Daily Business Report-Feb. 1, 2021
Leslie Booher with Sunken Seaweed shows off farmed seaweed grown in San Diego Bay.
Port of San Diego releases second edition
of its Blue Economy Incubator Highlights Report
The Port of San Diego has released the second edition of its Blue Economy Incubator Highlights Report, which outlines the performance of its incubator portfolio based on measurable environmental, social, and financial benefits delivered by the portfolio companies, from pilot project to commercial succes
The Port established the Blue Economy in 2016 as a launching pad for sustainable aquaculture and port-related blue technology ventures. Through the incubator, the Port is seeking innovative aquaculture and blue technology proposals to address the Port’s environmental challenges and inform future blue economy opportunities. To date, the Board of Port Commissioners has approved nine agreements with early-stage companies to launch innovative pilot projects.
One of those companies is Sunken Seaweed. The seaweed aquaculture company installed its submerged pilot farm using assets managed by the Port in San Diego Bay. Since the start of the pilot, Sunken Seaweed has been cultivating, outplanting, growing, monitoring, and harvesting several species of seaweed native to Southern California. Sunken Seaweed has also leveraged the assets and results of its pilot to obtain additional grant funding and permits to continue operations, to measure the ecosystem benefits and services that both seaweed and shellfish provide, from carbon sequestration and bioremediation to improving water quality and ecosystem productivity.
Click to read the full report.
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Researchers expand clinical trials investigating
convalescent plasma therapy for COVID-19
Parallel to COVID-19 vaccination efforts, physicians and researchers at UC San Diego Health, with collaborators across the country, are conducting a pair of clinical trials to assess whether convalescent plasma (CP) therapy can either mitigate symptoms in outpatients with the viral disease or perhaps prevent it after a known exposure.
“Convalescent plasma has already been proven to be safe,” said Edward Cachay, M.D.,
principal investigator for the trial at UC San Diego assessing the prophylactic or prevention potential of CP. “Now, we want to test whether such a therapy, like vaccines, can protect you and others.”
Both of the new clinical trials are nationwide, overseen by Johns Hopkins University researchers, with multiple trial sites. The trials are recruiting 1,100 participants. The prophylactic trial at UC San Diego Health launched in July 2020, and has enrolled 31 of the 151 participants recruited so far.
New reservoir to protect local drinking
water deliveries in North County
A major construction project to improve drinking water supply reliability in North County will start in February after the San Diego County Water Authority’s Board of Directors approved an $11.4 million contract for the work to Pacific Hydrotech Corporation of Perris, Calif.
The Hauck Mesa Storage Reservoir project includes demolition of an abandoned steel tank, building a 2.1 million-gallon storage reservoir connected to the Valley Center Pipeline, and construction of an isolation vault and an underground flow control facility. The project is expected to be completed by winter 2022.
The new Hauck Mesa Storage Reservoir will provide operational flexibility, enhanced system reliability for the day-to-day operations of the aqueduct system, and help ensure water deliveries can be maintained even if power supplies are interrupted.
Chula Vista Mayor Mary Casillas Salas appointed
to San Diego County Regional Airport Authority
Chula Vista Mayor Mary Casillas Salas has been appointed to the board of the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority, filling the seat of Imperial Beach City Councilmember Mark West, whose term expires Jan. 31. Salas was nominated by the mayors of the South County cities. She begins her three-year term today.
“Mayor Mary Casillas Salas is an excellent addition to the Airport Authority Board,” said Airport Authority Board Chair Johanna Schiavoni. “Her vast experience with development and environmental issues in the South County will be a tremendous asset for us moving forward.”
“I also note with pride that the majority of our Board is now made up of women leaders from across our region, and our Board is increasingly diverse in terms of personal and professional backgrounds. We welcome the breadth of representation and experience our members bring to our Board,” Schiavoni said.
County launches new vaccination appointment map
To make it easier for San Diegans to make an appointment to get vaccinated against the novel coronavirus, the ounty launched a new interactive map showing all the vaccination sites.People in Phase 1A and 65 years and older can now make appointments through the new English and Spanish site, which, when fully developed, will be very similar to the one used to find testing sites.
The new map allows users to pick a location and connects them to the appointment system for that site. You can access the map by clicking here.
Salk scientists awarded $1.2 million
to study brain aging and dementia
A collaborative team of Salk scientists led by Professor John Reynolds will receive $1.2 million over four years as part of a Network Grant from the Larry L. Hillblom Foundation to examine aging across the life span, including age-related neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease. The research will advance our understanding of aging mechanisms at the cognitive, genomic and cellular levels with potentially direct translatability to humans.
For this newly funded project, the Salk team will examine the link between metabolism of the aging brain and cognitive decline. Neurons use nearly 10 times the amount of energy as any other cell type, making them especially susceptible to metabolic dysfunction. The main energy source for neurons are the cells’ powerhouses, the mitochondria, which experience significant deterioration as the brain ages. The scientists will test whether mitochondrial impairment is driving the cognitive decline observed in neurodegenerative diseases.
Lynn Hunter joins senior leadership team at UBS
Lynn Hunter, an experienced market administrative officer, has joined UBS to lead business administration, financial management, talent development and operations across eight UBS branches in San Diego.
Hunter will focus on leading and mentoring operational and administrative teams within the market to deliver a compelling client experience for High Net Worth and Ultra-High Net Worth families, business owners, endowments, and foundations served by these teams.
As a member of the senior leadership team within UBS’s San Diego market, Hunter’s role involves oversight of overall cost and organizational management, as well as strategic planning for the market as a whole.
Hunter’s prior experiences include vice president and business service manager with Morgan Stanley and vice president and business initiatives manager for California with Wells Fargo Private Bank. She has worked with multiple business lines to develop collaboration among teams, bringing in specialists as needed to fulfill full balance sheet needs.
A relationship-driven manager, she believes strongly in coaching people to find their strengths, giving them challenges and opportunities to grow, and mentoring them in their new roles. Hunter earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from the University of California, San Diego.
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USS Comstock returns from deployment
Amphibious dock landing ship USS Comstock returned to its homeport of Naval Base San Diego on Thursday following a deployment to the U.S. 7th Fleet and U.S. 4th Fleet areas of operation.
“Our Comstock crew has demonstrated the utmost professionalism and flexibility conducting a range of diverse operations during this deployment,” said Cmdr. Kevin Culver, commanding officer of Comstock. “I am proud to be a part of this talented and resilient team.”
NCTD to significantly increase rail
trespassing education and enforcement
Beginning today, the North County Transit District (NCTD) will enhance trespassing education and enforcement along the San Diego coastal rail corridor in advance of its plans to place five new Siemens Charger locomotives into revenue service on Feb. 8. The new state-of-the-art locomotives are diesel-electric powered engines that meet that newest emission standards, Tier 4. In addition to being environmentally friendly, the new locomotives are considerably quieter than the current F-40 locomotives which is a benefit to the public but also highlights the dangers of trespassing on the railroad right-of-way.
The San Diego County Sheriff’s Transit Enforcement Services Unit will increase their presence along the Los Angeles-San Diego-San Luis Obispo rail line between Oceanside and San Diego. Education will be a key part of this campaign with deputies educating trespassers on the dangers of the tracks and passing trains.
San Diego Methodist churches award $50,000
grants to nonprofits advancing racial justice
First United Methodist Church of San Diego, in partnership with St. Paul United Methodist Church, San Diego, announced they have jointly awarded $52,500 in Racial Justice Grant funding to 10 local nonprofits that either engage in anti-racist policy advocacy, or provide direct services to People of Color in San Diego County.
The grants are part of a long-term commitment by the churches to anti-racist work throughout San Diego, which led to the establishment of their newly created Racial Justice Endowment.
The Endowment will announce their next grant cycle focus and open applications for it on April 1, 2021.
Inspired by local and national conversations about racial injustice, the churches jointly established the Endowment in 2020 to come alongside organizations already engaged in anti-racist efforts in San Diego County. Community response to the fund has been enthusiastic with donations having been received from both congregations and the broader philanthropic community.
Legislation introduced to prohibit
sale of ghost gun kits in California
Assemblyman Christopher Ward (D-San Diego) introduced new legislation, Assembly Bill 311, to prohibit the sale and purchase of firearm precursor parts – otherwise known as ghost gun kits – at California gun shows.
“Ghost gun kits can be easily sold and assembled into illegal, deadly, untraceable assault weapons,” Ward. “While Californians have the ability to lawfully own firearms, ghost guns can bypass common sense policies created to protect our communities from senseless gun violence. AB 311 will address growing concerns over the availability of these firearms by prohibiting their sale at guns shows.”
Ghost guns have no serial numbers and are untraceable by law enforcement. As it stands, gun traffickers can purchase parts and kits to build unserialized firearms, which can then be easily diverted into the criminal market and leave law enforcement with no way to trace their origin.
Due to their anonymity, law enforcement finds ghost guns are frequently used to commit egregious crimes. In 2019, an AR-15 type ghost gun was used to murder a Riverside California Highway Patrol Officer while in the line of duty.
