Daily Business Report-Dec. 14, 2020
University graduates, from left: Kate Rubins, Jessica Meir, Jonny Kim, Matthew Dominick
NASA picks four San Diego university
graduates to train for lunar missions
NASA has included four San Diego university graduates in a group of 18 astronauts who will train to fly to the moon and land on its surface by 2024. Kate Rubins (UC San Diego), Jessica Meir (UC San Diego), Matthew Dominick (University of San Diego), and Jonny Kim (University of San Diego) will join Project Artemis, the first effort to place Americans on lunar soil since Project Apollo ended in 1972.
The announcement came as Rubins, 42, was conducting research aboard the International Space Station and while Meir, 43, was training for a return trip to the orbiting outpost. Kim, 35, and Dominick, 39, are training for their first missions in space.
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Petco files to go public in $100 million offering
Positioning itself as a health and wellness company for pets and pet parents, San Diego-based Petco has filed to go public and is eyeing as much as $100 million in proceeds from the sale of shares. Petco, which is headquartered in Rancho Bernardo and employs 26,000 people, has recently enjoyed a three-year turnaround sparked by a decision to end the sale of food with artificial ingredients and to emphasize wellness services.
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When it comes to feeling pain,
touch or an itch, location matters
Salk research is the first to outline where different cells associated
with triggering sensorimotor reflexes are located in the spinal cord
When you touch a hot stove, your hand reflexively pulls away; if you miss a rung on a ladder, you instinctively catch yourself. Both motions take a fraction of a second and require no forethought. Now, researchers at the Salk Institute have mapped the physical organization of cells in the spinal cord that help mediate these and similar critical “sensorimotor reflexes.”
The new blueprint of this aspect of the sensorimotor system, described online in Neuron on Nov. 11, 2020, could lead to a better understanding of how it develops and can go awry in conditions such as chronic itch or pain.
“There’s been a lot of research done at the periphery of this system, looking at how cells in the skin and muscles generate signals, but we didn’t know how that sensory information is trafficked and interpreted once it reaches the spinal cord,” says Martyn Goulding, a professor in Salk’s Molecular Neurobiology Laboratory and holder of the Frederick W. and Joanna J. Mitchell Chair. “This new work gives us a fundamental understanding of the architecture of our sensorimotor system.”
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Meet California’s state dinosaur
By Emily Hoeven | CalMatters
If you’re looking for a fun — and quirky — holiday gift for someone who loves California, look no further than this figurine of Augustynolophus Morrisi, California’s state dinosaur. (As my editor joked, “the first Californian.”)
Custom-designed for the California State Capitol Museum’s gift shop, the figurine can be purchased individually or as part of a set with a sticker and keychain. Proceeds from sales help the Developmental Disabilities Service Organization, the gift shop’s parent company, said manager Stacey Hilton.
Augustynolophus Morrisi was a duck-billed, plant-eating dinosaur apparently exclusive to California, clocking in at 10 feet tall, 30 feet long and around 6,000 pounds. Its fossilized remains were first discovered in Fresno County in 1939, according to an accompanying fact sheet.
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Port of San Diego approves Harbor Park
Coastal Development Permit
As part of the transformation of the Chula Vista waterfront on San Diego Bay, the Port of San Diego Board of Port Commissioners has approved a Coastal Development Permit (CDP) for the future Harbor Park. Planned for the central portion of the Chula Vista waterfront as an expansion and improvement of the current Bayside Park, Harbor Park will provide signature amenities and recreational opportunities.
Harbor Park, along with the previously-approved Sweetwater Park, will account for more than half of the new park space planned for the Chula Vista waterfront. The parks design teams are KTU+A and Petersen Studio who were selected for their extensive urban park and waterfront design expertise – with an emphasis on local landscape architecture and natural resource management experience.
Anticipated financing for the Gaylord Pacific Resort and Convention Center will include funding to complete the design for and construct the first phase of Harbor Park. Construction for the first phase is tentatively scheduled to begin in early 2023 and completion is anticipated in early 2024.
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San Diego MTS approves $911 million
bus service contract with Transdev Services
The San Diego Metropolitan Transit System (MTS) Board of Directors approved a new bus services contract agreement with Transdev Services Inc. The six-year agreement includes two two-year options that could bring the total value of the contract to $911 million over 10 years. The contract was awarded after a competitive bidding process.
Under this agreement, Transdev will operate 52 of 95 bus route services from MTS bus divisions in Chula Vista and El Cajon, using MTS buses and branding. In FY 2020, 19.5 million passengers were carried by MTS out of these two divisions. Transdev has been under contract with MTS to provide similar services for the past 13 years.
“This is great news for MTS and for our riders,” said Nathan Fletcher, MTS Board Chair and District 4 County Supervisor. “The Transdev team is a reflection of the diverse communities we serve in the South Bay and East County.”
As part of the new contract, MTS will provide 332 buses and two state-of-the-art Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certified facilities for operations, maintenance and fueling. The contract also includes funding for more than 750 Represented and 65 Non-Represented employees in the San Diego region.
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Nonprofits may qualify for share of
$4 million from County of San Diego
Nonprofit organizations that serve low and moderate-income people may qualify for a share of $4 million from the County Housing and Community Development Services’ Community Development Block Grant.
The funds are available for projects in the following areas:
- Public services such as grocery delivery, food pantries, rent or mortgage assistance programs, diagnostic testing and health care job training.
- Construction or rehabilitation of testing or treatment community facilities.
- Acquire or rehabilitate housing related to isolation and quarantine.
All activities must benefit residents in the unincorporated areas of the region, as well as the cities of Coronado, Del Mar, Imperial Beach, Lemon Grove, Poway and Solana Beach.
Projects or programs funded with CDBG funds must benefit at least 51 percent of residents whose incomes are at or below 80 percent of the Area Median Income. Additionally, the project must serve people and families who have been affected by the Coronavirus pandemic.
Applications are now open onlineand will be available through Jan. 8, 2021 at 5 p.m. Completed applications can be sent to: County of San Diego Housing and Community Development Services Community Development Division, 3989 Ruffin Road, San Diego, CA 92123.
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Virtual celebration Dec. 17 for PAC-MAN induction
A virtual celebration of PAC-MAN’s induction into the Comic-Con Museum Character Hall of Fame will be held Dec. 17. The public is invited to join the event online 4-6 p.m. PST.
The event will be a chance to recognize the deep cultural impacts and legacy of PAC-MAN. Celebrating his 40th anniversary, the icon is being honored as the original digital game mascot for the enduring impact he has had on the video game industry and the role of storytelling in games.
Registration information is available at the ComicCon Museum Character Hall of Fame Page. Donations are encouraged and go toward the Museum’s long-term plans to renovate its physical space in Balboa Park. Museum Charter Memberships are also available.
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USD ranked among top green MBAs in nation
The University of San Diego offers one of the nation’s top green MBAs, according to The Princeton Review. The education services company chose the USD School of Business for the list Best Green MBA, appearing at #7 in the nation and #1 in California.
The ranking is based on a survey of 17,800 students at 244 business schools in the U.S. USD was included as a Best Green MBA based on students’ assessments of how well the school is preparing them in environmental/sustainability and social responsibility issues, and for a career in a green job market.
The USD School of Business requires master’s in business administration students to take three courses focused on ethics, corporate social responsibility and/or sustainability. The program also offers research opportunities in sustainability and a concentration in Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainable Enterprise. All students must complete 15 hours of community service helping a local non-profit solve a business issue.
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Platt/Whitelaw Architects
promotes Rick Strickland to CFO
Platt/Whitelaw Architects Inc., a San Diego-based architecture firm, has promoted Rick Strickland to chief financial officer. His duties include management of all financial and human resources activities.
An employee of the firm for more than six years, Strickland was promoted from chief financial manager.
Previously, he served for seven years as controller for another San Diego-based architecture firm.
“We’re elevating Rick’s position to reflect the value he brings, his years of experience and his unwavering commitment to our firm,” said Platt/Whitelaw co-owner Sandra Gramley.
Strickland earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting from San Diego State University. He is also a Certified Public Accountant.
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Cubic’s smart ticketing technology now available
across Gold Coast rail network in Queensland, Australia
Cubic Corporation announced its Cubic Transportation Systems (CTS) business division’s smart ticketing technology is now available for travelers across the entire Gold Coast Light Rail network in Queensland, Australia as part of a trial.
Gold Coast Light Rail customers are the first to tap into the Queensland Government’s $371 million world-class smart ticketing system, which is due for full deployment by 2022. This will bring a new era of speed and convenience for commuters, who will be able to use their credit cards, debit cards, smart phones and smart watches to pay for rides for the first time, according to Cubic.
The launch is a significant step in the rollout of Cubic’s contactless payment system across the state of Queensland, which is now underway.
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Commentary: Will Newsom have
another Senate seat to fill?
By Dan Walters
CalMatters Columnist
Gov. Gavin Newsom already faces the complicated chore of filling several high-profile political positions.
He’ll have a U.S. Senate seat to fill after Kamala Harris is sworn in as vice president.
He’ll also name a new state attorney general if Xavier Becerra wins Senate confirmation as President-elect Joe Biden’s health and human services secretary.
Thirdly, if he elevates California Secretary of State Alex Padilla to the Senate as Harris’ successor, as widely expected, he’ll appoint someone to fill out Padilla’s term.
Newsom has publicly commiserated with himself about dealing with all of the ambitious politicians seeking promotions into high office.
And then, last week, New Yorker magazine published a lengthy article describing Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s “cognitive decline” and waning political clout, which raises the possibility that she will not finish out the remaining four years of her current term and give Newsom another big office to fill.
Feinstein, first elected to the Senate in 1992, clearly was averse to running for a fifth full term in 2018. However, she was urged to do so by Democratic Party leaders, worried that were Feinstein to retire, it would touch off a fierce and expensive scramble among Democrats that would divert resources they wanted for Senate races in other states.
Feinstein reluctantly ran, which angered Democratic activists who had long criticized her centrist, collegial approach. Kevin de León, a former president pro tem of the state Senate, challenged her and won the state Democratic Party’s official endorsement, but lost to Feinstein in a runoff.
Anger from the left boiled up again when Feinstein failed, in her critics’ eyes, to vigorously oppose Amy Coney Barrett’s nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court during Judiciary Committee hearings. Most galling to those on the left is that she hugged and publicly praised the Republican Judiciary chairman, Lindsey Graham, afterwards.
The outcry was so severe that Feinstein gave up her seat on Judiciary, one of the Senate’s most powerful positions.
The New Yorker article advanced the narrative of Feinstein’s fading political potency.
It cited one public indication of “cognitive decline” in the 87-year-old senator: a hearing in November when she asked Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey a question and then moments later asked exactly the same question.
Other examples in the article were what journalists call “blind quotes” from those who didn’t want to reveal their identities. The New Yorker quoted those saying Feinstein was still sharper than other aged senators.
“But many others familiar with Feinstein’s situation,” it said, “describe her as seriously struggling, and say it has been evident for several years. Speaking on background, and with respect for her accomplished career, they say her short-term memory has grown so poor that she often forgets she has been briefed on a topic, accusing her staff of failing to do so just after they have. They describe Feinstein as forgetting what she has said and getting upset when she can’t keep up.”
New Yorker reported that Chuck Schumer, the Democratic minority leader, assigned someone to keep an eye on Feinstein during the Barrett hearings. Afterwards, he publicly but softly criticized her, and had several private meetings, culminating in her exit from the Judiciary Committee.
If, indeed, Feinstein is failing as much as the New Yorker article portrays, it’s difficult to see her hanging on until her term is up in 2024. The potential of a resignation plays into Newsom’s management of the game of musical offices. Someone passed over this year might be considered for Feinstein’s seat and Newsom might even place himself on that contingency list.
CalMatters is a public interest journalism venture committed to explaining how California’s state Capitol works and why it matters. For more stories by Dan Walters, go to calmatters.org/commentary.
