Daily Business Report: March 14, 2022
Here’s how state lawmakers want to help
Californians facing high gas prices
By Grace Gedye | CalMatters
Gas prices per gallon are getting higher across the U.S., but prices in California are soaring higher than any other state according to the
American Automobile Association.The average price of gas in California on Friday was $5.69 — up from $4.68 a month ago — while the national average was $4.32.
Much of what has driven up gas prices over the past several months is outside of California lawmakers’ control: Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and the sanctions that followed, have spiked prices, combined with the fact that demand for oil has ramped up from pandemic lows faster than supplies.
California’s gas prices tend to be higher than other states in part because of higher taxes for infrastructure and environmental fees. State lawmakers raised the gas tax by 12 cents after a fraught battle in 2017 to pay for roads, bridges, transit projects, and more. Then there’s some amount of higher gas prices in California that’s harder to account for, which Severin Borentein, an energy economist at UC Berkeley, has dubbed the Mystery Gasoline Surcharge.
But people are feeling the effects of climbing prices now, and both Democrat and Republican state lawmakers say they want to help. One option is decreasing the state tax on gas suppliers, with the aim of reducing prices. Another, which Gov. Gavin Newsom teased in his State of the State address, is some form of rebate to help defray the higher cost of gas.
TOP PHOTO: Valero gas station in Sacramento on March 10, 2022. (Photo by Miguel Gutierrez Jr., CalMatters)
San Diego College of Continuing Education
welcomes new president — Tina King
San Diego College of Continuing Education (SDCCE) has a new president: Tina King, an equity-focused educational leader with experience working with diverse student populations in multiple sectors of education.
King comes to SDCCE from Southwestern College in Chula Vista, where she has served as assistant superintendent/vice president of Student Affairs since 2019.
King has received many awards and recognitions throughout her career as a community college educational leader, including the prestigious ASPEN Rising President Fellowship in 2021.
While at Southwestern College, King also served as the dean of the School of Counseling and Student Support Programs.
She was previously interim dean of instruction and student services and director of institutional research and planning for North Orange Continuing Education in Anaheim.
King earned a Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership from California State University, Fullerton where her dissertation focused on the role of community college faculty and staff in creating academic achievement for Black men.
High-end painting franchise enters
San Diego and two other new markets
Denver-based LIME Painting is targeting San Diego, San Antonio and Atlanta to become the sites for new franchises. According to founder Nick Lopez, the company has expanded from seven to 60 franchise locations across 16 states.
“There are thousands of luxury properties all over the country that can benefit from our services,” said Lopez. “We deliver a quality service in an industry that doesn’t always fit that type, and we’re excited to be able to bring that quality to the San Diego, San Antonio, and Atlanta communities.”
At the age of 19, Nick Lopez founded his first painting LLC to help pay for his college tuition and textbooks. After graduating in 2013, he moved back home to Colorado and founded LIME Painting, an innovative brand that specializes in interior and exterior painting for luxury residential and commercial properties. Five years later, Lopez perfected his business model and decided to begin franchising the brand to bring high-quality home improvement services to more communities.
SeaWorld San Diego opens dive coaster
Emperor with penguin-led ceremony
SeaWorld San Diego’s new dive coaster Emperor is now open to the public. The opening was commemorated on March 12 with a special ribbon-cutting ceremony featuring Puck the Penguin, live performances by The Waddlers and the Funky Feathers leading the way for guests to take their first ride.
Nonprofit conservation partner Penguins International was also on hand to share in the celebration and a portion of Emperor Hazy IPA and Emperor merchandise sales in the park will go to them to help support their cause.
Named after the Emperor penguin, the world’s largest penguin, the Emperor coaster mimics this species’ amazing underwater diving ability.
Climbing to 153 feet with feet dangling in the air, riders are suspended on a 45-degree angle at the crown of the ride before plunging down a 14-story facedown vertical drop, accelerating to more than 60 miles per hour.
Riders also experience inversions, barrel roll, Immelmann loop, hammerhead turn and a flat spin as they race along the nearly 2,500 feet of track. Each of the floorless ride cars hold 18 riders in three, six-person rows. This is the first seating configuration of its kind in North America.
To complement the experience on the ride, guests can sample the new limited release Emperor Hazy IPA from Mike Hess Brewing, which was created and inspired by the ride and is only available at the park. Following some hops and the big drop, guests are encouraged to visit Penguin Encounter, the only place in North America where you can see Emperor penguins in person.
MTS approves new affordable housing
development in San Ysidro
Families in South Bay will soon have more affordable housing options. The Metropolitan Transit System (MTS) Board of Directors voted to enter an agreement with Affirmed Housing Group to build 100 affordable apartments units near the Beyer Boulevard Trolley Station. This is the first MTS housing development in San Ysidro, and will be located next to the newly extended UC San Diego Blue Line connecting families to universities, hospitals, and countless places of work.
Contract terms include a 99-year lease of the land by MTS to Affirmed. Construction is estimated to begin by early 2024, and will take approximately 21 months to build. The property will feature studio, one, two and three bedroom apartments.
Associate attorneys, paralegal join
Crosbie Gliner Schiffman Southard & Swanson
The law firm Crosbie Gliner Schiffman Southard & Swanson has added Riley Cutner-Orrantia and Salvatore (Sal) Padua as associate attorneys and Tracy Hall as a paralegal in its San Diego office.
Prior to joining CGS3, Cutner-Orrantia was an associate at the Denver office of Kaplan Kirsch & Rockwell LLP, a boutique firm with a nationwide practice. She also worked as an associate real estate broker and was a student attorney with Colorado Law Sustainable Community Development Clinic.
Padula was previously a member of the commercial litigation group at Boyd Law, APC, a boutique litigation firm, and has provided pro bono consulting services on criminal defense and civil rights matters. Before embarking on his legal career, he was a realtor and property manager.
Prior to joining CGS3, Hall worked as a paralegal at Hecht Solberg and Morris Polich & Purdy in San Diego and at Angius & Terry and Bullivant Houser Baily in Las Vegas. She previously served in the U.S. army as a Korean language voice intercept operator for military intelligence.
San Diego Automotive Museum awarded
$55,000 grant from The Conrad Prebys Foundation
The San Diego Automotive Museum has been awarded a $55,000 grant from The Conrad Prebys Foundation to aid in the creation and launch of a brand-new Vocational Education Program. A small portion of the award is allocated to fund capacity-building costs, such as technical assistance and consultant costs for creating this program.
The majority of the grant will go toward Year 1 operating expenses for the Vocational Education Program.
The Vocational Education Program is designed to break education barriers that affect impoverished and under-served youth in San Diego County. It will help keep more youth in school by providing a positive outlook on their future and giving them the tools needed to continue with their automotive aspirations.
The program will deliver primary automotive job skills and practical life knowledge while providing belonging, positive adult leadership, and overall support. Participants will gain enhanced self-confidence, job placement opportunities, and learn financial independence while doing what they love.
Grossmont High School will dedicate its
new Events Center on March 17
The 26,670 gross square feet Event Center provides a state-of-the-art facility for campus events,
performances, and other activities. The facility includes an auditorium with seating for 475 (including accessible seating), an expansive dance studio, choral studios, a digital music classroom, and a new “black box” theater. It also includes scene shop classrooms, a green room, dressing rooms, ADA-compliant restrooms, and other support spaces.
The project emphasizes multi-functionality, with indoor and outdoor learning and gathering spaces. The Event Center also serves as a venue for district and community meetings
and events.
Funded by Proposition U and Measure BB, the Event Center is the latest project for Grossmont Union High School District’s comprehensive master plan.
San Diego stacks Forbes list of Best Startup Employers
Nine San Diego companies have been named in Forbes’ America’s Best Startup Employers list. Element Biosciences, Shield AI, ClickUp, Cortica, SOCI, Cloudbeds, Measurabl, Airspace and Organifi have all been recognized for their employer reputation, employee satisfaction and overall growth.
Creyon Bio secures $40 million in Series A funding
Torrey Pines-based drug development company Creyon Bio has raised $40 million in Series A funding. The company engineers RNA-based medicines and their components to inform machine learning models asnd will use the funds to continure the optimization of its platforms and expands its team in San Diego.
SDG&E sets supplier diversity record
supporting regional economic growth
San Diego Gas & Electric purchased nearly $1 billion in goods and services from diverse business enterprises in 2021. More than half (56 percent) of SDG&E’s diverse business expenditures, or $525 million, were with local companies in the San Diego region. And approximately 90 percent of SDG&E’s diverse suppliers are located in California, further helping to grow California’s economy, which currently is the fifth largest in the world.
Overall, SDG&E infused $2.4 billion into the economy last year, the highest level of expenditures on goods and services in the company’s 140-year history. Of that amount, $936 million went to small and diverse suppliers, representing 39.1 percent of the total expenditures – far exceeding the 21.5 percent goal set by the California Public Utilities Commission’s (CPUC).
Padres home opener set for April 14
against World Champion Atlanta Braves
The Padres’ home opener will be April 14 against the defending World Series champion Atlanta Braves. The originally scheduled game time of 6:40 p.m. could be moved up. Fans who had tickets for the March 31 opening-day game will have those tickets transferred to April 14 while fans with tickets for April 14 will receive tickets to one of the six rescheduled games. After that four-game series, the Padres host the Reds and Dodgers for three games apiece.
In a letter to Padres fans posted on social media, Padres Chairman and Owner Peter Seidler thanked fans for their patience.
“We are well positioned to finalize our roster, begin spring training and prepare for an exciting season,” the letter said. “Our goal remains the same, to win our first World Series championship for San Diego and you, our loyal fans.”
FAA to open application period
for new drone service suppliers
The Federal Aviation Administration is looking for companies to provide Low Altitude Authorization and Notification Capability (LAANC) services to unmanned aircraft system operators.
The agency said it will open the application period for new UAS service suppliers from May 2nd to June 3rd and review submissions from qualified applicants from June 6th to July 8th.
FAA will hold technical interviews from July to August and conclude formal onboarding on October 14th. LAANC automates the process for drone operators to request FAA authorizations to fly in restricted airspace.
The automated system was launched in 2017 and is available at approximately 735 airports. In February, FAA released its millionth airspace authorization for UAV pilots through
