Your Daily Business Report: Tuesday, Sept. 27, 2022
Big change for big rigs:
California unveils mandate to phase out diesel trucks
By Nadia Lopez | CalMatters
In Summary: In another worldwide first, California would require new trucks to be zero-emissions in 2040. Large companies would gradually convert fleets. Truckers worry about the costs and practicality of electric trucks.
New big rigs and other trucks will have to be zero-emissions in 2040 — ending their decades-long reliance on high-polluting diesel — under a proposed regulation unveiled by the California Air Resources Board.
Under the proposal, manufacturers couldn’t sell new medium-duty and heavy-duty trucks fueled by diesel or gasoline that operate in California, instead turning to electric models. In addition, large trucking companies would have to gradually convert their existing fleets to zero-emission vehicles, buying more over time until all are zero emissions by 2042.
In another worldwide first, California aims to amp up its efforts to end the use of fossil fuels by setting requirements for clean-burning big rigs, garbage trucks, delivery trucks and other large trucks. Transportation is California’s largest contributor to climate-warming greenhouse gases as well as smog and other air pollutants.
Chris Shimoda, a senior vice president at the California Trucking Association, which represents truck drivers, said zero-emission truck technology has great possibilities, but truckers worry about “the practical unknowns,” such as the high cost of the trucks, a lack of charging stations and the limited range of the vehicles.
“We’re flying blind into some pretty major questions about the practicality of actually implementing this rule,” Shimoda said.
Top Photo: Shipments of cargo leave the Port of Oakland on July 25, 2022. California is scaling up efforts to ban diesel trucks and phase in zero-emission trucks. (Photo by Martin do Nascimento, CalMatters)
City of San Diego secures hotel for
non-congregate shelter for seniors
The City of San Diego has taken possession of a 34-room hotel on Pacific Highway that will be transformed into a non-congregate shelter for seniors experiencing homelessness.
“We are using every tool at our disposal to connect unsheltered San Diegans to housing, shelter and supportive services, and today, we are focused on vulnerable seniors in our community,” said Mayor Todd. ”Soon we will begin welcoming dozens of seniors into this new shelter that provide private rooms, intensive case management and a path to a permanent home.”
The city is leasing the hotel through June 2023, with two one-year renewal options. The city’s Homelessness Strategies and Solutions Department will administer the contract.
“The city continues to add shelter and take critical steps to address homelessness,” said Councilmember Stephen Whitburn, who represents District 3, where the facility is located. “We need to keep adding shelter and housing as quickly as we can, because more people are becoming homeless due to the high cost of housing. San Diego is a wonderful home and we are working to make sure there’s a home for all of us.”
MiraCosta College groundbreaking event
Oct. 1 for Chemistry and Biotechnology Building
MiraCosta College will hold groundbreaking ceremonies Oct. 17 (10:30 a.m.) for a new Chemistry and Biotechnology Building on its Oceanside campus. The new building will provide a state-of-the-art facility with chemistry and biochemistry labs and two 40-seat flexible classrooms. MiraCosta College, 1 Bernard Drive, Oceanside.
As the district’s biotechnology program expands, the building will provide needed space for growth and is a major component of the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) quad and plaza. The $46.9 million project is scheduled to be completed in summer 2024 and is funded through MiraCosta’s capital improvement program using funds from Measure MM.
The new Chemistry and Biotechnology Building is a design-build partnership between HED and C.W. Driver, comprising 23,000 square feet of new, state-of-the-art STEM instructional space for 21st century learning.
Herbert Siguenza named 2022 SDSU
Arts Alive Artist in Residence
By Elizabeth Allison
Arts Alive SDSU has announced actor, playwright, director, visual artist, and producer Herbert Siguenza as its Artist in Residence for the 2022-2023 academic year.
Siguenza is a founding member of the performance group Culture Clash, along with Richard Montoya and Ric Salinas. Culture Clash is the most produced Latino theater troupe in the United States. He is also a visual artist and has exhibited both nationally and internationally. He has a BFA in printmaking from the California College of Arts, Oakland, California.
His film and television credits include performance on the Cartoon Network, the film Larry Crowne, and Pixar’s 2017 Oscar-winning animation feature, Coco. Siguenza recently concluded a Residency at the San Diego Rep as their Playwright in Residence and wrote and performed critically acclaimed plays like A Weekend with Pablo Picasso, Manifest Destinitis, and the Narco comedy Bad Hombres/Good Wives.
Now in its third year, the Artist in Residence program has an established history of inviting the entire campus community to participate in the creative process.
Viasat delivers 22 ka-band gateways to India
As with so many things, COVID presented a unique challenge to Viasat’s Antenna Systems division and its push to fulfill orders for its customers in India.
Despite that, Viasat was able to deliver and install 22 new Ka-band gateways over a 30-month period, helping India with its ongoing commitment to connect people in the less-served areas of the country.
The 9.1-meter antennas are used in three different programs with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), operating on GSAT-11, GSAT-20, and GSAT-29 satellites. Viasat’s customer was Larsen & Toubro (L&T), the prime system integrator for the programs, and the ISRO procured the equipment for the Indian Government Telecom Service (Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited, or BSNL).
L & T is an Indian multinational engaged in EPC Projects, Hi-Tech Manufacturing and Services. It operates in over 50 countries worldwide. A strong, customer–focused approach and the constant quest for top-class quality have enabled L&T to attain and sustain leadership in its major lines of business for eight decades
General Atomics creates Additive Design
and Manufacturing Center of Excellence
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc. (GA-ASI), a leader in the design and manufacture of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS), radars, and electro-optic and related mission systems solutions, has established a new Center of Excellence for its Additive Design and Manufacturing (AD&M). The center is focused on rapid-reaction manufacturing of GA-ASI’s line of UAS using fully functional and flight-ready Additive Manufacturing (AM) applications, research and development, large-scale tooling, and next-generation flight hardware.
Over the past decade, GA-ASI has invested in the onboarding of Additive Manufacturing (AM) technologies, as well as leading the formation and rapid growth of a dedicated AM department five years ago.
Illumina Genomics Forum sold out
Illumina Inc. announced that its inaugural Illumina Genomics Forum, being held in San Diego from Sept. 28 through Oct. 1, is sold out. To accommodate additional interest, on Thursday, Sept. 29, Illumina will host its Innovation Roadmap session, featuring Illumina CEO Francis deSouza and Chief Technology Officer Alex Aravanis, via livestream from 9 to 10 a.m. You can join by registering here.
The larger four-day forum will feature over 70 speakers and panelists, spanning leaders from translational and clinical research, government institutes, academia, hospital leadership, clinicians, payers, and patient advocacy. This speaker lineup includes former President Barack Obama, Bill Gates, 23andMe co-founder and CEO Anne Wojcicki, tennis legend and cancer survivor Chris Evert, and American Cancer Society CEO Karen Knudsen, among other visionary leaders in health care and genomics.
For more information on the event, visit illuminagenomicsforum.com.
Study says drivers will need to charge their vehicles
during the day to avoid overtaxing the power grid
A study published in the scientific journal Nature Energy found that more California drivers will need to charge their vehicles during the day — when more solar energy is available — to avoid overtaxing the power grid. And charging demand is only going to go up: Not only has California banned the sale of new gas-powered cars by 2035, but air regulators have moved to phase out diesel medum- and heavy-duty trucks by 2040.
SkySafe announces fifth competitive
contract from U.S. military ally in Asia
SkySafe, an airspace security and management technology company in San Diego, has once again been selected as the preferred vendor for counter-drone technology by a major U.S. military ally in Asia. This is the fifth competitive contract win in the region for SkySafe.
“We’re proud to continue to be seen as a leader in counter-drone technology by our military allies,” said SkySafe Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Grant Jordan. “SkySafe’s systems have proven to be trusted solutions for protecting the men and women who serve in our allied forces in Asia.”
SkySafe has been testing and deploying counter drone capabilities to domestic and foreign military customers since 2015. SkySafe offers comprehensive defense against the threat of drones by applying advanced radio frequency (RF) technology, reverse engineering, and deep threat analysis.
GoFormz named the No. 1 mobile
forms automation software
San Diego-based GoFormz, a leading mobile forms and data capture platform, has been awarded the highest recognition and awards in the mobile forms automation category on G2. The world’s leading peer-to-peer software review site, G2, awards quarterly awards based on customer feedback. GoFormz was not only recognized for the second straight quarter as the No. 1 mid-market mobile forms automation software, but also named as the top overall mobile forms solution and earned the highest customer satisfaction score.
GoFormz customers use the award winning digital forms platform to fill out forms on phones, tablets, and desktop computers. They digitize existing forms and documents to create interactive forms to collect, centralize, and move data more quickly and efficiently. GoFormz allows teams to enter information within digital forms that look exactly like their existing paper documents, and instantly submit completed forms from their mobile devices. Similarly, customers can fill out digital forms online, or send links to forms for people to fill out.
Brenda Van Vreeswyk appointed head
of human resources for Janux Therapeutics
Janux Therapeutics Inc., a San Diego biopharmaceutical company developing a broad pipeline of novel immunotherapies has appointed Brenda Van Vreeswyk as head of human resources. Van Vreeswyk brings extensive HR leadership and operations expertise across the life sciences industry, including biopharma, diagnostics, and medical device companies, and most recently served as director, HR for Neurocrine Biosciences.
Van Vreeswyk’s contributions in HR include recruitment of science, clinical and commercial talent, developing leadership training programs, and employee engagement initiatives. At Neurocrine, she was responsible for developing and implementing talent capability strategies for its commercial, clinical, and supply chain teams. She also served as a member of Neurocrine’s HR Executive Team which guided the HR strategy supporting the expansion of Neurocrine to a leading commercial biopharma company.
AlivaMab Discovery Services reappoints
Dr. Larry Green as chief executive officer
San Diego-based AlivaMab Discovery Services, a leader in the discovery of superior antibody-based therapeutics, announced that Larry Green has reassumed the role of chief executive officer, effective immediately. He assumes the role from Justin Mika. Green, who brings over 30 years’ experience in antibody drug discovery and development, is the founding CEO of ADS and has served as executive chair since May 2020. He continues in his role as CEO of Ablexis LLC.
“Dr. Green has extensive experience in building and using antibody drug discovery systems, which was a key factor in Deerfield’s investment in AlivaMab Discovery Services,” said Cameron Wheeler, partner at Deerfield Management and member of the board of directors of ADS. “He rejoins the ADS leadership team to help continue advancing the company’s culture of partnership and innovation.”
Pete Dorsey joins LPL Financial
as executive vice president
LPL Financial LLC announced that Pete Dorsey has joined the firm as executive vice president, institution services. Dorsey will provide strategic leadership to the team responsible for LPL’s bank, credit union and enterprise clients, while working to deepen and strengthen these clients’ personal interactions and experiences with LPL. He started with LPL on Sept. 21, reporting to Matt Enyedi, managing director of national sales and marketing.
Dorsey joins LPL from Altruist, where he served as chief strategy and revenue officer since February 2021. He brings more than two decades of experience in the institutional business, holding leadership positions in sales, practice management and operations as a managing director at TD Ameritrade and as vice president at Fidelity Investments.
Dorsey succeeds Shawn Mihal, who joined the firm with the Waddell & Reed acquisition in early 2021.
