling 227,268 square feet is slated for completion in the second quarter 2020.

Majestic Sunroad Center includes three buildings ranging in size from 36,360-154,308 square feet each.

Majestic Sunroad Center is located on a total 16-acre parcel at 8115, 8140 and 8175 Andrews Ave, San Diego.

Pre-leasing for Majestic Sunroad Center is currently underway with representation by Chris Holder, Mark Lewkowitz and Will Holder of Colliers International San Diego Region.

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BPS Bioscience purchases 2-story

office building for $8.55 million

San Diego biotech company BPS Bioscience has purhased a 37,991-square-foot, two-story office building at 6405 Mira Mesa Blvd. in San Diego for $8.55 million. The seller was Vancouver-based construction company Ledcor Group.

The building was originally built in 1990. The buyer intends to occupy most of the building, while leasing back a portion of the building to the seller.

CBRE’s Matt Pourcho, Anthony DeLorenzo, Doug Mack and Bryan Johnson represented the seller. The buyer was represented by an outside firm.

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Lesley Hudson promoted to associate director

of CBRE Property Management Division

Lesley Hudson has been promoted to associate director of CBRE’s Property Management Division in San Diego. In her new role, Hudson will be responsible for the operations, financials and overall performance of a mixed portfolio of investor and occupier assets. In partnership with managing director Juan E. Rose III, Hudson will help lead the team of property management and engineering professionals in the San Diego Region.

Since joining CBRE in 2009, Hudson has served in numerous capacities within the firm’s property management division. In her most recent role as senior real estate manager, she was responsible for the real estate management operations of a large retail power center in San Diego.

“I have been with CBRE for over a decade and could not be more excited to take on this new role,” said Hudson. “Having experienced multiple cycles operating retail and office assets, I am confident our CBRE Property Management team can navigate any economic environment to create value for our clients. I look forward to helping our team deliver positive results for our clients.”