Daily Business Report: Wednesday, Oct. 13, 2021
Cal Grant expansion: Gov. Newsom vetoes
game-changer bill for 150,000 college students
By Mikhail Zinshteyn | CalMatters
For California’s higher-education system, the seemingly endless summer of good budget news came to a screeching halt Friday night when Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed the most consequential legislation to college financial aid reform in a generation.
With Newsom’s dissent, Assembly Bill 1456 won’t become a reality, rebuffing a Legislature that unanimously supported the legislation. It would have increased by about 150,000 the number of community college, Cal State, University of California and private college students eligible for the Cal Grant — the state’s chief financial aid program. It would have done this by expanding eligibility to students who are low-income but for various reasons can’t access the grant today. Cal Grants last for four years of full-time enrollment for all students.
The veto affects community college students far more than any other, though. Roughly 110,000 more students at community colleges would have become eligible for the Cal Grant. Without it, they lose out on $1,648 a year while in community college and free tuition at a Cal State or UC. And though Cal State and UC students are also affected, another financial aid plan in the works will include them, but not community college students.
PHOTO: Students in San Diego City College Arts & Humanities Building.
Healing Wave Aquatics to break ground
on aquatics facility for service members
Healing Wave Aquatics (formerly Wave Academy), a San Diego nonprofit organization providing aquatic therapy to service members, veterans and their caregivers, will break ground on Thursday for a tenant improvement project that will provide the first-ever facility of its kind in the nation.
The 3,000-square-foot suite will be a state-of-the art facility with two therapy pools. The property includes combined office and warehouse space. Located at Mt. Soledad Business Park at 2567 Ariane Drive, San Diego, the facility is expected to be completed in early 2022.
“Healing Wave Aquatics is dedicated to providing trauma-informed therapy to members of our community who experience post-traumatic stress,” the organization said in its announcement.
The groundbreaking ceremony Thursday will be at 11 a.m.
Approval likely for Carlsbad’s
McClellan-Palomar Airport Master Plan
San Diego County’s Board of Supervisors is poised to finally OK take off for a new, 20-year master plan at McClellan-Palomar Airport in Carlsbad. A three-year court battle over the North County commuter airport’s future just came to an end and supervisors are expected to approve the latest master plan update next month. Board approval should pave the way for a long-awaited runway extension and other crucial safety upgrades at the facility. The last master plan was last revised in 1997.
City of Escondido receives $38 million
in COVID-19 relief funds
The Escondido City Council accepted $38.8 million in coronavirus recovery funds from the American Rescue Plan Act during its Sept. 29 meeting. The one-time funding will cover expenses in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, make up for lost revenue, and ease the overall economic impact of the pandemic.
The council approved using the funding for investments in parks and other public outdoor recreation spaces, sidewalk repairs, increasing tree canopy and connecting the Escondido Creek Trail to certain access points in the community, improving access to clean drinking water, improving wastewater and stormwater infrastructure systems and providing access to high-quality broadband service, as well as supporting public health response.
More than $7.7 million will go toward addressing the negative economic impacts COVID-19 has posed.
The council approved using $9.3 million for investments outdoor recreation spaces, including Kit Carson Amphitheater. (Courtesy photo)
County’s Edgemoor Skilled Nursing Facility
named one of America’s best nursing homes
The County Health and Human Services Agency’s Edgemoor Skilled Nursing Facility has been named one of the best facilities of its kind in the state and the nation by Newsweek magazine.
This is the third time Newsweek has ranked Edgemoor as one of the top places in California and the United States. The magazine gave the facility the top ranking in the state in 2019 and 2020.
This year, the magazine analyzed nursing homes in 25 states with the highest population size and chose 450 winners.
For its list of America’s Best Nursing Homes 2022, the magazine looked at three critical criteria in creating its ranking: overall performance data, peer recommendations and each facility’s handling of COVID-19.
Under the umbrella of County Behavioral Health Services, Edgemoor patients receive 24-hour skilled nursing care, physical rehabilitation, as well as recreational, occupational and speech therapy. Patients at the 192-bed facility require specialized interventions from highly trained staff.
Baker Electric Home Energy named winner
of 2021 BBB Torch Awards for Ethics
Baker Electric Home Energy is the winner of the 2021 Better Business Bureau (BBB) Torch Awards for Ethics in San Diego County. The award, from the BBB Serving the Pacific Southwest, honors businesses operating with integrity and an outstanding level of commitment to ethics and trust.
Baker won the Torch Award for Ethics by illustrating the character of its organizational leadership, demonstrating how an authentic culture is being fostered and how their company prioritizes its relationship with customers. Another critical component is the impact Baker is making in the community.
Baker partners with charitable organizations focused on families and children, such as the Jacobs & Cushman San Diego Food Bank and the North County Food Bank chapter, the TERI organization which helps children and adults touched by special needs, and the Hometown Hero Project providing support for local veterans, teachers, and first responders
General Atomics completes European
maritime demonstrations
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc. (GA-ASI) completed a series of flight demonstrations that featured a company-owned MQ-9B SeaGuardian Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA) in partnership with the Royal Air Force. The demonstration series began Aug. 25 and ended with the completion of the UK’s Exercise Joint Warrior on Sept. 30.
“The support of the RAF was key to the success of our demonstrations,” said GA-ASI Vice President of International Strategic Development Robert Schoeffling. “Our partnership allowed us to achieve a number of industry firsts as we showcased our innovative RPA to senior military officials from 16 countries.”
The flights showcased the many operational capabilities of the MQ-9B, including the platform’s advanced maritime Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR), Detect and Avoid System (DAAS), industry-leading endurance and interoperability with NATO partners.
SeaSpine announces full commercial launch of the
NorthStar OCT Posterior Cervical Fixation System
Carlsbad-based SeaSpine Holdings Corporation, a global medical technology company focused on surgical solutions for the treatment of spinal disorders, announced the full commercial launch of its NorthStar OCT Posterior Cervical Fixation System.
The launch of NorthStar OCT represents the company’s first full commercial introduction of a new posterior cervical system since 2007 and provides a differentiated and more robust product offering to address a market segment that SeaSpine estimates to exceed $250 million in the United States alone.
NorthStar OCT was designed to expand versatility, offering both clinical and economical efficiencies, and brings to market an innovative and elegant option to treat a wide range of patient pathologies, including complex cervicothoracic deformity.
The system’s novel instrumentation and anatomically designed implants provide a safe and effective solution designed to improve surgical flow when navigating through complex procedures.
Association to hold 2021 Walk to Defeat ALS
For the second time in as many years, the ALS Association Greater San Diego Chapter will present its 2021 Walk to Defeat ALS, the nonprofit’s 21st annual fundraising walk, on Sunday, Oct. 17 as a virtual fundraiser. The fundraiser is free and open to the public. Registration is now open. Information is available at www.ALSwalkSD.com.
The theme for the 2021 Walk to Defeat ALS 2021 is “Walk Your Way,” which refers to the many different ways supporters can participate walk virtually or in their own neighborhoods while still raising money for a cure, according to Steve Becvar, executive director, ALS Association Greater San Diego Chapter.
Becvar said the 2021 fundraising goal is $350,000, and a minimum donation of $90 is required to qualify for a walk t-shirt. Proceeds from the Walk to Defeat ALS will benefit the chapter’s programs, services and services provided to local families living with ALS, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, often called Lou Gehrig’s disease.
Nomad Temporary Housing opens Shanghai office
Nomad Temporary Housing in San Diego has formed two Chinese corporate entities to serve its clients throughout China. Nomad has operated serviced apartments in all core markets, and many secondary markets in China, since 2011 from its long-established office in Hong Kong.
The new entity, Nomad Temporary Housing (Shanghai) Limited, now provides full serviced apartment fapiao invoicing capabilities via our rental subsidiary. The fapiao invoice is a legal receipt for goods and services in China, and is required for a Chinese company to deduct expenses for tax purposes. Only registered Chinese entities can issue fapiao. Only firms that have a real estate subsidiary to their China corporation can produce fapiao for serviced apartments.
Poseida Therapeutics announces research
collaboration with Takeda Pharmaceuticals
Poseida Therapeutics Inc., a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company utilizing proprietary genetic engineering platform technologies to create cell and gene therapeutics with the capacity to cure, announced that it has entered into a research collaboration and exclusive license agreement with Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited to utilize Poseida’s piggyBac, Cas-CLOVER, biodegradable DNA and RNA nanoparticle delivery technology and other proprietary genetic engineering platforms for the research and development of up to eight gene therapies.
The collaboration will focus on developing non-viral in vivo gene therapy programs, including Poseida’s Hemophilia A program.
Citadel provides a family of CUAS products under the Titan brand
Citadel Defense has expanded its intelligence and counter-unmanned aircraft systems offering with a suite of new solutions under the Titan brand. The Titan family of CUAS solutions are designed to keep the U.S. military ahead of the threat curve through industry-leading autonomy, artificial intelligence and machine learning.
Citadel provides low size, weight, power, and cost solutions that have been operationally validated across fixed, mobile, and dismounted missions.
Best known for their full spectrum Titan system, the company has launched new solutions including Titan Drone Finder (DF), Titan Tactical Assault Kit (TAK), and Titan Multi-Sensor (MS) to address emerging requirements.
