Daily Business Report: Tuesday, Jan. 11, 2022
What’s behind the ‘Great Resignation’
of California lawmakers?
By Ben Christopher | CalMatters
Propelled by approaching term limits, new district lines and a raft of political opportunities outside the state Capitol, more than a dozen California lawmakers have sought employment elsewhere.
At last count, an exodus of 14 Assembly members and state senators have either opted not to seek re-election in November or have already called it quits mid-term. That doesn’t include the seven members, all senators, who are barred from seeking reelection in 2022 by legislative term limits. Nor does it include Murrieta Republican Kelly Seyarto, who
is hoping to jump from the Assembly to the Senate.
It’s not just the number; it’s also the power and stature of those leaving.
Last week alone, the Capitol bid farewell to progressive powerhouse Lorena Gonzalez
of San Diego, who departed the Assembly to take the top job at the California Labor Federation. Then came back-to-back announcements from Democratic Sen. Connie Leyva of Chino and Assemblymember Patrick O’Donnell of Long Beach, who both said they would not be seeking reelection despite having four years left to serve under the state’s term limit law. Then, on Thursday, Republican Assemblymember Kevin Kiley of Rocklin, who ran in the 2021 gubernatorial recall, announced that he would be running for Congress.
That all makes for an unusual degree of churn, already the largest in at least seven years.
In 2012, California voters passed Proposition 28, extending the amount of time that lawmakers can serve to a total of 12 years, in either chamber. That had ushered in a new era of job security for legislators and continuity for the Legislature as a whole.
But there will be at least 22 new legislators, out of 120 total, after the November election. There are special elections on Feb. 15 and April 5to fill the four Assembly seats that are already vacant.
And this election year is still young: Candidates have until mid-March to declare their candidacy for office — or not.
TOP PHOTO: Lorena Gonzalez, a San Diego Democrat, says goodbye to colleagues after she announced her resignation from the state Assembly on Jan.3, 2022. (Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./CalMatters)
Rescu Prime emergency alert launches nationwide
San Diego-based Rescu has developed an app — Rescu Prime — that turns any smartphone into a GPS emergency alert system that cross-references geographical information, counties, zip codes, data lists of local authorities and more to determine a user’s exact location and contact the closest available emergency response team.
The app can dispatch emergency responders anywhere in the United States to a user’s exact location in only two taps, offering the fastest way to get help during an emergency.
Rescu Prime is also launching two-way SMS chat with Rescu dispatchers, empowering users to quietly communicate the details of their emergency.
The feature is ideal for the hard of hearing or anyone who doesn’t want to give away their location, according to the company.
“Rescu was the fastest way to get help during a home emergency. Now, it’s the fastest way to get help anywhere in the United States. Wherever your travels take you, Rescu Prime’s nationwide GPS service empowers you to go safely,” said Paolo Piscatelli, CEO of Rescu.
Rescu Prime subscriptions are $10/month or $99/year.
FS Design completes interiors for
Palomar Medical Center Escondido
FS Design Group, a San Diego-based interior planning and design firm specializing in commercial and medical office projects, is designing the interiors of three new medical office buildings on the Palomar Medical Center Escondido campus. Construction just began on the third office building, is underway on the second and was recently completed on the first.
The three medical office buildings are part of the 56-acre, $110 million expansion of the Palomar campus on Citracado Parkway. FS Design Group, providing the interior design for each facility, is incorporating a warm and professional look into the offices while prioritizing comfort for patients and their caregivers, as well as the physicians and medical staff.
Steve Sherrer of Align Builders, the general contractor, said this project was complex because it required 13 separate permits being delivered on different timelines.
The interior design supports the building’s architectural design, provided by Raymond Fox & Associates, which emphasizes efficiency.
San Diego’s Hill Properties acquires
Via Frontera Business Park for $17.5 million
San Diego-based Hill Properties has acquired the Via Frontera Business Park, an 80,900-square-foot property comprising two industrial/R&D flex buildings in Rancho Bernardo. The multi-tenant property was 100 percent leased at the time of sale and sold in an off-market deal for $17.5 million.
Hill Properties plans modern improvements to the property’s exterior including signage, landscaping and amenities.
The seller was Xpress Data, Inc., which agreed to leaseback 41,000 square feet of space that it will continue to occupy within the park.
Philip Roberts with Cushman & Wakefield had worked with both parties in the transaction.
Spanning the addresses 10965 to 10993 Via Frontera Drive, Via Fontera Business Park consists of two single-story buildings on a single parcel of 6.21 acres.
Salk professor awarded $1.2 million to study
a new pathway that could help treat diabetes
Salk Institute Professor Ronald Evans will receive $1.2 million over four years as part of a Network Grant from the Larry L. Hillblom Foundation to examine a molecular pathway that regulates blood sugar and fat independent of insulin.
The research will advance our understanding of type 2 diabetes and could lead to the development of new therapies for treating the disease. Other members of the team include Professors Jin Zhang and Alan Saltiel from the University of California San Diego.
“We are very thankful to the Larry L. Hillblom Foundation for funding Ron’s project about this molecular pathway that could be targeted to treat type 2 diabetes,” says Salk President and Professor Rusty Gage.
“This work represents an exciting new avenue of diabetes research with many possibilities for translation into the clinic.”
Mayor calls councilman ‘gringo’ — a
$16K probe concluded it wasn’t
By Julia Wook | Voice of San Diego
Chula Vista spent thousands of dollars last year to investigate a complaint filed by Councilman John McCann against Mayor Mary Casillas Salas to consider whether the use of the word “gringo” violated the city’s equal employment opportunity policy. McCann’s complaint accusedthe mayor of discrimination and harassment.
“Mayor Casillas Salas insulted me by calling me a racial slur ‘Gringo’ twice,” McCann wrote in the Feb. 19 complaint. “I felt shocked by her statement since it was aimed at diminishing me because of my ethnicity and race.”
Months later, an outside attorney for the city concluded that while “gringo” is an inappropriate term to use in the workplace, it didn’t rise to the level of being harassment or discrimination in this case.
The total cost of the inquiry: $15,838.50.
Carlsbad’s Pardes Biosciences nets $122 million
in funding for its COVID-19 pill
Carlsbad startup Pardes Biosciences, which has begun clinical trials for an experimental pill to treat COVID-19, went public in December, raising $199 million through a Special Purpose Acquisition Company, or SPAC.
Founded in February 2020 specifically to fight the pandemic, the company is pursuing a protease inhibitor antiviral compound called PBI-0451. It aims to offer initial treatment for people with the virus — potentially sidetracking serious illness and keeping them out of overwhelmed hospitals.
Escondido’s Aquacycl secures deal
with major food company
Aquacycl Inc., the inventor and manufacturer of a new wastewater treatment technology, has signed a long-term contract with a major food and beverage company. The terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Founded in 2016, Aquacycl helps industrial customers achieve energy neutral wastewater treatment and simplifies complex, tough to treat wastewater, according to the company.
After a successful demonstration phase with the food and beverage client, Aquacycl expanded to a multi-year, pay-for-performance contract, and will provide industrial pretreatment-as-a-service for the concentrated wastewater produced at the client’s plant.
Two General Atomics Avengers equipped with
Lockheed Martin Legion Pods tested in desert
On November 18, 2021, General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) used two company-owned AvengerUnmanned Aircraft Systems, each equipped with a Lockheed Martin Legion Pod, to send long-range air threat data captured passively and fused by an advanced sensor algorithm to a Command Center.
“This first-time, industry-funded flight test demonstrates the maturing capabilities of UAS platforms and sensors to deliver fused sensor data,” said GA-ASI Senior Director of Advanced Programs Michael Atwood. “Avenger with Legion Pod demonstrates how collaborative autonomous platforms with advanced sensing can deliver persistent, shared air domain awareness.”
In the two-hour flight, the Avengers flew over the high desert of Southern California. During the flight, Legion Pod’s IRST21 infrared search and track system detected multiple fast-moving aircraft operating in the area. On-pod Lockheed Martin fusion software blended the sensor data from both pods in real time and the Avengers streamed it to the ground station.
MG Properties Group acquires
564-unit Denver apartments
MG Properties Group, a private San Diego-based real estate investor and operator, is further expanding its Denver presence, announcing the acquisition of 3300 Tamarac Apartments. Located in the Hampden neighborhood of Denver, the 564-unit community offers an ideal location within walking distance to a variety of shopping and dining hotspots, as well as several parks and recreation opportunities.
Proximity to major freeways and thoroughfares connects residents to the larger Denver metro and beyond. 3300 Tamarac offers a seamless commute to the downtown core, while still having the comforts of a suburban location.
