Daily Business Report: Tuesday, Oct. 11, 2022
Election 2022
What you need to know about voter fraud in California
By Sameea Kamal | CalMatters
You’re hearing a lot more about election integrity — for a lot of reasons.
Since the 2020 election, the issue has been fueled by the “Big Lie” — the baseless claim still touted by former President Donald Trump and his allies that the election was stolen — and the Jan. 6 storming of the U.S. Capitol and its aftermath.
Questioning election integrity has also become a political strategy: In the effort last year to recall Gov. Gavin Newsom, Republican candidate Larry Elder said he was concerned about fraud and started a website to collect tips even before the votes were counted.
While experts agree that there is no widespread voter fraud and California Secretary of State Shirley Weber told CalMatters there is no evidence of frequent instances, there have been scattered attempts to cheat. In 2020, for example, the California Republican Party admitted placing more than 50 fake ballot drop boxes in Los Angeles, Fresno and Orange counties. In August 2021, during the recall election, a 34-year-old man stole 300 ballots from a Postal Service vehicle in Torrance as part of a bank fraud and identity theft scheme. The ballots, which were unopened, were canceled and new ones sent to the voters.
There are a number of checks and balances to ensure no one can game the system. The Secretary of State’s office and the 58 county election offices say they are working to reassure voters that voting systems are secure.
“I think you have to stay concerned because if you ever get to the point where you’re not concerned and you’re not looking at everything and you’re not listening to everything, then that’s when you end up with a number of problems,” said Weber, who took over as the state’s chief election officer in January 2021.
Kim Alexander, president of the nonpartisan California Voter Foundation, said the state has one of the most secure voting processes in the country.
“There’s a big difference between what you might imagine could happen and what actually does happen,” she said. “I’m certainly not hoping that voters will just blindly follow whatever their elections officials say. That’s not how democracy works. But election officials bend over backwards to make the process as transparent and accessible as possible.”
Top Photo: Alicia Little, an election services specialist, tests the logic and accuracy of an accessible voting machine called ICX at the Contra Costa County Elections Department on Sept. 30, 2022. (Photo by Michaela Vatcheva for CalMatters)
What happened after the city cracked down on homeless camps
By Lisa Halverstadt | Voice of San Diego
Four months ago, Mayor Todd Gloria announced that the city had ratcheted up enforcement to try to tamp down growing homeless camps.
“We’re not going to be a city that’s content with leaving people to live on our streets, our sidewalks and our riverbeds and our canyons,” Gloria said at a June press conference. “Doing so is far less compassionate than the dangers that they face and the unsanitary conditions that pervade and the challenges that it presents to the overall public health and safety of San Diego.”
Since that press conference, our Lisa Halverstadt has traced the impact of enforcement that in June surged to levels it hadn’t in any single month since the start of the pandemic.
In the months since, enforcement ramped down and some areas the city focused on were once again lined with tents, frustrating residents and business owners who cheered the reprieve following the city crackdown.
For some homeless residents, the effect of the enforcement was more enduring. Some disappeared, losing touch with service providers trying to help them move off the street. Others relocated to more challenging conditions only to encounter police again. Some also moved into shelter, as the mayor hoped though exactly how many were prodded to do so by enforcement is unclear.
Meet Young Eco-Hero — Jessica Ong
Jessica Ong, a 16 year-old from San Diego, is one of sixteen young environmental activists from across the globe to receive a 2022 International Young Eco-Hero Award from Action For Nature. This award honors eco-conscious youth ages 8 to 16 who are taking crucial steps to solve tough environmental problems.
Jessica won Third Place in the 13-16 year-old category for her project, “Toys2Care.”
Jessica Ong learned at a young age about the extreme amounts of waste produced by developed countries when she moved to the United States from Thailand at the age of 7. She was shocked to see people cutting the crusts off their bread and throwing away dirty clothes. “In Thailand, we would use bread crusts to make a dessert or turn the clothes into rags to clean things. The concept of throwing things away was foreign to me.”
When Jessica found out that 80 percent of usable toys end up in landfills after only six months of use, she wanted to do something to prevent the needless waste. She decided to start preserving the planet one toy at a time while also providing some cheer to children in need. “When I heard about children not getting toys, it did not make sense to me that children had to go without when so much was being thrown away. We have resources, we have the kids who need it, we just needed something to connect them.”
In December 2020, Jessica founded (T2C), which relocates toys from privileged communities that are able and willing to give toys and gifts to those that need them.
By collecting toys that neighbors and friends throughout the community were going to throw away, T2C serves thousands of families living in San Diego who are unable to provide gifts for their children during birthdays and holidays. By setting up toy giveaways in areas where there’s a very high rate of poverty, T2C has been able to effectively turn trash into treasure through simple redistribution.
Through the help of social media platforms such as Nextdoor and Instagram, Toys2Care has now grown to include over 40 teen ambassadors across several countries, seeking to continue this grassroots movement in their own communities by collecting and distributing locally. With branches in Thailand, Indonesia, Australia, Brazil, Hong Kong, Japan, England, Canada, and the United States, Jessica’s global movement has provided over 10,000 children with holiday gifts.
Jessica also designed an app called ReachOut which connects youth organizations looking for help with teens looking to expand their experiences, providing all teens with opportunities to serve, lead, and grow. In the future, she hopes to become a physician and to continue her work to bridge the gap between people who are separated from society and including them.
“We as humans have this instinct to help other people. We can’t ever forget that we only have each other.”
San Diego’s ZMicro and Brelyon team up
to develop ultra realty military displays
Brelyon, the MIT spin-off pioneering a new category of ultra-immersive display technology, and San Diego-based ZMicro announced a strategic partnership under which the companies will jointly develop Brelyon’s Ultra Reality rugged displays for deployed military markets. ZMicro will be the exclusive supplier of Brelyon’s technology in rugged markets.
“Brelyon’s Ultra RealityT technology is unlike anything we’ve seen,” said Jason Wade, president of ZMicro. “It has the potential to enable an entirely new way of computing and human-computer interface. By bringing depth and panorama to conventional displays, Brelyon is able to provide large-format and immersive visualization solutions in a small form factor. This is something that can bring huge benefits to military end-users.”
Engineers study how to make repairs in space
By Melinda Sevilla
You’re halfway through the 71 million mile flight between Earth and Mars when all of a sudden the “check engine” light comes on. A piece of your spacecraft broke and you need to repair it or manufacture a new part to continue on with your journey. But how do you repair it in the middle of outer space? In research supported by NASA, San Diego State University mechanical engineers Eugene Olevsky, Elisa Torresani and Randall German are studying how to manufacture and repair materials outside of earthly gravity conditions and ensure that when this zero gravity scenario happens in the future, we’ll be equipped with the best tools and processes.
New technology cracks fundamental challenge in neuroscience
By Emerson Dameron
A new study by researchers at the University of California San Diego demonstrates a new neurotechnology geared toward answering a long-running question in neuroscience: How can scientists link the separate activity of many single neurons in the brain to the waves and oscillations of the local broader network?
The study introduces E-Cannula, a new technology that enables simultaneous electrical recording and optical imaging of hundreds of neurons on a 2D plane in the brains of mice. It represents a long-awaited neuroscience breakthrough that enables the study of population-level neuronal dynamics such as brain waves, rhythms, and oscillations, along with single neuron activity for a large population of neurons from the same brain region.
Bluestar Genomics receives CAP accreditation
Bluestar Genomics Inc., an early cancer detection company leading the development and commercialization of next-generation liquid biopsy tests focused on non-invasive detection of high-mortality cancers in high-risk patient populations, announced it received accreditation for its clinical laboratory from the College of American Pathologists (CAP). The certification enables the company to serve physicians and patients globally as it works towards broad commercialization of its first test for the detection of pancreatic cancer.
General Atomics announces Gray Eagle 25M
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems,Inc. (GA-ASI) has launched its latest variant of the Gray Eagle line of Unmanned Aircraft Systems: Gray Eagle 25M. The GE-25M brings a Modular Open Systems Approach (MOSA) to the Multi-Domain Operations-capable system to ensure incremental enhancements can be made at the speed of emerging threats.The “M” in 25M stands for Modernized and incorporates open architecture aircraft and ground systems, advanced datalinks, and an upgraded propulsion system, significantly enhancing the ability to add new capabilities, provide resilience to electronic threats, and deliver expeditionary employment to austere locations.
CRN confers Triple Crown Award on EVOTEK
San Diego-based EVOTEK, a premier enabler of digital business, announced that CRN, a brand of The Channel Company, has named EVOTEK as a 2022 Triple Crown Award winner. The Triple Crown Award is reserved for those select few companies that earn a spot on all three of CRN’s prestigious solution provider award lists in the same calendar year.
“EVOTEK is in its 8th year as a company and our team continues to reach new heights,” said Cesar Enciso, CEO and founder. “We hold ourselves to high standards for our partners and customers and I am excited to see what the future holds for our amazing organization.”
Heritage Global Partner to conduct public
foreclosure sale of Forward Foods assets
Heritage Global Partners of San Diego, a worldwide leader in asset advisory and auction services, and a subsidiary of Heritage Global Inc, announced that it will be conducting a public foreclosure sale of assets owned by Forward Foods LLC. All assets will be offered as a single package and sold to the highest bidder in one lot. The auction sale will be held telephonically on Oct. 25. Interested parties can view the complete listing of all assets for sale and learn how to qualify as a bidder by reviewing the info on HGP’s website, also found here: https://www.hgpauction.com/auctions/113532/forwardfoods/.
IconOVir Bio appoints Julia Maltzman as chief medical officer
IconOVir Bio Inc., a preclinical-stage biotechnology company pioneering the next generation of oncolytic virus therapy to improve the treatment of patients with cancer, announced the appointment of Julia (Julie) Maltzman, M.D., as its chief medical officer. Maltzman brings over three decades of experience as a distinguished medical oncologist with deep scientific and clinical knowledge of drug development in the oncology space and significant leadership experience overseeing all aspects of clinical, medical and regulatory affairs. At IconOVir, Maltzman will lead all activities associated with the clinical development of the IconOVir’s emerging OV-based therapeutic pipeline, including clinical development, clinical operations, medical affairs and pharmacovigilance activities.
Neil Clendeninn joins Toragen as chief medical officer
Toragen Inc., a San Diego-based biotechnology company, announced that Neil Clendeninn, M.D,. joined as chief medical officer. Clendeninn has worked for over 20 years in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry and has an established track record of successful drug development. Most recently Clendeninn served as the senior vice president and chief medical officer of Heron Therapeutic in San Diego, where he established the clinical departments including Medical Affairs, Clinical Operations, Clinical Research and Biostatistics. He was instrumental in gaining the approval of SUSTOL, a long-acting granisetron formulation for chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting.
