Daily Business Report: Wednesday, April 13, 2022
California public school enrollment
drops below 6 million mark
by Joe Hong | CalMatters
For the first time since the start of the century, California has fewer than 6 million students attending public schools.
According to new data released by the California Department of Education, enrollment in public schools continues to drop more quickly than it did before the pandemic, stirring fears of more budget cuts and long-term financial instability for schools.
Among key takeaways from the newly released data:
• Statewide enrollment has dropped by more than 110,000 students to 5,892,240 during the current school year, a 1.8 percent dip from last year but less steep than the 2.6 percent decline during the first year of the pandemic.
• Charter school enrollment also is down for the first time since at least 2014.
• Kindergarten enrollment is up, though nowhere near pre-pandemic levels.
• And 9,000 more students are enrolled in private schools, a 1.7 percent increase, but that doesn’t explain much of the exodus from public schools.
Richard Barrera, a board trustee at San Diego Unified, the state’s second largest district, said families were moving out of the district, especially those in gentrifying areas, resulting in disproportionate losses for schools in those neighborhoods. Then workers started to lose jobs in 2020, and more families had to relocate.
Photo: Students in an AP English Literature + Composition class at Nevada Union High School in Grass Valley on March 1, 2022. (Photo by Salgu Wissmath for CalMatters)
Dole advances on goal of 100 percent electric cargo
handling equipment at San Diego port terminal
Dole Food Company announced a $1.5 million electrification project at its West Coast port operation in San Diego. Theproject has funded five new electric utility tractor rigs (UTRS) to add to Dole’s growing electric fleet of container transfer trucks.
These new terminal UTRs—adding to two existing electric vehicles currently in operation at the facility—are funded in part via the Clean Off-Road Equipment Voucher Incentive Project (CORE) administered by the California Air Resources Board. CORE is intended to accelerate deployment of advanced technology in the off-road sector by providing a streamlined way for fleets to access funding that helps offset the incremental costs of such technology.
Dole will retire four diesel-powered UTRs with these new battery electric units, resulting in a substantial emission reduction.
With these changes, Dole now affirms 35 percent of its port transfer UTRs are electric, well on its way to meet the company goal to be 100 percent electrified in its UTR fleet by 2030.
Illumina launches state-of-the-art
Solution Center in São Paulo, Brazil
San Diego-based Illumina Inc., a global leader in DNA sequencing and array-based technologies, announced the launch of its new state-of-the-art Solution Center in São Paulo, Brazil. The choice to bring the facility to Brazil reflects an increasing demand for and interest in clinical genomics, as well as Illumina’s longstanding commitment to expanding global access to genomics in Latin America.
“Illumina has operated in Brazil for over 10 years and we’re excited to facilitate deeper engagement with our customers and partners in the region,” said Susan Tousi, chief commercial officer at Illumina. “Through our Solution Center, we aim to better understand their needs and partner with them to help expand access to genomic testing and data with the aim to improve patient outcomes.”
In addition, to help combat the pandemic in Brazil, Illumina partnered with the Ministry of Health to build a comprehensive public health network for tracking the spread of the virus. Throughout Brazil, 26 laboratories out of 28 use Illumina’s sequencing systems.
San Diego Mesa College to hold grand
opening for new campus Quadrangle
Mesa College on Thursday will hold the grand opening of its new campus Quadrangle, designed to serve as the physical “heart” of the college providing a main thoroughfare through campus. The project was funded by the San Diego Community College District’s $1.555 billion Propositions S and N construction bond program and is the final bond project for Mesa College. The ceremony is at 10 a.m.
“We envision this as the bustling center for the Mesa campus, with the focus on creating a sense of belonging for all students and providing them easy access to adjacent campus resources, such as The Stand — our basic needs resource center — along with other vital student support centers,” said Mesa College President Pamela T. Luster.
To make room for the Quad, the outdated “I” and “J” buildings were demolished, creating a wide clearing in the center of the campus. The design includes several strategically placed walkways to help students navigate the campus. It also has an outdoor stage area to hold campus events, such as the traditional Welcome Week, job fairs, financial aid fairs, and pep rallies.
Western Rim Construction was the general contractor for the project. Project manager was J.E. Moore Consulting. Architect: OJB Landscape Architecture. Project partners: Arias Mechanical Corp., Dynalectric Co., Merz Construction, Randall Lamb Associates.
Governor’s gas rebate would stymie state’s climate goals
Newsom should be speeding up the transition to zero-emission
technologies, not padding the coffers of profit-rich oil companies
by Brandon Dawson, director of Sierra Club California
Gov. Gavin Newsom announced a gas rebate proposal last month to tackle California’s high gas prices. Under the proposal, all vehicle owners with cars registered in the state would receive a $400 debit card mailed directly to their homes, with those owning multiple cars receiving $800. If adopted, this proposal would disproportionately benefit wealthy Californians.
To help ameliorate some of the economywide impacts of inflation, the Newsom administration instead should take the broader approach outlined by Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon and Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkins: Use the state’s budget surplus to provide Californians with an across-the-board rebate for relief from all rising costs, not just gas.
California has some of the highest gas prices in the country, and working-class citizens across the state are dealing with the effects of record-breaking inflation. As our economy recovers from the pandemic, California still has the second-highest unemployment rate in the nation. It’s not controversial to say that many Californians are struggling, and the government should step in to help.
However, singling out a fossil fuel to frame a tax rebate is unnecessary and in contradiction to California’s — and the governor’s — climate goals
Robert Winkler joins Kratos as VP of corporate
development and national security programs
Kratos Defense & Security Solutions Inc. announced that Robert Winkler, former professional staff member for the U.S. Senate Committee on Armed Services and staff-lead for the Air Land Subcommittee, has joined Kratos as vice resident of corporate development and national security programs.
In this role, Winkler will focus on developing strategies for aligning Kratos’ development efforts with U.S. Department of Defense (DoD), congressional, and Executive Branch priorities, as well as communicating the value of Kratos’ low-cost, high-performance technology, solutions, and breakthroughs to national defense and governmental leaders.
Winkler has more than 25 years of military and legislative experience. In his most recent position with the Senate Committee on Armed Services, Winkler was responsible for oversight of all U.S. Air Force and U.S. Army programs, as well as DoD space activities.
SoCalGas awards second $525,000
grant to California Restaurant Foundation
SoCalGas, a subsidiary of San Diego-based Sempra, announced a second $525,000 donation to the California Restaurant Foundation’s (CRF) Restaurants Care Resilience Fund. Last year, SoCalGas co-founded the fund to help small businesses recovering from the Covid-19 pandemic and was also a leading donor, committing $525,000 in 2021. Qualifying restaurants throughout SoCalGas’ service area are encouraged to apply for a $3,000 grant starting April 15. These grants aim to support equipment upgrades, employee retention, and deferred maintenance, allowing small restaurants to recover after nearly two years of incurring debt, losses, and shouldering rising costs.
The Restaurants Care Resilience Fund will award nearly $1.5 million in grants to small businesses in 2022. Last year, 318 restaurants statewide received grants.
Royal Netherlands Air Force takes delivery
of 3 RPAs 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.
“We are excited to receive our aircraft and start operating with them straightaway. 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.
The delivery of the first three of four MQ-9As, their Ground Control Stations (GCS), and support equipment is part of a USAF Foreign Military Sale to the RNLAF.
Skaggs Graduate School earns top 10 ranking
The Skaggs Graduate School of Chemical and Biological Sciences at Scripps Research is again ranked among the top 10 graduate programs in the nation according to a recent survey by U.S. News & World Report. Since first climbing into the top 10 ranks in 1999, the Skaggs Graduate School has continually maintained its position among the nation’s elite graduate programs.
According to the survey, which was released March 29, 2022, the school’s chemistry program ranks sixth in the nation and the biological sciences program ranks ninth, up one notch from the last ranking. “These high rankings reflect the outstanding reputation of the students, staff, faculty and alumni of the Skaggs Graduate School with leaders at our peer institutes throughout the country,” says Phil Dawson, dean of graduate and postdoctoral studies at Scripps Research.
Grossmont College Literary Arts Festival returns April 25
The 26th annual Grossmont College Literary Arts Festival returns April 25 for a week of virtual events featuring acclaimed authors and poets from around the nation who will read their work, teach their craft, and discuss sources of their inspiration.
“The Literary Arts Festival from Grossmont College’s Creative Writing Program is the leading festival of its kind in the region, and we are proud to bring together so many distinguished writers to discuss their craft and share their work with our students and the entire community,” said festival and Creative Writing Program Co-coordinator Adam Deutsch.
All events are open and free to the public. Biographies of the writers, as well as workshop descriptions, bibliographies and registration links are available at https://tinyurl.com/5n74panb.
