Daily Business Report: Wednesday, Sept. 29, 2021
Hidden partisans try to influence
California’s independent redistricting
By Ben Christopher and Sameea Kamal | CalMatters
In August, Christopher Rodriguez phoned into an online meeting of the California Citizens Redistricting Commission, the 14 volunteers who will draw new congressional and legislative maps that will be used for the next decade.
Rodriguez argued that no matter how the commission determines the state’s 52 congressional districts, Camp Pendleton, the sprawling Marine Corps base in north San Diego County, should be grouped together with the nearby cities of Fallbrook and Oceanside to keep “our military population together.”
If necessary, he argued, the commission should jettison cities farther down the coast, including Del Mar and Encinitas, which are “just completely foreign to us here in North County. They don’t come up here, we don’t go down there.”
Rodriguez introduced himself as “small business owner,” a “Marine Corp combat veteran” and “a father of seven.”
He neglected to mention that he’s also an Oceanside city council member — and a Republican running for Congress in 2022 whose prospects could be buoyed by a district that is anchored around the Marine base and his hometown and that excludes the Democratic areas to the south. The current 49th District, represented by Democrat Mike Levin, is 36 percent Democratic and 33 percent Republican by voter registration, but the San Diego County portion is about 38 percent Democratic.
Carvana acquires former site of
John Hine Mazda dealership
Arizona-base online car dealer Carvana has acquired the site of the former John Hine Mazda dealership in Mission Valley. The purchase price was not disclosed.
Located at 1545 and 1551 Camino Del Rio South, the site had been occupied by John Hine Mazda since 1965 before the dealership closed down in the summer of 2021. The 5.62-acre property sits in the heart of Mission Valley, adjacent to the I-8 freeway, connecting Mission Valley to the rest of San Diego County. The site is across the freeway from Westfield Mission Valley, one of San Diego’s most popular shopping malls.
CBRE’s Ryan Sparks, Reg Kobzi, Kevin Mulhern and Matt Carlson represented the seller, JHCH M.V. Land Co. Steve Avoyer of Flocke & Avoyer represented the buyer.
San Diego County Regional Airport Authority
receives $25.97 million for noise mitigation
San Diego County Regional Airport Authority will receive a total of $25,978,156 in two airport safety and infrastructure grants through the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for noise mitigation measures. The $25.97 million in grants marks the largest annual amount given to the Airport Authority by the FAA for its Quieter Home Program and one of the largest annual amounts given to any airport nationwide.
The Quieter Home Program is San Diego International Airport’s residential sound insulation program. The FAA has determined that certain residences around the airport may be eligible for sound insulation treatments to mitigate aircraft noise. The FAA has set a goal of reducing interior noise levels for eligible residents by at least five decibels inside the home, providing a noticeable noise reduction. The Airport Authority’s Quieter Home Program is the means to obtain that goal.
Primarily, the $25.9 million will go towards sound-insulating approximately 400 to 500 homes per year, depending on the size of the home. QHP recently expanded to sound insulating non-residential facilities, a portion of this grant will treat two church and preschool facilities in the areas most impacted by aircraft noise. It is estimated that once the program is initiated, one non-residential noise-sensitive property can be sound insulated in one year.
Four San Diego restaurants awarded Michelin Star honors
Michelin announced its star-recipients for Michelin Guide California 2021, which will be released in print form for purchase in the coming weeks. One star indicates a very good restaurant in its category, while two stars means the restaurant has excellent cooking worth a detour. Top honors of three stars are given only to restaurants with exceptional cuisine “worth a special journey.”
For the 2021 edition, three San Diego restaurants have been awarded Michelin Star honors – Addison Del Mar has received two stars, Jeune and Jolie in Carlsbad has received one star, and both Soichi Sushi in University Heights and Sushi Tadokoro in Old Town have received one star. In 2019, Addison at the Fairmont Grand Del Mar was the sole San Diego restaurant to receive a Michelin Star, receiving one.
Danielle Gonzalez named branch manager for
Mission Federal Credit Union in Oceanside
Mission Fed Credit Union has named Danielle Gonzalez as AVP branch manager for its 33rd branch site, located at 2267 S. El Camino Real, Suite A, in Oceanside. Gonzalez has been with Mission Fed for over 20 years, serving in many different roles including branch management for San Marcos and the original Oceanside branch (at Mission Ave. and Douglas Drive).
Gonzalez is a graduate of El Camino High School and attended Palomar College, earning her Associate’s Degree in Liberal Arts and Sciences. Throughout her personal and professional life, she has strived to help improve the lives of others.
She aims to do this through helping individuals improve their financial wellness, mentoring youth through financial literacy lessons, or simply championing the great attributes of her community.
As an advocate for financial education, she dedicates time volunteering with Junior Achievement of San Diego. Gonzalez can also be found volunteering with the Girl Scouts of San Diego or at her children’s elementary school. When not at the credit union, she enjoys spending time with her family, traveling, watching football and going to the beach.
SDG&E hosts Electric Vehicle Day
this weekend in Downtown San Diego
After a one-year hiatus caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, San Diego Gas & Electric is again hosting Electric Vehicle Day – a free, annual event that offers local residents the opportunity to check out a variety of plug-in cars in a no sales pressure environment.
At the 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. event on Saturday and Sunday (Oct. 2-3), the EV-curious can get answers to questions about performance, cost and charging rates from members of the Electric Vehicle Association of San Diego and SDG&E’s clean transportation team.
EV Day festivities will take place on Broadway Pier in Downtown San Diego. Nissan will unveil its latest EV model, the all-electric Ariya SUV, at the event. Local nonprofit MAAC will have an information booth to raise awareness of its Electric Vehicle Access Program, which provides assistance to apply for EV incentives, rebates and vehicle financing, as well as EV charging and maintenance education.
Citadel Defense awarded multiple contracts
for new drone and pilot location solution
Citadel Defense has been awarded three new counter unmanned aircraft systems (CUAS) contracts from the U.S. Government for its newest product, Titan Drone Finder (Titan DF). Developed alongside servicemen and servicewomen, the new Titan DF solution allows operators to locate the drone, track the flight path, and autonomously neutralize threats that cross a user-defined alert zone.
Citadel said its rapidly growing family of Titan CUAS systems has industry-transforming automation that creates a distinct operational advantage for servicemen and servicewomen on the front lines. When defending against swarms and difficult-to-detect threats, AI-powered combat systems like Titan allow operators to identify and terminate enemy UAS threats with unmatched speed, accuracy, and reliability.
Two Roots Beverage Company partners
with Ekos to streamline expansion efforts
Two Roots Beverage Company has selected Ekos to streamline its operating efficiencies, improve inventory tracking, and optimize supply chain operations. Ekos is a business management software for craft beverage businesses. Two Roots will use the brewery-focused software to continue its best-in-class execution of the company’s growth.
“Our accelerated expansion drove the need for a robust brewery management system that would allow us to streamline operating efficiencies while maintaining the highest quality standards across all company functions as we rapidly expand our distribution footprint. Ekos was the ideal choice for Two Roots,” said Ron Goodson, president and CEO, Two Roots Beverage Co.
Two Roots is the only non-alcoholic craft brewer to medal three years in a row at the Great American Beer Festival. Its product portfolio includes 2019 and 2021 Gold Medal winner Enough Said, a crisp Helles, 2020 Bronze Medal winner Straight Drank, a West Coast-style IPA, and New West, an East meets West style IPA.
Cubic Corporation recognize with
Cigna Well-Being Award
Cigna has selected Cubic Corporation as a recipient of its annual Cigna Well-Being Award for demonstrating a strong commitment to improving the health and well-being of its employees through a robust workplace wellness program.
“At Cubic, employee health is our top priority and we are honored to be selected as a recipient of the Cigna Well-Being Award,” said Brad Feldmann, chairman, president and chief executive officer, Cubic Corporation. “We understand the important role employee well-being plays in a company’s success and the relationship between a more productive, engaged workforce and high impact business performance.”
A national study on resilience from Cigna found that two-thirds of full-time employees are at risk of having low resilience, which could impact their ability to overcome challenges. This can result in lower job satisfaction, lower performance, and higher turnover.
Synthetic Genomics changes corporate name to Viridos
Synthetic Genomics Inc., a privately held biotechnology company, announced that it will begin operating under its new corporate name, Viridos Inc. The name change from Synthetic Genomics to Viridos is part of the company’s broader effort to deploy its cutting-edge genomic expertise and algal engineering platforms that create transformative solutions to climate change.
“The name Viridos, drawn from the Latin word viridis, translating to green and fresh, represents our company’s mission to design revolutionary technologies, products and systems that enable businesses and governments to implement sustainable solutions needed to mitigate climate change,” said Viridos CEO Oliver Fetzer. “It is my hope that our new name not only signals our best-in-class algal biotechnology, but also becomes a byword for a new bioeconomy of solutions that enable the world to decarbonize and build more sustainable systems.”
Sinopia Biosciences awarded NIH grant to support
development of Parkinson’s disease pipeline
Sinopia Biosciences Inc., a clinical-stage biotechnology company, has been awarded a $3.3 million grant from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, as part of the National Institutes of Health, to fund investigational new drug-enabling studies for Sinopia’s small molecule candidate for Parkinson’s disease.
“We are pleased to receive funding from the NIH to support the advancement of our Parkinson’s disease program towards the clinic,” said Iman Famili, president and Chief Executive Officer of Sinopia Biosciences. “Parkinson’s disease affects nearly 7 million people worldwide and is the fastest growing neurological disorder in the world, with the number of patients expected to double by 2040. It’s a disease that imposes heavy burdens on patients and caregivers, particularly because current treatments are not optimal and have serious long-term liabilities with chronic use that must be addressed.”
