Daily Business Report: Friday, March 24, 2023
Two transformative campus projects
at UC San Diego get the green light
By Leslie Sepuka
The University of California Board of Regents approved two key campus projects during the March meeting, Triton Center, a new integrated central hub for student support, and Ridge Walk North Living and Learning Neighborhood, which will provide instructional space and apartment style below-market undergraduate student housing. Construction on both projects is anticipated to start this summer.
Triton Center, anticipated to open in 2026, is dedicated to expanded and centralized support for students at the heart of the UC San Diego campus. The Student Health, Mental Health and Well-Being Building will consolidate and expand access to health, mental health and well-being resources.
The Ridge Walk North Living and Learning Neighborhood is the last of three new housing neighborhoods in three successive years planned to open by 2025, adding 5,700 beds to the UC San Diego campus. When the project opens in the fall of 2025, Ridge Walk North Living and Learning Neighborhood will accommodate 2,400 undergraduate students.
Top Photo: Rendering of Triton Center, designed to create an integrated, energetic central hub for UC San Diego. (Credit LMN Architects); bottom: Ridge Walk North Living and Learning Neighborhood rendering. (Credit Hensel Phelps/HMC/EYRC)
San Diego launches Life Science Industry Pilot Program
The City of San Diego has launched a new Life Science Industry Pilot Program that aims to revitalize and expand the life science industry in the city. The program, which is overseen by the Development Services Department, is designed to speed up the building permit process by facilitating project set-up, review inspection and occupancy for new and existing life science projects within the city.
“San Diego is already home to more than 1,100 biotech companies,” said Mayor Todd Gloria. “The Life Science Industry Pilot Program hopes to increase that number by providing the life science industry with all the necessary tools to help our city continue to be at the center of scientific research and development, which will ultimately improve our region’s economy and quality of life.”
Eligible projects include, but are not limited to, tenant improvements for identified life science industry businesses and new buildings for identified life science industry businesses.
Participation in the pilot program is limited to ensure all projects get the attention they deserve. The Development Services Department’s project managers are assigned to each qualified project, and plan reviewers with specific knowledge of life industry processes will be assigned to these projects.
To find out more about the program and whether your project idea qualifies for submission, please visit the City’s website. Those interested in submitting new projects are invited to book an appointment to meet virtually with a development project manager.
California workers can’t get timely hearing
on wage theft claims. State orders audit
By Alejandro Lazo and Jeanne Kuang | CalMatters
California’s independent state auditor will investigate the understaffed California Labor Commissioner’s Office over its persistent backlogs in workers’ wage theft claims, issues highlighted in a series of articles last year by CalMatters.
The audit would start Sept. 1 — that is if budget hearings before then don’t first address the agency’s problems to the satisfaction of lawmakers who approved the investigation.
The Joint Legislative Audit Committee on Wednesday called for the audit over the objections of some of the state’s biggest labor unions, who argued the probe was unnecessary.
Labor Commissioner Lilia García-Brower on Wednesday also pushed back against an audit, testifying that her office already is undertaking multiple reforms to address her agency’s backlogs.
Ricky Smiles reappointed to Employment Training Panel
Ricky Smiles, of Vista, has been reappointed to the Employment Training Panel by Gov. Gavin Newsom. He has served on the panel since 2018. Smiles has been a field representative at the Southern California District Council of Laborers since 2018. He was a field representative for Laborers Local 89 from 2010 to 2018. He was intake supervisor for Stone and Webster from 2005 to 2010. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Smiles is a Democrat.
Wearable microscopes advance spinal cord imaging in mice
Salk scientists invent wearable microscopes to produce real-time images of mouse spinal cord activity across previously inaccessible regions
The spinal cord acts as a messenger, carrying signals between the brain and body to regulate everything from breathing to movement. While the spinal cord is known to play an essential role in relaying pain signals, technology has limited scientists’ understanding of how this process occurs on a cellular level. Now, Salk scientists have created wearable microscopes to enable unprecedented insight into the signaling patterns that occur within the spinal cords of mice.
These technological advancements, detailed in two papers published in Nature Communications on March 21, 2023, and Nature Biotechnology on March 6, 2023, will help researchers better understand the neural basis of sensations and movement in healthy and disease contexts, such as chronic pain, itch, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), or multiple sclerosis (MS).
Ting expands into new markets
in Carlsbad and Mesa, Ariz.
CARLSBAD — Ting, a division of Tucows, announced it is expanding into new markets with digital infrastructure partner, Ubiquity. Together, Ting and Ubiquity will bring fast, reliable fiber internet to Carlsbad, and Mesa, Ariz. The work is an extension of the partnership between Ting and Ubiquity that began in the Solana Beach and Encinitas markets of Southern California in 2019. Ubiquity’s experience in the construction and asset management of digital infrastructure networks will accelerate Ting’s deployment of next-generation fiber internet to both the Carlsbad and Mesa municipalities.
Sunfish partners with Ivy Fertility
SAN DIEGO — Sunfish, a fintech company founded last year, aims to make fertility treatments more accessible and has recently designed a new product to help reduce the cost of In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) and Egg Freezing so patients can pay over time. Ivy Fertility,
a leading network of IVF clinics with 21 locations nationwide, announced that it has partnered with Sunfish Solutions as its premier financing partner.
Joe Stella earns the Certified Exit
Planning Advisor designation
SAN DIEGO — Presidio Capital Management announced that Joe Stella has earned the Certified Exit Planning Advisor (CEPA) designation. The CEPA designation is the most highly regarded exit planning credential today and is universally accepted and endorsed by various national organizations. Advisors with CEPA recognitions are specially trained in crafting exit strategies for business owners from small to midsize companies.
Everi to introduce mobile games
solution at Indian Gaming tradeshow
SAN DIEGO — Everi Holdings Inc., a premier provider of land-based and digital casino gaming content and products, financial technology, and player loyalty solutions, will debut Vi, a revolutionary, all-in-one, on-property mobile gaming solution, at the Indian Gaming Tradeshow and Convention March 27-30 at the San Diego Convention Center. The new Vi mobile technology combines Everi Digital games, CashClub Wallet, and the company’s Mobile technology to extend the gaming experience for players beyond the casino floor, within the allowable gaming footprint.
Club Kokomo Spirits partners with Speakeasy Co.
SAN DIEGO — New premium cocktail and spirits company Club Kokomo Spirits and Speakeasy Co. announced a distribution partnership, making the California-born brand immediately available to consumers across 34 states. Partnering with Speakeasy Co., the leading eCommerce solutions brand for the spirits industry, is a significant moment of growth for Club Kokomo Spirits. Club Kokomo is a spirited endeavor by Mike Love, co-founder of The Beach Boys, inspired by the legendary music group’s hit song “Kokomo,” co-written by Love, and his favorite cocktail, the mojito.
CV Sciences receives formal notice
of patent issuance from Japan Patent Office
SAN DIEGO — CV Sciences Inc., a consumer wellness company specializing in hemp extracts and other proven, science-backed, natural ingredients and products, has received its formal Certificate of Grant from the Japan Patent Office (JPO) for its patent application 7216697. The patent covers methods of treating smokeless tobacco addiction by administering pharmaceutical formulations containing CBD and nicotine. CV Sciences has also filed corresponding patent applications that provide similar patent protection in additional key markets, with patents already granted in the United States, Canada, Australia, Germany, Great Britain, France, Spain, Netherlands, and Italy.
Vividion Therapeutics promotes
Matt Patricelli to chief scientific officer
SAN DIEGO — Vividion Therapeutics Inc., a biopharmaceutical company and an independently operated subsidiary of Bayer AG, announced that Matt Patricelli has been promoted to chief scientific officer. Patricelli joined Vividion in 2016 and was a member of the company’s senior management team. Previously at Vividion, Patricelli was SVP of early discovery sciences and led all early drug discovery efforts including target selection and validation, as well as the initial early development of Vividion’s chemical proteomics platform.
Team Sanford Burnham Prebys
raises funds for cancer research
Team Sanford Burnham Prebys hit the pavement this weekend for Padres Pedal the Cause, an annual fundraising event that invites participants to cycle, spin, run or walk to support local cancer research. The funds raised through each year’s race go to seed grants that fund collaborative cancer research projects in San Diego. To date, team Sanford Burnham Prebys has raised more than $300,000 through Padres Pedal the Cause since its inception in 2013.. The fundraising deadline for this year’s Padre’s Pedal the Cause is April 18, and 100 percent of every dollar raised goes toward lifesaving cancer research.
General Atomics selected
to build Off-Board Sensing Station
SAN DIEGO— General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc. (GA-ASI) will manufacture and perform demonstration flights of the Air Force Research Laboratory’s (AFRL) unmanned Off-Board Sensing Station (OBSS) aircraft. Following a 12-month base period that culminated in a critical design review, AFRL exercised a build and flight test option.
