Daily Business Report: Tuesday, July 26, 2022
When employers steal wages from workers
By Alejandro Lazo, Jeanne Kuang, Lil Kalish, Agness Lee and Erica Yee | Cal Matters
Some of the lowest wage workers are getting their livelihoods stolen by their own employers.
Employers deny workers overtime premiums, ask them to work “off the clock” or take their tips.
In California, workers lost nearly $2 billion from not being paid the minimum wage in 2015, according to the Economic Policy Institute, a left-leaning think tank.
Most often the victims of wage theft are women, immigrants and people of color, researchers say; many work in restaurants, construction, hotels, car washes, garment businesses, farms, warehouses, and nail salons. These workers are among those who bore the brunt of job losses during the pandemic and have the most ground to make up.
For years, California’s lawmakers have tried solving the wage theft problem by strengthening labor laws. Most workers who file wage theft claims wait months or years before getting a resolution; only a fraction who prevail get repaid lost wages.
Usually no one goes to jail for the theft.
Last year California made most wage theft a criminal offense. It also did away with the garment industry’s system of paying workers by the piece instead of by the hour. Now lawmakers are considering creating a statewide council to set wage and work conditions for the fast food industry.
How big is the problem of wage theft?
Wait times: How long does it take to get back stolen wages in California?
Who is impacted most by wage theft?
What does wage theft cost a typical worker’s family?
California’s history of trying to tackle wage theft
Top Illustration by Miguel Gutierrez Jr., CalMatters; iStock
San Diego moves forward with ban on polystyrene foam products
The City of San Diego is one step closer to implementing a ban on the use of polystyrene foam products and single use plastics following the completion of an environmental impact report. Officially referred to as the Polystyrene Foam and Single Use Plastics Ordinance, it is designed to reduce the number of plastics entering San Diego’s environment and waterways.
In line with the City’s Climate Action Plan, the ordinance will prohibit the sale and distribution of food service ware and food trays made in whole or in part from polystyrene foam. This includes bowls, plates, trays, cups, lids and other similar items designed for one-time use for prepared foods, including containers for dine-in, takeout food and leftovers. In addition to food containers, the ordinance will include egg cartons, coolers, pool toys and other polystyrene foam items that are difficult to recycle.
The ordinance would also require customers to request single use plastics, such as utensils or straws, instead of receiving them with every food order, thereby reducing unnecessary distribution.
The City Council will vote on the ordinance this fall.
FCC cracks down on vehicle warranty robocalls
By Kelly Hill | RCRWireless
The ten most dreaded words in the English language: “We are trying to reach you about your vehicle warranty.” But the Federal Communications Commission says it has identified the people behind more than 8 billion of those auto warranty scam calls in the past several years and has ordered communications service providers to stop carrying their call traffic.
“Now that U.S. voice service providers know the individuals and entities associated with this scheme, the Enforcement Bureau will closely monitor voice service providers’ compliance with this order and take appropriate enforcement action as necessary,” said Acting FCC
Enforcement Bureau Chief Loyaan Egal.
The FCC identified Roy Cox, Jr. of Tustin, CA, Aaron Michael Jones of Orange County, CA; their Sumco Panama and related entities; and around a dozen domestic and international associates in California, Texas, Panama and Hungary, as being responsible for more than 8 billion spam robocalls about vehicle warranties since at least 2018. The robocall operation “purchased nearly 500,000 numbers from at least 229 area codes in November and December 2020 apparently to make the calls appear to consumers as if they were originating locally,” the FCC said in its enforcement order.
Scripps professor awarded Tetrahedron Prize
for Creativity in Organic Synthesis
Scripps Research Professor Chi-Huey Wong has been awarded the 2022 Tetrahedron Prize for Creativity in Organic Synthesis for his pioneering work in glycoscience—or, more familiarly, the study of complex sugars and their role in physiology and disease biology.
Established in 1980, the Tetrahedron Prize is granted each year to a chemist who has made significant original contributions to the organic, biological or medicinal chemistry field.
The prize includes a gold medal, certificate and $15,000 award.
Wong is among a list of additional renowned chemists and groundbreaking scientists who have received the Tetrahedron Prize—including Scripps Research President and CEO Peter Schultz, PhD (2019); Professor Dale Boger, PhD (2020); and Professor K. Barry Sharpless, PhD (1993).
SDG&E to unveil region’s first electric
school bus vehicle-to-grid project
Regional leaders will join San Diego Gas & Electric this morning to unveil an innovative pilot project at Cajon Valley Union School District that allows electricity to flow from eight electric school buses to the regional grid and from the grid to the batteries onboard the buses. As part of this vehicle-to-grid (V2G) project, the first-of-its kind in Southern California, SDG&E installed 60 kW bi-directional DC fast chargers with software technology developed by San Diego-based company Nuvve.
V2G technology works by allowing batteries onboard electric buses to soak up excess renewable energy during the day when it is abundant, then discharge it back to the grid during peak hours or other periods of high demand, such as on hot summer days when the grid is stressed. The pilot will help ease strain on the grid, reduce local tail pipe emissions, and potentially help the school district reduce energy costs. Speakers will discuss the importance of innovations like V2G in helping the region meet climate and clean air goals, as well as create jobs. The Cajon Valley Union School District pilot is one of several SDG&E initiatives designed explore new technology as the company and state seek to reach carbon neutrality by 2045 while also bolstering grid reliability.
Photographer’s donated collection helps
preserve history of the region
By Brian Hiro
The message was drilled into him like a mantra by the first photography instructor he learned from: Negatives are the most important asset you’ll ever own as a photographer. Keep them. Safeguard them. Never throw them away.
Dan Rios was new to the craft as a nontraditional student at San Diego City College in the late 1960s, but he could recognize a valuable lesson when he heard it. The words of that teacher, Bill Dendle, followed Rios when he began his career as a newspaper photographer with the Escondido Times-Advocate in 1968. They stuck with him when that newspaper attempted to dispose of its collection of photo negatives in the ’70s and Rios rescued them from the scrap heap.
The words continued to resonate as Rios amassed dozens and dozens of boxes full of negatives over the decades and stored them in his increasingly overburdened garage. And they echoed in his mind long after he retired in 2001 and had to decide what to do with the enormous collection.
Thanks to the wisdom of Dendle, the diligence of Rios and the help of some history-loving friends, Rios’ life’s work as a photojournalist now belongs to the Cal State San Marcos library in perpetuity. Donated in 2018, the Dan Rios Papers, as the library’s Special Collections department has coined it, consists of an estimated one million images that were originally stashed in more than 40,000 envelopes and almost 200 boxes.
Guild Mortgage to evaluate payment history
in place of traditional credit reports for home loans
San Diego-based Guild Mortgage has introduced Complete Rate, a new program that provides a more inclusive path to homeownership based on residual income analysis and rent payment history.
Guild’s Complete Rate program, powered by FormFree, offers an alternative method to measure credit risk for borrowers. Those with no credit score or credit history can opt-in to the program for a free assessment. If the borrowers’ FormFree report shows consistent rent payment history and good residual income history, the borrowers may qualify to receive a lower interest rate, lower fees, or both.
Evofem Biosciences unveils new
educational birth control chart
Evofem Biosciences Inc., a San Diego company, announced it has developed a new educational birth control chart that provides high-level information about the different options available to women in the United States.
“Contraceptive counseling is one of the most important aspects of a health care provider’s job. It empowers women who do not wish to become pregnant to choose a method of birth control that aligns with their needs,” said Dr. Bassem Maximos, head of Maximos Ob/Gyn in League City, Texas. “Choosing the right birth control method should be an informed one and this chart recognizes the latest innovations in contraception.”
The new educational chart presents an overview of twelve birth control methods that are currently available in the U.S. It adds new categories including vaginal Ph modulator. It is intended to replace the long-outdated chart which is still in use at many OB/GYN offices.
Mayor opens new women’s shelter Downtown
San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria officially opened the City of San Diego’s newest shelter, a temporary home that will serve up to 40 women with an emphasis on those with serious medical conditions who do not require or qualify for recuperative care but who need a safe place to recover.
The shelter, called Rachel’s Promise, is a collaborative effort between the city’s Homelessness Strategies and Solutions Department (HSSD) and the San Diego Housing Commission. It is operated under contract with the Housing Commission by the Catholic Charities Diocese of San Diego. The shelter will offer housing navigation assistance, meals, laundry facilities, showers, mail and telephone services and clothing.
ACE launches Size Inclusive Training Academy
The San Diego-based American Council on Exercise (ACE) and the Size Inclusive Training Academy launched a new continuing education course, the Size Inclusive Fitness Specialist. This new course prepares exercise professionals to equip larger bodied individuals to make healthy lifestyle changes with a weight neutral mentality. This course is part of ACE’s larger effort to build a more inclusive fitness industry.
“ACE is proud to partner with the Size Inclusive Training Academy to better serve individuals who have larger bodies,” said Cedric X. Bryant, ACE president and chief science officer. “Ensuring that exercise professionals apply a weight neutral mentality in working with this population creates a more welcoming environment for the client and a more inclusive space in the fitness industry.”
According to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, using evidence-based methods, the Size Inclusive Fitness Specialist Program provides strategies to create a size-inclusive fitness approach that lowers barriers to increased physical activity.
Ezoic announces ‘Content Month’ with lineup of experts
Ezoic, the AI-driven technology platform for digital publishers, will present Content Month beginning Aug. 1 at 10 a.m. The month-long event will feature new products and advice from industry insiders on how to grow audiences, enhance user experience with quality content, better monetize websites, and attract key advertisers.
Throughout the month, Ezoic will also provide a first look at its new platform tools for digital publishers. Each product enhancement represents features and services most widely requested by publishers and the ecosystem at large.
“Site owners and content creators know their businesses hinge on building an audience. The prerequisite for growing an audience is understanding and developing high-quality content. Throughout August we’ll be sharing unprecedented resources to help publishers—many of which are available whether they use Ezoic or not—and inviting experts who have grown large audiences to weigh-in on where they see things headed,” says Ezoic CMO Tyler Bishop.
Applied Data Finance builds out management team
Applied Data Finance, a leading technology-enabled lender and asset manager, announced that financial services executives Sumeet Wadhera and Jeff Andrews have joined the company’s management team as chief capital officer and chief growth officer, respectively.
Wadhera and Andrews report to ADF President Jimmy Cannon, who previously held executive roles at Capital One and JP Morgan Chase. “ADF’s cutting-edge platform is positioned to meet the borrowing needs of millions of consumers across the credit spectrum,” Cannon said. “Sumeet and Jeff bring a wealth of industry knowledge and extensive relationships that will allow us to deliver on our incredible potential.”
