Daily Business Report: Thursday, Sept. 8, 2022
Your guide to sports betting and everything
else to know about gambling in California
By Grace Gedye | CalMatters
In California, you can bet on a horse race, buy a lottery ticket, put money on poker in a card room and play slots at a tribal casino all in the same – potentially expensive – day.
Nevada, right next door, is undoubtedly the national capital of all things gambling. But after Nevada, California has the most slot machines of any state – one measure of the state’s betting industry.
The gambling industry, like many, took a hit during the pandemic. Nationally, commercial gaming revenue after winnings shrank by more than 25% between 2019 and 2020. Then, in 2021, it came roaring back – even faster than the rest of the economy – and brought in more money than any previous year. Tribal casinos also had a record breaking year in 2021.
During this year’s November election, Californians will decide whether they want to expand gambling further and allow sports betting. A pitched battle between gaming companies, tribes, card rooms, and others has broken campaign cash records and has landed two separate initiatives to legalize sports betting on the ballot.
Click here for what you need to know about gambling in California
Top Photo: Visitors play the slot machines at the Valley View Casino & Hotel in San Diego County on July 1, 2019. (Photo by Nelvin C. Cepeda, San Diego Union-Tribune/TNS via REUTERS)
City of Chula Vista and SDSU set to build
film and television production studio
By SDSU News Team
The City of Chula Vista is preparing to break ground on an $89 million, 168,000-square-foot Cinematic Arts Academic Center & Library project, which will be home to San Diego State University’s new, state-of-the-art Television, Film and New Media Studios (TFNMS). The partnership will educate a new generation of aspiring film students from Chula Vista, Southern California, and the world – realizing the shared vision of developing a multi-institutional university and innovation district in Chula Vista.
The cutting-edge facility will include the city’s first new library built since 1995, and it will fulfill a 19-year deficit of library space, as well as additional space that will be needed to accommodate population growth. The multi-use library will serve a larger vision of public, education and industry use. The building will be the first of its kind in San Diego County and is planned to include three new soundstages, a digital screening theater and additional amenities to support cinematic innovation and excellence.
“I am thrilled to announce our plans to begin construction thanks to amazing multi-agency partnerships. We are grateful for Senator Pro Tem Toni Atkins and Assemblymember David Alvarez for securing the funding to launch the Chula Vista university and library development,” said Chula Vista Mayor Mary Casillas Salas. “After decades of planning, we are ready to break ground with an SDSU program that will advance our vision for a 21st century university in the South Bay.”
Mission Driven Finance partners with the Council
for Supplier Diversity to fund small businesses
Mission Driven Finance and the Council for Supplier Diversity have partnered to provide local diverse-owned small businesses access to flexible funding to help them grow and compete for municipal and corporate contracts.
Mission Driven Finance intends to disperse up to $10 million to minority-owned and other diverse-owned small businesses in San Diego County and Imperial County as part of its Advance Strategy, a fund formed to create economic opportunities in underrepresented communities.
There is a high-impact market opportunity as government agencies and corporations award procurement contracts to diverse small businesses. Through the partnership with the Council for Supplier Diversity, the Subcontractor Financing Program will provide the capital these companies need for expansion and delivery on such contracts. The check size for each qualified diverse-owned small business ranges from $100K to $500K.
Math-Computer science student
named to Hacking Top 50 list
By Kiran Kumar and Katherine Connor
UC San Diego math-computer science student Faris Ashai was recently featured in 2022’s Major League Hacking (MLH) Top 50, a list recognizing the top new computer scientists and hackers.
MLH compiles this list each year, highlighting the hackathon community’s most inspiring members and recognizing their contributions to the tech ecosystem and STEM education. Hackathons are software, small hardware or app development sprints for computer programmers, often happening over the span of a weekend; not the hacking into sensitive cyber domains that may come to mind.
Ashai was recognized for creating new opportunities to help make the hackathon community more inclusive and accessible. As an organizer and director of TritonHacks, a 30-hour hackathon for high school students hosted annually at UC San Diego, Ashai provided industry mentors for each participant, regardless of skill level, and equipped beginner participants with highly effective starter kits.
Emergency Alert tests scheduled in San Diego County
The County Office of Emergency Services and the City of Chula Vista will be testing the Wireless Emergency Alert system next week. Wireless Emergency Alerts are a critical tool used to alert communities during an emergency or disaster. The Wireless Emergency Alert system is used to send text messages to cell phones in a specific area. The messages are sent to your mobile phone or other mobile device when you may be in harm’s way.
The City of Chula Vista will conduct a test of the Wireless Emergency Alert system Monday, Sept 12, at 3 p.m. and the text alert will be sent to phones near the Chula Vista Police Department located at 315 4th Ave., Chula Vista.
The San Diego County Office of Emergency Services will conduct a test of the Wireless Emergency Alert system Tuesday, Sept. 13, at 3 p.m., near Julian.
The test message will go to all cell phones set up to receive “Public Safety Alerts” on their devices. To see if you will receive alerts on your phone, check the Notifications folder on your device.
General Atomics awarded contract for French navy
General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems (GA-EMS) has been awarded a contract by US Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) to continue development and evaluation of tailored configurations of the Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS) and Advanced Arresting Gear (AAG) as a potential foreign military sale to the French Navy for their next generation aircraft carrier, Porte-Avions Nouvelle Génération.
Under previous contract awards over the past two years, GA-EMS participated in carrier studies to investigate the feasibility of implementing EMALS and AAG for the future French carrier design. In December 2021, the U.S. State Department announced it approved a possible Foreign Military Sale for a two EMALS and three AAG configuration to France.
PointsBet names former Chargers
quarterback Ryan Leaf to its talent roster
PointsBet, a corporate bookmaker, has named former quarterback and football analyst Ryan Leaf as the newest addition to its talent roster. Leaf, who joined ESPN in 2019 as a college football analyst and is a regular contributor on SportsCenter and College Football Live, will be hosting “The Straight Line with Ryan Leaf,” which will be broadcasted four times a week with NFL editions on Monday, Thursday, and Friday and a College Football edition on Wednesday.
“The Straight Line with Ryan Leaf” will premiere on Thursday, Sept. 8 and feature the biggest NFL and College Football storylines with wagering analysis targeting spreads, totals, player props, futures, and more.
Leaf was selected No. 2 overall in the 1998 NFL Draft by the San Diego Chargers and spent only four years in the league.
The former quarterback’s accolades while playing at Washington State included Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Year (1997), First Team All-American, Sammy Baugh Quarterback of the Year, and Heisman Trophy finalist.
FINN Partners acquires San Diego’s
Rachel Kay Public Relations
Global independent marketing and communications firm FINN Partners has acquired Rachel Kay Public Relations (RKPR), a 19-person, bicoastal boutique agency headquartered in San Diego and specializing in strategic, integrated communications for food and beverage brands.
Rachel Kay, founder and CEO, will join FINN’s West Coast team as managing partner reporting to Howard Solomon and become part of the agency’s Global Consumer Practice leadership team.
The addition of RKPR will also enhance FINN Partners’ West Coast operations, expanding the firm’s staff to 165 people spread across offices in Seattle, Portland, Vancouver, Washington, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Orange County, and now San Diego.
Systems Planning and Analysis
acquires ORCA division of Metron
Systems Planning and Analysis (SPA) Inc., a provider of strategic advisory services, has acquired the Operations Research and Cyber Analysis (ORCA) division of Metron. In addition to operations research, ORCA specializes in systems engineering and digital engineering processes for the US Navy and other important national security clients.
SPA will continue to run ORCA as a division based in San Diego, led by Jeff Monroe, Coni Ratonel, and Matt Norton, longtime ORCA management teammates.
The ORCA Division will be part of SPA’s Naval, Nuclear, and Critical Infrastructure sector, led by Vice Admiral (Ret.) Terry Benedict.
Cognician partners with NTT DATA to activate workplace
cybersecurity readiness and risk management
Cognician, the platform for activating behavior change, announce that it is partnering with digital business and IT services leader NTTDATA to boost its workforce readiness and risk management offerings. The collaboration will enable NTT DATA to enhance its delivery of practical and scalable solutions to mitigate the negative impact on information security caused by human error.
“We continually strive to guide our users with powerful models that help improve security risks across their organization. Our collaboration with NTT DATA will allow us to significantly improve security behaviors,” said Barry Kayton, co-founder of Cognician. “NTT DATA has a great reputation for helping clients navigate and simplify the modern complexities of business and technology. We are looking forward to working together to help drive digital transformation to make businesses safer and more resilient to hostile threats.”
MedCrypt Inc. names James Pentecost as its new
senior director of product security services
MedCrypt Inc., proactive cybersecurity solution provider for medical devices, announced the addition of James Pentecost as its new senior director of product security services. With over 10 years of security-based experience, Pentecost’s primary focus will be to provide strategic guidance and support to medical device manufacturers (MDMs) in evolving their security practices, delivering documentation for regulatory submissions, implementing product security risk management and threat modeling, and solving specific security challenges by using MedCrypt’s offerings.
Prior to joining MedCrypt, Pentecost was the director of global product security at Beckman Coulter Diagnostics, a medical equipment manufacturing company. Before that, he was the director of information security architecture at BD, one of the largest global medical technologies in the world. He has worked across various industries leading cybersecurity programs and served as a leader in product security, developing internal policies and procedures for several large medical device manufacturers.
ProtoStar Group introduces soloists at Conrad
Prebys Performing Arts Center on Oct. 14
ProtoStar Group is introducing a collaboration of two renowned concert pianists to the San Diego audience at the Conrad Prebys Performing Arts Center in La Jolla on Oct. 14 at 8 p.m. The program is called “Hollywoodland.”
Konstantin Soukhovetski and Jacopo Giacopuzzi, both accomplished soloists, recently formed Solo Due to collaborate on classical and contemporary piano works for four hands and two pianos. Performing in the Baker-Baum Concert Hall, the duo will play original music, award-winning film scores, and beloved melodies from Queen to Rachmaninoff. Their delivery will be modern and theatrical, combining the best of classical tradition with a touch of Hollywood.
To purchase tickets, visit La Jolla Music Society’s website at: https://theconrad.org/events/hollywoodland/.
ChargeNet Station names Erica Dahl as head of public policy
ChargeNet Stations, an electric vehicle (EV) fast-charging station development and software company, has hired Erica Dahl as its new head of public policy. Dahl is a forward-thinking, influential legislative expert with vast experience in regulatory compliance and government relations. She joins the leadership team as ChargeNet Stations opens its first ultra-fast, solar-powered EV charging station in a quick-serve restaurant parking lot next month.
In addition to her policy leadership at Vivint Solar, Dahl led government relations at the Austin, Texas-based software company findhelp, reporting directly to the CEO, and, prior to that spent 16 years in government relations in the health care and banking industries. She earned a master’s degree in public policy from Georgetown University.
