Daily Business Report-Sept. 23, 2020
Rendering of the Marja Acres mixed-use project proposed for Carlsbad. (Courtesy of SDNEDC)
Carlsbad Planning Commission
approves Marja Acres mixed-use project
Marja Acres, a mixed-use intergenerational community received unanimous approval from the Carlsbad Planning Commission on Sept. 16. This infill project will bring 248 townhomes to young families and workers, 46 Affordable units for extremely-low and low-income seniors, a professionally managed urban farm, plus shops, eateries, and recreational space.
The San Diego North Economic Development Council, Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce, residents, and businesses were among many who pledged their support for Marja Acres.
Erik Northbrook, a Carlsbad employee who commutes three hours a day said, “I am excited about Marja Acres because I see this project as a real opportunity for me to live where I work and, in a city that I love. Having the opportunity to spend less time in the car will significantly improve my quality of life and allow me to invest in my community.”
Located along El Camino Real and within a three-mile radius of over 67,000 jobs, Marja Acres will provide alternative resources to reduce dependence on cars, including free transit passes for residents and energy conservation methods to help the city meet its climate action goals.
The project will go to the Carlsbad City Council on Oct. 20.
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State adds $37.7 million to funds
to purchase 2 hotels for the homeless
The proposed purchase of two San Diego hotels to create more than 330 permanent rental housing units for San Diegans experiencing homelessness received additional financial support with Governor Gavin Newsom’s announcement that the state has awarded $37.7 million in Project Homekey funds to support the purchase.
The proposed purchase of the Residence Inn Hotel Circle and Residence Inn Kearny Mesa will be presented to the San Diego City Council for consideration next month.
Residents of the properties would include individuals currently staying at Operation Shelter to Home at the San Diego Convention Center, which opened on April 1, 2020, as a temporary shelter during the COVID-19 pandemic that serves approximately 1,100 per day. Operation Shelter to Home is a collaboration among the City of San Diego, the County of San Diego, SDHC, the Regional Task Force on the Homeless, the San Diego Convention Center and homeless service providers.
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HUD approves housing
discrimination settlement
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced that it has approved a Conciliation Agreement between Woodglen Vista Housing Partners LP, which owns rental properties in Santee, and its management company, FPI Management Inc., and a couple who alleged that the housing providers refused to rent a two-bedroom unit to them because they have three children. Under the settlement, the housing providers agreed, among other things, to pay $6,000 to the couple.
The Fair Housing Act makes it unlawful to deny or limit housing because a family has children under the age of 18, make statements that discriminate against families with children, or impose different rules, restrictions or policies on them.
“In addition to providing monetary compensation to the couple and issuing a modified Tenant Selection Plan to all staff and residents under their purview, the housing providers will have their staff undergo fair housing training and will notify all five-member households on their waitlist for a 3-bedroom home that they are eligible for available 2-bedroom homes,” said HUD Regional Administrator Christopher Patterson. “HUD will continue working with housing providers to assure that families with children are afforded the same housing choices as those without them.”
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Petco opens 100th in-store veterinary hospital
Petco has opened its 100th in-store veterinary hospital, located in Encinitas. The hospital opening serves as a significant milestone on Petco’s rapid veterinary expansion journey, given the increased need for accessible and affordable veterinary care, says Mike Nuzzo, chief financial officer/chief operating officer.
The Encinitas in-store hospital opening is in partnership with THRIVE Affordable Vet Care, which Petco established a relationship with in 2017 as a priority, regional veterinary partner. Additional regional veterinary partners contributing to veterinary growth plans include Global Veterinary Partners (GVP), VetnCare and Vetco Total Care.
Petco has more than doubled its count of full-service in-store vet hospitals in the span of a year. The partnerships are meant to strengthen Petco’s existing suite of veterinary services offerings.
The current ecosystem includes easy access to preventive care, vaccination clinics, full-service hospitals, telehealth, pharmacy services, pet insurance and membership programs – all to ensure personalized, accessible and affordable care options for pet parents.
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Introducing COVID19questions.org
Submit questions to get answers via new web portal
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, there is an urgent need to determine who is at greatest risk for severe disease, better understand how the disease and treatments evolve, and predict the need for resources. But to get there, researchers and clinicians need more data about what patients have experienced so far, and what factors are associated with different patient outcomes.
To provide this information, a new research consortium invites clinicians, researchers, patients and the general public to submit questions that could be answered by COVID-19 patient record data from more than 200 participating hospitals. Questions are submitted and answers are provided via a new web portal: COVID-19questions.org
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COVID-19: Renowned scientist enters clinical trial
Meet Carl Ware, Ph.D., director of the Infectious and Inflammatory Disease Center at Sanford Burnham Prebys. After a career of studying how viruses wreak havoc on our health, he now becomes a “subject” in a COVID-19 clinical trial.
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Image courtesy of NASA.
Making space weather forecasts faster and better
To improve the ability to forecast space weather, a multidisciplinary team of researchers, including Professor Boris Kramer at the University of California San Diego, received $3.1 million from the National Science Foundation. The researchers, led by Professor Richard Linares at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, will also work on speeding up the forecasting abilities that are currently available.
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Nanoparticle vaccine for COVID-19
spurs robust immune response in tests
In a new study that demonstrates the promise of a novel vaccine approach for COVID-19, Scripps Research scientist Jiang Zhu showed that his protein nanoparticle technology successfully triggered a strong immune response in mice. Zhu, who co-founded the spinoff company Ufovax to commercialize the technology and manufacturing platform, says he hopes to advance the vaccine into clinical trials early next year.
The nanoparticle vaccine technology leverages a unique design that’s unlike the majority of other COVID-19 vaccine candidates now in clinical testing. Each “nanoparticle” in the vaccine mimics the natural ball-like shape of a virus, which the immune system is trained to immediately recognize, explains Zhu, associate professor in the Department of Integrative Structural and Computational Biology.
These microscopic spheres are then studded with spike proteins resembling those of the SARS-CoV-2 virus.
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Cubic wins air combat training
systems contract for USAF
Cubic Corporation announced its Cubic Mission and Performance Solutions business division was awarded a contract to continue delivering support for its P5 Combat Training System (P5CTS) for the United States Air Force and a number of international partners currently using the system.
The contract will assist the USAF-installed base of close to 1,000 P5CTS Airborne Subsystems and associated range infrastructure on over 20 USAF bases and training ranges. The contract will also support a number of current international P5CTS users including Australia, Egypt, Morocco, Oman, Poland, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore and United Kingdom.
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Bike shop mechanic joins
San Diego Bike Coalition
as outreach coordinator
The San Diego Bike Coalition announced cycling advocate Mario Oliver Zuniga as its new outreach coordinator. As director for the Coalition’s outreach efforts, Zuniga will connect with community partners and identify new partnerships to increase representation within the Coalition’s membership. He will also assist in administering grant programs that support bicycling educational opportunities and ensure new perspectives are considered for the region’s transportation’s needs.
Zuniga will help further the Bike Coalition’s understanding of diversity, inclusivity and equity as it relates to transportation. Having thrived in a multitude of professional environments and fields, he brings a nuanced perspective to building trust and connecting with communities of diverse backgrounds.
Zuniga has a diverse professional background that ranges from bike shop mechanic, to event coordinator, to linguistics research and teaching assistant. During his time at the Associated Students Bike Shop at the University of California, Santa Barbara, Zuniga discovered a deep love for cycling and mastered bike repair skills while organizing community events that promote bike safety and education. He’s also worked with The Recovery Ride, organizing a charity bike ride that, in 2020, raised over $56,000 in donations for nonprofits specializing in HIV/AIDS support, education and research, and San Diego recovery homes.
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C2 Financial Corporation
expands leadership team
Mortgage brokerage C2 Financial Corporation announced the promotions of David Temko to president and Brian Kent to chief operating officer. Under the leadership of Temko and Kent, C2 will continue to deliver service and products to its 1,000 independent mortgage brokers nationwide.
David Temko has been part of C2 for the past 10 years, most recently overseeing its commercial real estate division, and has a diverse background of financial expertise including his experience as a broker at Marcus & Millichap, five years as a top performer at Wells Fargo Commercial Banking, and leading a Capital Markets group at Voit Real Estate Services.
As COO, Brian Kent will expand upon his previous role of 15 years as general manager overseeing operations, compliance, and strategic events. He will elevate the company by bringing innovative tools, training, and resources to C2 originators.
Earlier this month, C2 Financial was named the No. 1 brokerage in the top 100 of the Association of Independent Mortgage Experts’ (AIME’s) Broker Rankings, a ranked list of mortgage brokerages across the country based on 2019 production volume.
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Jimbo’s announces
‘Jimbo’s Community Give Back’
Jimbo’s, a San Diego natural food store, is launching “Jimbo’s Community Give Back” in honor of the renovation of its Carlsbad store. In partnership with Garden of Life, the grocer is seeking nominations from shoppers, staff members and the San Diego community to award one San Diego family with free groceries for one year.
The campaign began Monday and will remain open until Monday, Oct. 26. The winner of the campaign will receive one year of free groceries—up to a $2,500 value.
Jimbo’s Community Give Back will allow the grocer to bring much-needed joy to one family who has undergone financial, emotional or physical hardships throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. The local community will be encouraged to nominate a deserving family though an online submission form. All details from the nomination form will remain private.
“Providing quality organic and natural foods is embedded in Jimbo’ core values,” said Jim “Jimbo” Someck, founder of Jimbo’s. “We know that many families have been impacted greatly over the course of the past six months due to the pandemic. And, even access to certain foods and essential goods has been severely limited during this time. It is extremely unfortunate that so many have been hurt by the pandemic, so it will be a privilege to be able to provide high quality food for a year to one of those families in need.”
Shoppers can nominate a local family at www.jimbos.com/community-give-back. Details on the nomination procedure will also be displayed throughout each Jimbo’s store.
