Daily Business Report-Aug. 31, 2020
Sports Arena property rendering (Photo credit: Brookfield Properties)
San Diego selects Brookfield Properties
and ASM Global to redevelop
Sports Arena and surrounding property
A City of San Diego selection committee has picked a proposal by Brookfield Properties and ASM Global to redevelop the Sports Arena property into vibrant destination that incorporates a mix of entertainment, housing, parks, and office and retail.
The announcement comes after the selection committee, made up of a diverse group of city staff and external consulting firm JLL San Diego, reviewed and scored two responsive bids to the Request for Proposals (RFP) that was issued in February.
The redevelopment area encompasses approximately 48 acres in the Midway-Pacific Highway Community area, located in west-central San Diego.
From its historic beginnings as part of the delta of the San Diego River to the rise of the military and aviation industry in the 1920s, the Midway Community has played a role in San Diego’s growth and transformation. In 2010, the City of San Diego, in coordination with local community members, began updating the Midway-Pacific Highway Community Plan, which serves as a blueprint for the future development of the neighborhood.
The RFP and redevelopment concepts for San Diego’s Sports Arena area were designed to help realize the vision put forward in the Community Plan.
The City, ASM Global and Brookfield Properties will now begin negotiations on the final scope of development for the area. The deal is anticipated to be brought before City Council in 2021.
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Governor quickly signs bill to
outlaw flavored tobacco products
By Elizabeth Aguilera | CalMatters
Cotton candy vape, tropical fusion cigarillos and menthol cigarettes will be extinct in California after a bill aimed at stopping kids from getting addicted to tobacco sailed through the Legislature on Friday — and Gov. Gavin Newsome almost immediately signed it.
Even so, it’s been an uphill battle for the bill, whose supporters have tried to ban flavored tobacco statewide before and failed. This time, the bill was helped along by skyrocketing vaping among teens, several marijuana vape-related deaths last year, concerns about respiratory health amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, a shortened legislative session and a supportive governor.
That still didn’t stop tobacco companies from waging an intense opposition campaign that called the proposal discriminatory toward Black and Latino adult smokers, who prefer menthols.
The bill, SB 793, bans the sale of all flavored tobacco products – from bubblegum to mango to menthol. The prohibition includes pods for vape pens, tank-based systems, menthol cigarettes and chewing tobacco. It initially included premium cigars and hookah tobacco, but those were later exempted from the proposal.
Menthol flavor, including menthol cigarettes, were the focus of the pushback. Funded by tobacco companies, the opposition campaign alleged that the bill unfairly goes after products preferred by smokers of color while leaving hookah and premium cigars untouched.
“The tobacco industry has lured our kids into addiction for too long, using menthol and other flavors,” said Phil Gardiner, co-chair of the national African American Tobacco Control Leadership Council. “By signing SB 793 the governor sent a strong message to the tobacco industry that California’s kids are off-limits.”
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Registrar of Voters needs polling place
site managers for Nov. 3 General Election
The Registrar of Voters is seeking temporary full-time site managers to operate assigned polling places for the Nov. 3 General Election. Site managers can earn $20 per hour.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, polling places will be open for four days instead of one. The Registrar’s office will hire election workers rather than use volunteers because training is more extensive for the expanded time period.
Site managers will be required to train and lead a staff while representing the Registrar of Voters in a professional, nonpartisan manner. The Registrar is seeking people who are team players, exhibit strong leadership skills and display flexibility, patience and the highest level of integrity at all times.
Site managers are required to attend a paid five-day training program to learn how to run a polling place and train their election worker staff.
From Sept. 28 to Nov. 2, site managers must work 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. The managers may be required to work more than eight hours a day during the week and may need to work some weekends during peak periods leading up to Election Day.
On Election Day, Nov. 3, site managers must work from 5:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.
The Registrar’s office is working with Public Health Services to ensure the health and safety of election workers and voters. Personal protective equipment and sanitation supplies will be provided to workers so they can conduct the election process safely.
English speakers who are bilingual in Spanish, Filipino, Vietnamese or Chinese are also needed. If you are fluent in one of these languages, be sure to indicate it on your application.
Site manager applications are available online at sdvote.com. For more information, call (858) 565-5800 or email pollworker@sdcounty.ca.gov.
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Cubic announces consolidation
of defense business segments
Cubic Corporation announced that it is consolidating its defense business segments to advance its strategic priorities, drive superior customer value and enhance operational effectiveness.
The realignment will combine Cubic Mission Solutions (CMS) with Cubic Global Defense (CGD) to form a new Cubic Mission and Performance Solutions (CMPS) segment. This new segment will continue to deliver technology-driven, market-leading solutions to Command, Control, Communication, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (C4ISR) and training customers worldwide.
The new CMPS segment will be led by Michael Knowles, senior vice president of Cubic Corporation and president of CGD since 2018.
Michael Twyman, senior vice president and president of CMS since 2016, will be leaving the company.
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Sharp HealthCare collaborates with Amazon
to give customers early access to Amazon Halo
Sharp HealthCare and its health insurance subsidiary Sharp Health Plan will be the first health system to have early access to Amazon Halo, which combines a membership with Amazon Halo Band to provide a new approach to improving health and wellness.
Created with input from scientists, doctors and health experts, Amazon Halo Band doesn’t have a screen that distracts you with notifications like fitness trackers and smart watches. Rather, the band quietly and accurately gathers information about your movement, heart rate, and sleep to provide rich insights about your health and wellness in the Halo app.
Sharp Health Plan will distribute a limited number of Amazon Halo Bands to members in October during the early access phase of the product launch. These members will have the option to link their Amazon Halo account to their existing Sharp Health Plan wellness portal, provided by Cerner, where they can track their personal wellness metrics and participate in activities like wellness challenges.
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Mike Knowles to head new division
at Cubic Corporation
ExecutiveGov
Mike Knowles, senior vice president of Cubic Corporation and former president of Cubic Global Defense (CGD), has been appointed to lead the company’s newly established Cubic Mission and Performance Solutions (CMPS) as president of the division.
In Knowles’ new role, he will be responsible for the strategic direction and business management of the company’s C4ISR and training solutions in the global defense and commercial markets. Knowles has more than two decades of experience in the aerospace, defense, military and commercial training fields.
Knowles has served as president of CGD since 2018. In his previous position, he improved operations and employee engagement as well as expanded the company’s strategic priorities. Knowles was promoted to CGD president after serving as vice president and general manager of CGD’s Air Ranges business since joining Cubic in 2014.
Before joining Cubic, he served as the senior director of Air Transport and Mission Solutions for Rockwell Collins, where he was responsible for the company’s simulation and training business which included training devices, visual systems, technical publications, re-hosted avionics and desktop training for the fixed wing commercial, military air transport and mission aircraft markets.
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United Way of San Diego County
to celebrate 100 years of accomplishments
United Way of San Diego County will celebrate its Diamond Anniversary with a Virtual Centennial Celebration and fundraiser on Oct. 8 to honor its past and celebrate the present
Since 1920, when E.B. Gould Jr. first convened the Community Chest, and throughout decades of transformations, United Way has focused on the changing needs of the community it serves, assessing the most critical issues and establishing partnerships and strategies to solve them.
In addition to bringing nonprofit, education, government, and corporate partners together to put impactful solutions into action, United Way was instrumental in paving the way for some of San Diego’s leading nonprofit organizations, including The San Diego Foundation; Volunteer San Diego; LEAD San Diego; 2-1-1 San Diego; and the Regional Task Force on the Homeless San Diego.
The organization’s virtual celebration will also focus on its current and future work—including its leadership in the Earned Income Tax Credit Coalition and the Count Me 2020 Coalition, which aims to ensure every San Diegan is counted in the 2020 U.S. Census; its partnership with HandsOn San Diego to establish the San Diego COVID-19 Volunteer Hub; the San Diego Worker Assistance Initiative to help provide flexible resources to individuals and families impacted by layoffs and reduced working hours.
