Daily Business Report: Tuesday, April 19, 2022
With county fair in jeopardy, there has still been
no accountability for CEO in bid-rigging scandal
by Tigist Layne | Voice of San Diego
Headlines for weeks have jarred San Diegans with the news that the annual County Fair may not go on this year because the agency charged with overseeing the Del Mar Fairgrounds is wrapped up in a lawsuit.
A judge concluded earlier this month that the 22nd District Agricultural Association likely rigged a contract it approved in January. Behind that decision, though, is a description of severe misconduct.
Del Mar Fairgrounds CEO Carlene Moore has been accused of rigging the contract in question. Yet she still holds her position and has not faced any disciplinary action by the 22nd District board or the state.
San Diego Judge Kenneth Medel issued a preliminary injunction earlier this month ruling that the 22nd District, a state government entity that operates the Fairgrounds, likely manipulated the contract process that gave carnival operator Ray Cammack Shows the exclusive rights to run the rides and games at the fair, citing indications of “fraud,” “favoritism” and “corruption.”
Moore has not faced discipline for the role she played in allegedly rigging the contract, and the state agencies that are supposed to oversee the District have given no indication they plan to hold it accountable.
The 22nd District operates the Del Mar Fairgrounds on behalf of the state of California. The governor appoints its board members.
The Department of General Services, the Department of Food and Agriculture and the Governor’s office all have some oversight capacity over the agency, and are all aware of the situation, but seem to be passing it off to one another.
TOP PHOTO: © Can Stock Photo / epantha
Tax Day revealed difficult California
truth: Many in financial straits
by Emily Hoeven | CalMatters
As millions of Californians rushed to file their tax returns Monday and apply for tax credits, state lawmakers returned to Sacramento from an 11-day spring recess — and prepared to resume negotiations over the best way to put money back in residents’ pockets.
The two events are interrelated: The amount of tax revenue collected by the state will help determine the size, form and scope of the financial relief on which Gov. Gavin Newsom and legislators finally settle.
But Tax Day is also a reminder of the staggering divide between California’s haves and have-nots, which the state’s progressive tax structure brings out in stark relief: In 2019, the fewer than 100,000 Californians who earned at least $1 million paid about 40 percent of the state’s personal income taxes, according to data obtained by the Los Angeles Times.
By contrast, 77 percent of Californians who filed income tax returns that year reported an income of less than $100,000 — and 50 percent reported earnings below $50,000.
Five affordable housing projects
receive funding from the county
The County Health and Human Services Agency is awarding more than $20 million in federal and state funding to five housing projects that serve low-income San Diegans and previously homeless seniors and veterans.
The projects that received awards:
• Aviara East in Carlsbad: $1.3 million; 70 units.
• Union Tower in National City: $3.5 million; 94 units.
• Santa Fe Senior Village in Vista: $9.375 million; 54 units.
• COMM 22 in Logan Heights: $4 million; 61 units.
• Mariposa II in San Marcos: $2.6 millions; 96 units.
Combined, these five projects offer 375 units.
The funding for the five projects resulted from the county’s work with various federal and state housing initiatives.
These newest investments in affordable housing projects are in addition to a previous round of funding announced in March for four projects in Vista, Ramona, Clairemont and San Ysidro.
SDSU to break ground on River Park at SDSU Mission Valley
San Diego State University on Wednesday will officially break ground on the SDSU Mission Valley River Park during an event open to media and other invited guests, but not the general public.
The River Park is part of the first stage of the SDSU Mission Valley development, which includes the construction of Snapdragon Stadium and the initial phase of residential housing and the SDSU Mission Valley Innovation District.
The River Park, designed for all San Diegans to use and take pride in, will feature multi-use recreational fields, more than four miles of hiking and biking trails, and many other amenities.
Center for Advancing Global Business
receives naming gift from Wendy Gillespie
The Center for Advancing Global Business at San Diego State University’s Fowler College of Business has been renamed to honor Wendy Gillespie, a San Diego entrepreneur who supported the center with a significant gift.
The Wendy Gillespie Center for Advancing Global Business is dedicated to expanding international curriculum, research, and engagement between academia and global organizations. Founded in 2019, the center is home to the Center for International Business Education and Research (SDSU CIBER) and the Charles W. Hostler Institute on World Affairs.
In 1991, Gillespie and her late husband, Martin Capdevilla, established Frontier Trading, Inc., focused primarily on exporting food products to Mexico and Central America.
Currently, Gillespie is president and CEO of Frontier Trading, as well as Starhawk Productions, a Broadway production company. She also serves as a board member for the Center for Advancing Global Business.
A portion of Gillespie’s gift will support international study abroad programs and international internships for SDSU students.
Viasat partners with Košice region of Slovaki to
provide high-speed Internet to Ukrainian refugees
Carlsbad-based Viasat Inc., a global communications company, and the Košice region of Slovakia, have partnered to provide free high-speed Internet to Ukrainian refugees in Eastern Slovakia using Viasat’s proven satellite-enabled Community Internet system. Viasat Community Internet (VCI) sites are being installed across Eastern Slovakia in areas of greatest need for refugee connectivity.
Slovakia has embraced thousands of refugees daily since the beginning of the Ukraine conflict. One of the major challenges refugees face when arriving in Slovakia is access to the Internet for online news, digital tools and resources. Viasat’s high-speed Community Internet service provides an opportunity for refugees to communicate with loved ones and stay informed.
Additionally, the company is working with local partners to ensure installations of its Community Internet service sites are meeting the refugees’ needs. This humanitarian effort is powered by the KA-SAT network which has provided satellite-based high-speed Internet to thousands of Ukrainians for a decade.
Rady Children’s Hospital selects Luna
to broaden outpatient services
Luna, a provider of on-demand physical therapy, and Rady Children’s Hospital-San Diego, announced a partnership through which Luna will provide home-based outpatient physical therapy to Rady Children’s patients, greatly expanding patient access and ensuring continuity of care.
Rady Children’s, the largest children’s hospital in California and the only designated pediatric trauma center in San Diego, provides care to most of the region’s children. With the addition of Rady Children’s, Luna extends its presence in the San Diego area, where it also provides home-based services for adult health systems.
FFL Partners in partnership with Perlman
Clinic for primary care in San Diego market
FFL Partners, a private equity firm focused on growth investments in middle market companies, announced that it has made an investment in Perlman Clinic, a leading independent provider of primary care in the greater San Diego market. Financial terms of the private transaction were not disclosed.
Perlman Clinic is a full-service provider of comprehensive primary care, as well as urgent care, behavioral health, and wellness services. The company has both fee-for-service and capitated primary care contracts with leading health plans in Southern California. Founded in 2005, Perlman Clinic operates 16 facilities staffed by over 100 primary care providers across the greater San Diego region delivering comprehensive internal, family medicine, integrative, preventive, mental health, and other treatment services to more than 75,000 patients.
Viasat receives top honors from LinkedIn
and Ragan as Top Company to Work For
Viasat Inc. has been recognized by two global organizations, LinkedIn and Ragan, as a top company to work at in the United States.
LinkedIn Top Companies list is a ranking of 50 companies that are investing in their talent and helping people build careers that will set them up for long-term success. Viasat ranked within this prestigious list, which included an evaluation of the following seven key pillars: ability to advance, skills growth, company stability, external opportunity, company affinity, gender diversity and educational background
Ragan’s Employee Communications & Top Places to Work Awards acknowledged Viasat for their exceptional internal communications campaigns, content and initiatives that kept their workforce—remote or in-person—engaged and informed. Viasat champions their diverse workforce and provide resources and support to help employees grow and succeed in their careers.
Royal Netherlands Air Force gets
three drones from General Atomics
The Royal Netherlands Air Force (RNLAF) has taken delivery of three MQ-9A Block 5 Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA) and two Mobile Ground Control Stations from General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc. (GA-ASI). The RNLAF will begin operating the MQ-9s later this month out of Curacao to provide long-range, persistent surveillance to support missions protecting the Netherland’s national interests.
“The MQ-9A Reaper will be very valuable for information-driven operations with the Royal Netherlands Air Force and the Netherlands’ armed forces in general. We will operationally test and evaluate the system during our deployment to Curacao and expect it to be a valuable asset for the Commander of Netherlands Forces in the Caribbean,” said Lt.-Col. Boudewijn Roddenhof, commander of the RNLAF’s 306 squadron, which will operate the new MQ-9A Reapers.
SDG&E completes Ramona microgrid in partnership
with CAL FIRE and U.S. Forest Service
San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) has completed the Ramona microgrid, one of four planned microgrids within the High Fire Threat District. The Ramona facility will provide backup power to the Ramona Air Attack Base, home to CAL FIRE and U.S. Forest Service’s aerial firefighting assets dedicated to protecting rural communities.
The microgrid produces zero emissions as it’s powered by 500/kW/2000kWh of battery storage. It was built in collaboration with the two agencies and is part of SDG&E’s ongoing commitment to keep essential resources powered during Public Safety Power Shutoffs (PSPS) and other emergency situations.
Microgrids are just one of many wildfire mitigation projects included in SDG&E’s Wildfire Mitigation Plan (WMP) filed annually with the California Public Utilities Commission.
