Daily Business Report-Aug. 6, 2020
Illustration by Anne Wernikoff for CalMatters; elements via iStock
Will California mandate corporate boardroom diversity?
Bill would ban all-white corporate boards
CalMatters
California corporate boards would no longer be allowed to have only white members if a bill currently under consideration in the Legislature passes,
CalMatters” Elizabeth Castillo reports.
The bill, which would require publicly held companies to have at least one person of color on their corporate boards by 2021 or face a $100,000 fine, follows on the heels of a controversial 2018 law that mandated women in corporate boardrooms — and is almost certain to face legal challenges, just as the gender diversity law did. Nationally, 81 percent of Fortune 100 board members are white, compared to 11 percent Black, 4 percent Latino and 4 percent Asian, according to a 2018 Deloitte report.
Maria Contreras-Sweet, formerly of the Small Business Administration: “These times have brought a greater awareness and more conversations in boardrooms about … unconscious bias that may exist.”
Anastasia Boden of the Pacific Legal Foundation: These types of laws “very often can harm the very people they intend to help.”
The legislation was introduced by Assembly members Chris Holden, a Pasadena Democrat, and Cristina Garcia, a Bell Gardens Democrat.
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Hospitality brand Margaritaville
converting 2 San Diego hotel properties
Lifestyle and hospitality brand Margaritaville has two San Diego hotel properties under brand coversion.
The Margaritaville Hotel San Diego Gaslamp Quarter will replace Hotel Solamar and Margaritaville Island Resort San Diego will replace Paradise Point Resort & Spa. Both will be managed and operated by Davidson Hotels & Resorts, with openings slated for 2021.
In Palm Springs, the Riviera Palm Springs will be converted to the Margaritaville Resort Palm Springs.
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UC San Diego alumna selected for
NASA, SpaceX’s 2nd launch in 2021
Before NASA’s first endeavor into space with a private rocket has even launched, the crew for its second joint NASA/SpaceX mission has been selected — and it includes an astronaut with San Diego ties.
NASA astronaut Megan McArthur, a UC San Diego, Scripps Institution of Oceanography alumna, will pilot SpaceX’s second Dragon flight to the International Space Station alongside astronaut Shane Kimbrough and two mission specialists from other countries.
The Crew-2 mission, with a targeted launch in spring 2021, will follow NASA and SpaceX’s Demo-2 flight mission and Crew-1 mission, which is scheduled for late September 2020.
If all goes according to plan, McArthur and Kimbrough will spend six months aboard the ISS conducting science experiments for NASA.
The Crew-2 mission will be McArthur’s second trip to space since being selected as an astronaut in 2000, but it will be her first trip to the ISS.
Her first mission in 2009, on space shuttle Atlantis, was the last mission to service the Hubble Space Telescope. McArthur maneuvered the shuttle’s robotic arm, guiding her teammates and maneuvering the telescope as her teammates completed five spacewalks to upgrade its technology.
The team overcame frozen bolts, stripped screws, and stuck handrails, according to NASA, and the mission is credited with extending the telescope’s life to remain in operation more than a decade later.
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San Diego adds new nonstop route
to Santa Barbara on Alaska Airlines
San Diego International Airport will add once daily, nonstop service to Santa Barbara, via Santa Barbara Airport (SBA) on Alaska Airlines beginning Nov. 20, 2020. This is a new route and the 29th destination Alaska services from San Diego.
“We are happy that Alaska Airlines is adding another route to the list of new service offerings at San Diego International Airport this year,” said Kimberly Becker, San Diego County Regional Airport Authority President and CEO. “We know there are many Santa Barbara residents and San Diegans that will be taking advantage of this intrastate route as both destinations have a lot to offer both the leisure and business traveler.”
The addition of service to Santa Barbara marks the fifth new market added by Alaska Airlines in 2020.
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Justice in Mexico releases 2020 organized
crime and violence in Mexico report
Justice in Mexico, a research and public policy organization based at the University of San Diego, has released the second edition of Organized Crime and Violence in Mexico Report.
This study builds on 10 years of reports published by Justice in Mexico under the title Drug Violence in Mexico, compiling the most recent data and analysis of crime, violence, and rule of law in Mexico to help inform government officials, policy analysts, and the general public.
In addition to homicide, the report has expanded the scope of past editions to provide insight regarding trends in crimes such as kidnapping, extortion, and robbery.
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Navy veteran Kim Mitchell tapped
as 2020 commencement speaker
Kim Mitchell, a Navy veteran and longtime advocate for veterans and Gold Star families, will be the 2020 Commencement speaker at Northcentral University on Saturday, Aug. 22. Northcentral University is a nonprofit affiliate of the private, nonprofit National University System.
Northcentral University’s Commencement ceremony will be held virtually for the first time due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Mitchell is a nationally recognized advocate for service members, veterans and military families. She has worked with hundreds of communities and organizations to address the challenges of transition and reintegration.
After serving in the United States Navy for 17 years as a surface warfare officer, Mitchell co-founded the Dixon Center for Military and Veterans Service. Five years later, in 2017, she became the first non-Vietnam veteran and first woman to run the Veterans Village of San Diego. This spring she accepted a role to lead National University’s educational efforts for service members as senior vice president for military, veteran and government affairs. National University and Northcentral University are both part of the National UniversitySystem.
Adopted during the Vietnam War from an orphanage in DaNang in 1972, Mitchell has been active in supporting Vietnam veterans and Vietnam-era veterans.
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CaseyGerry’s Jay Paulino lauded as
‘Governor of the Year’ by CALI
For the second consecutive year, Jay Paulino, an in-house private investigator for San Diego-based law firm CaseyGerry, has been lauded as “Governor of the Year” by the California Association of Licensed Investigators (CALI), the largest private investigator association in the world.
Paulino was elected district governor for San Diego for two terms, from 2018 until 2020, and in June 2020 was voted in as the San Diego district director at CALI, moving him up to the board of directors for the first time in his career.
Paulino was honored for his work as a district governor, a role in which he has worked to advance the profession of licensed private investigators. For the members in his district, Paulino gathers investigative resources and provides additional education and training. Additionally, he has utilized his platform to bring CALI members together to serve a greater good to the community and association.
A certified professional investigator (CPI), Paulino is a bilingual private investigator with expertise in planning and conducting investigations in complex matters, including catastrophic personal injury, wrongful death, product liability, mass tort and class action lawsuits. He has been a key member of CaseyGerry’s investigative staff since 2017 and currently works with all the firm’s litigation teams. He has over 12 years of experience handling investigations for both law firms and insurance companies.
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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.
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Commentary:
The Constitutional Right We Cannot Afford to Waste
By State Sen. Toni Atkins
Every decade, each person in the United States, young and old, regardless of citizenship, has the Constitutional right to be counted. The Census is the only way for us to determine the true definition of America – whether you live in the largest metropolitan cities or miles down rural routes.
Think of it as a universal selfie.
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The Census Bureau on Monday lopped a month off the time
people have to respond to the 2020 count, removing up the deadline
for responding to Sept. 30
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Reminders about taking the 2020 Census are emblazoned on billboards, featured in television commercials, and sprinkled into social media news feeds. It makes sense, given that approximately $1.5 trillion dollars in federal funding is at stake.
Breaking that down, that means for every person left out of the Census count, California could lose $1,000 per person – per year – for the next 10 years.
That’s a loss of $10,000 per uncounted person until the 2030 Census.
If you have a family of five, your community could lose out on $50,000.
The Census is like planning how much cake to have at a birthday party based on the number of RSVPs. No one wants to miss out on cake because you thought it was OK to just show up unannounced.
The total pool of funding is distributed to communities based on population and head counts. This includes babies, children, teenagers, seniors and non-citizens.
The current COVID-19 health crisis also affords an all-too-realistic example of why you need to be counted. We need to ensure that we get our fair share of funding and resources in emergency situations. Funding for a community health clinic in your neighborhood is based on information only you can provide. The data also funds programs and resources like senior services, child health programs, higher education, and job training.
Our population is aging. The first Baby Boomers hit 65 in 2011. That population will continue to grow, and senior services must be properly accounted for. By filling the Census form out, you are declaring, “I am here. I exist.”
More importantly, your answers help fund programs that serve your community and shape your future.
It is important to note that this is not a citizenship survey. Despite the Supreme Court already having blocked the citizenship question from being included in the Census, the current administration continues to wrongfully attempt to circumvent the law and exclude immigrants in the 2020 Census. Those efforts are unconscionable and unconstitutional.
Now, more than ever, we need everyone to participate in the 2020 Census so that we can ensure the law, not divisive politics, governs our land. We cannot let people be bullied or made to live in fear. The Constitution is clear – all people must count.
If this current public health and economic crisis has demonstrated anything, it is that vulnerable communities have suffered the most. In addition, COVID-19 has had a significant impact on our public schools and higher education, which means it is even more important to plan for the next 10 years in communities hard hit by this pandemic.
Census workers, called enumerators, will begin going door-to-door to collect Census data. They are not allowed to ask for your Social Security number, political preference, bank account information, or religious affiliation. It also illegal for the Census Bureau to share your information with law enforcement or any other government agency. And your information cannot be used against you in any way.
So please, consider this my “door-to-door” ask. Have you done a post on Facebook, sent a Tweet or uploaded a picture on Instagram? It’s just as easy to fill out your Census. You can do it online, over the phone or on paper. In fact, you may also be receiving an email, making it even easier to complete.
The next 10 years of funding can be determined in just 10 minutes of your time.
Make sure you are counted. It is your Constitutional right.
Online: 2020Census.gov
By Phone: 844-330-2020
Toni G. Atkins is President pro Tempore of the California Senate.
