Daily Business Report-Aug. 10, 2020
Vacation rental property at 2970 Second Ave. in Bankers Hill.
City Attorney acts to shut down short-term
vacation rental house in Bankers Hill
San Diego City Attorney Mara W. Elliott has filed a civil enforcement action to shut down a Banker’s Hill short-term vacation rental property located at 2970 Second Ave. The complaint alleges that defendants are maintaining a public nuisance and engaging in unfair competition. The rental continues to operate in violation of state and county COVID-19 public health orders.
Citing more than 20 violations of state and local laws, Elliott is seeking civil penalties and a permanent injunction against property owner David Contreras Curiel and property manager Alexander Mendez.
The case was referred to the City Attorney’s Office by the San Diego Police Department, which has received more than a dozen complaints from neighbors of raucous parties at the rental. A number of the calls for service occurred while restrictions on public gatherings were in effect due to the pandemic.
Defendants have refused to schedule property inspections with city inspectors, once offering the excuse that a rental occupant had tested positive for COVID-19.
“From packing a party house during a pandemic to illegally renovating an entire property, the conduct of the defendants in this case is egregious and unacceptable,” Elliott said. “No neighborhood should have to put up with such dangerous behavior.”
The property had been illegally modified numerous times
The City Attorney’s complaint cites multiple violations of the California Business and Professions Code, California Code of Civil Procedure, and San Diego Municipal Code and seeks to prohibit defendants from engaging in unfair competition and from maintaining illegal building modifications and a public nuisance property that endangers the public, safety, and welfare of the citizens of San Diego. The City Attorney’s Office is also pursuing civil penalties, investigative costs, and other equitable relief for defendants’ violation of the law.
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Opponents of short-term rentals
feel blindsided by latest proposal
By Dave Schwab | sdnews.com
The stance of Save San Diego Neighborhoods and sympathizers on short-term rentals is simple: They’re illegal in residential neighborhoods and laws on the books prohibiting them should be enforced. Period.
The hot-button issue, which dates back years along the San Diego coast, was like a hurricane picking up steam recently when District 2 Councilmember Dr. Jennifer Campbell surprised most with her compromise proposal on a new set of rules and regulations to govern the short-term rental industry moving forward.
To some, Campbell’s proposal seemed more like a betrayal than a compromise. They are contending the council member reversed her campaign pledge to oppose STRs in neighborhoods. They also allege she wasn’t acting in good faith by negotiating with some – but not all – of the stakeholders behind the scenes.
“The community was left out of the process. We were ignored,” said Brian J. Curry, past chair of Pacific Beach Planning Group. “We feel that once again we (residents) have no voice when we should be the primary voice they (local government) listen to and address.”
“It’s their (government’s) job to listen to us, we’re their constituents, not Expedia and the union,” concurred Pacific Beach Town Council member and honorary PB mayor Cathie Jolley. “They should be talking to us, the people.”
“The thing is we don’t have a mayor that has the political backbone to actually enforce the code,” said Brian White, Pacific Beach Town Council president. “And we’re three months away from electing a new mayor. We shouldn’t be trying to rush an ordinance through in the form of a backroom deal. It’s disingenuous to rush this through now.”
“Short-term vacation rentals today are flatly illegal,” contends attorney Cory Briggs, who is running for City Attorney in November. “There’s no statute of limitations on when a City fails to enforce the law. Laws don’t grow stale due to lack of enforcement.”
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San Diego mayor approves sale
of former Chargers stadium to SDSU
San Diego has officially sold off one of its iconic landmarks, the stadium that once housed the San Diego Chargers, to San Diego State University.
Mayor Kevin Faulconer announced he approved the sale Thursday on Twitter of the 135-acre site. The roughly $88 million deal gives the university SDCCU Stadium, which has been called Jack Murphy Stadium and Qualcomm Stadium in the past, and its surrounding land.
Demolition of the stadium will be further down the line, with the first priority being the construction of a new 35,000-seat football stadium on the northwest section of the site. It is supposed to be completed in time for the Aztecs’ 2022 football season.
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Living Coast Discovery Center launches
major fundraising campaign
The Living Coast Discovery Center, a nonprofit zoo/aquarium that has served the San Diego community for more than 30 years, has launched a major fundraising campaign to fill a critical funding gap resulting from the ongoing COVID-19 crisis.
The “Love for Living Coast” campaign aims to raise $500,000 by Aug. 31, which is needed to keep the center afloat until its key income-generating programs can return, which is expected to happen in spring 2021. As of today, over $364,000 has already been raised.
On March 15, the Living Coast was forced to temporarily close its doors in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Prior to this, the center had operated with net-positive income for the past six years and had successfully set aside $300,000 in cash reserves. Now, after more than four months of closure to the general public, as well as the cancelation of school groups, day camps and other important revenue-generating programs, the Living Coast is facing a significant financial shortfall that threatens its future.
“Unfortunately, COVID-19 cases continue to rise in San Diego County, and it does not appear that we will be able to return to normal operations anytime soon,” said Executive Director Ben Vallejos. “We do not envision being able to re-open our doors to the public until we can also resume our other fee-based programs that are essential to the Living Coast’s overall financial health.”
“We are making significant progress toward our goal,” said Lori Coons, director of community engagement and development. “Two incredible community champions have stepped forward – The Nelson Foundation and the JEM Project – with combined contributions of $250,000 that brought us halfway to our goal.”
Contributions to the Love for Living Coast campaign can be made on its website
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Registrar to send postcards to registered voters
this week to tell them to expect mail ballots
The Registrar of Voters is sending postcards to over 1.8 million registered voters in San Diego County this week telling them to expect a mail ballot for the November 3, 2020 Presidential General Election.
In light of COVID-19, the governor signed two executive orders to send mail ballots to every active registered voter in California so they can exercise their right to vote in a safe, secure and accessible manner. Those who need to vote in person will also have that option.
Nearly 75 percent of the county’s registered voters are already signed up to permanently receive their ballot by mail so the Registrar’s Office is well positioned to manage this increase.
If you need to vote in person, polling places will be open for four days, Oct. 31 through Election Day, Nov. 3. There will be fewer locations than in prior elections, so your location has most likely changed.
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Accion partners wih Eva Longoria Foundation
to support Latina entrepreneurs
Accion serving Southern California, a nonprofit lender offering small business loans, was awarded a multi-year, $500,000 grant from the Eva Longoria Foundation (ELF) to empower Latina entrepreneurs through Spanish-language educational programs and events.
The grant, which will also grow the Eva Longoria Foundation Microloan Fund (administered by Accion), was made possible by a contribution from the Howard G. Buffett Foundation.
ELF’s grant to Accion will fund loans for Latina-owned businesses in Southern California, supporting their economic resiliency and creating local jobs. Accion will also launch a new 10-week virtual training course, presented entirely in Spanish. The program, called Academia de Acción para el Éxito Empresarial (AAEE), will serve 20-30 Latina entrepreneurs each year in a supportive, culturally sensitive environment and empower participants to launch or formalize their small business. After successfully completing the program, participants will have the opportunity to access up to $5,000 in small business financing from Accion.
Academia de Acción will meet online from Aug. 25 through Oct. 27 and is open to Latinas located in Imperial, Riverside, San Bernardino and San Diego counties. Interested entrepreneurs can apply for the program by visiting academiadeaccion.org.
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John Pope appointed NAVWAR executive director
ExecutiveGov
John Pope, formerly executive director at the U.S. Navy’s Program Executive Office for Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence and Space Systems, has taken the same role at Naval Information Warfare (NAVWAR) Systems Command.
Pope has replaced Pat Sullivan, who retired after a 29-year career at the service branch, the Navy said.
Pope will handle a budget of more than $7 million and supervise over 11,000 civilian and military personnel as part of his new capacity.
Before his previous role, Pope served as fleet support program manager at NAVWAR’s fleet readiness directorate and worked at the Navy’s Communications Program Office as major program manager.
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Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton
gets energy security updates
ExecutiveGov
The U.S. Marine Corps is working to update energy security technologies at MC Base Camp Pendleton for augmented command and control across more than 600 facilities.
The update includes repairs, new equipment installation, new utilities and setting up of facility control systems, USMC said Wednesday.
“By installing new LED lighting, boilers, meters and a fiber and radio network, we are significantly reducing Camp Pendleton’s energy consumption,” said Lt. j.g. Clayten White, the camp’s utilities program manager.
USMC is pursuing this modernization effort under the Utility Energy Services Contract that aims to improve the energy and water systems at federal facilities and reduce associated consumption.
The government spent $12.7M on the update and will use the resulting cost savings to pay for the effort’s expenses over a 13-year period.
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All Scripps hospitals recognized
for excellence in stroke care
For the third consecutive year, all five Scripps Health hospital campuses – Scripps Mercy San Diego, Scripps Mercy Chula Vista, Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla, Scripps Memorial Hospital Encinitas and Scripps Green Hospital – have earned the Stroke Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award for ensuring that stroke patients receive the most appropriate treatment according to nationally recognized guidelines based on the latest scientific evidence, the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association announced.
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MiraCosta’s Sunita Cooke to receive 2020
Pacific Regional Chief Executive Officer Award
Sunita “Sunny” Cooke has been chosen as the recipient of the 2020 Pacific Regional Chief Executive Officer Award by a national community college leadership organization.
In the five years Cooke has been superintendent/president of MiraCosta College she has sought to make the college more future-focused by anticipating trends and needs of the district and the community it serves. She has been a smart, focused, thoughtful leader and now is receiving well-earned recognition from her peers for her open and inclusive approach.
The award will be presented during the 51st annual Association of Community College Trustees (ACCT) Leadership Congress, which will take place virtually on Oct. 5–8, 2020. The ACCT Leadership Congress is a professional development network of community college leaders and trustees focused on sharing experiences and expertise.
Cooke was nominated for the award for her devotion to increasing access and student success while relentlessly focusing on eliminating equity gaps.
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San Diego biotech helps surgeons
remove tumors by making them glow
Avelas Biosciences reported Tuesday that surgeons were less likely to leave bits of breast cancer behind when operating on patients given a molecule designed to make their tumors glow. About four out of every 10 women in the breast cancer trial who were not given the molecule still had some cancer left behind after their operation. But only one out of every 10 women whose tumors were labeled with the glowing molecule still had remaining cancer after surgery.
“This could really change how we do breast cancer surgery,” said Dr. Cheryl Olson, a breast cancer surgeon with Scripps MD Anderson Cancer Center who is not affiliated with the company or the trial.
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San Diego company makes up one-third
of all COVID-19 kits in U.S.
A Mira Mesa biotech company is playing a pivotal role in the fight against COVID-19. The company is producing a quarter to a third of all the test kits that are being used in the United States.
KUSI was invited into Hologic’s manufacturing facility to have a look at the process. Kevin Thornal, the president of Diagnostic Solutions, the division of Hologic, that makes the tests said the company is manufacturing one and a half million COVID-19 tests every week.
That’s a dramatic change from the company’s output back in March, when we paid our first visit to Hologic. At that time, we toured the research lab, where scientists had just figured out how to use genetic sequencing from the COVID-19 virus to create a diagnostic test for commercial use.
Since March, the company has scaled up from manufacturing 600,000 tests a month to 6 million, a tenfold increase.
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S.D. Women’s Week Leadership Conference Goes Global
New virtual format with no boundaries features Daymond John, Linda Cureton, Ed Smart, Amy Trask
San Diego Women’s Week, celebrating 11 years of inspiring, empowering and connecting women is now virtual with leadership events for all ages and professions. Attendees enjoy virtual networking, keynote speakers, panel discussions, and more, all wrapped around creative solutions to everyday issues affecting leaders in the workplace and in their daily lives.
WHEN: Wednesday, Aug. 26 – Friday, Aug. 28, 2020
WHO: Keynotes for 2020 Leadership conference include:
- Daymond John from Shark Tank: Powershift, Transform Any Situation, Close Any Deal, and Achieve Any Outcome.
- Linda Cureton, Former CIO – NASA: Managing and Leading in a Tough Environment.
- Ed Smart, Father of Elizabeth Smart: Two Miracles, and Standing up for Yourself.
- Amy Trask, Former NFL Team Executive – Los Angeles Raiders: Leadership Vulnerabilities.
WHERE: Wednesday – Virtual Women and Wine 6-7:30 p.m.
Friday – Virtual Leadership Conference 8:30 a.m. – 6:30 p.m.
Click here for complete list of speakers and additional details.
