Daily Business Report: Thursday, April 27, 2023
California poised to ban new diesel trucks
Trucking companies say the deadlines for converting big rigs, delivery trucks and other heavy vehicles are unachievable
and would cause “chaos and dysfunction” of California’s economy.
By Nadia Lopez | CalMatters
California’s trucking industry is bracing for state regulators this week to enact unprecedented rules that would ban sales of new diesel big rigs by 2036 and convert large companies’ existing trucks to zero emissions by 2042.
“The amount of chaos and dysfunction that is going to be created by this rule will be like nothing we’ve ever seen before,” said Chris Shimoda, senior vice president of the California Trucking Association, an industry trade group. “The likelihood that it is going to fail pretty spectacularly is very high. It’s very unfortunate.”
The state Air Resources Board will hold a public hearing on its proposed regulation on Thursday, then is expected to vote on Friday.
The proposal aims to clean up noxious diesel exhaust and greenhouse gases spewed by big rigs, garbage trucks, delivery trucks and other large vehicles by converting them to models powered by electricity or hydrogen.
Trucking companies and local government officials call the deadlines in the rule unachievable. They say the new technology still has major drawbacks, including the high cost of electric trucks and their low vehicle range
A fleet of Tesla trucks on display at PepsiCo Beverages North America’s Sacramento facility on April 11, 2023. The company hosted an event to celebrate the arrival of 18 electric big rigs. (Photo by Miguel Gutierrez Jr., CalMatters)
Illumina to taper annual spending
by $100 million; Q1 revenues fall 11percent
Illumina said after the close of the market on Tuesday that it is planning to trim more than $100 million from its annual expenses over the next several years in an effort to improve its margins. The spending cuts come as the firm’s management is under fire from activist investor Carl Icahn, who has suggested that buying and operating Grail has been a drain on llumina’s core business.
“These cost savings will accelerate progress toward higher margins as well as free up capital to increase investment in high-growth areas,” the firm said in a statement. “The company will continue to prioritize and invest in initiatives that generate highly differentiated products that are valued by Illumina’s customers.”
The announcement accompanied the release of the firm’s first quarter financial results, which saw an 11 percent decrease, year over year, in total revenues for the San Diego-based genomics technology firm.
City Council votes to approve strict
new eviction protections for renters
By Chris Jennewein | Times of San Diego
After hearing from over 100 speakers, the San Diego City Council voted 8-1 late Tuesday to approved a draft ordinance giving renters more protection from no-fault evictions. Backed by Mayor Todd Gloria and Council President Sean Elo-Rivera, the measure would protect renters from eviction as long as they continue payments and otherwise comply with their lease. The protections would begin on the first day of a lease.
The council approved the draft ordinance with several amendments, with only Councilmember Jen Campbell voting against the measure. The ordinance is scheduled for a second vote on May 16 before it can receive final approval.
Army National Guard gets congressional funding
to buy 12 new drones from General Atomics
The Army National Guard has received fiscal year 2023 congressional funding for 12 new Gray Eagle 25M unmanned aircraft systems from General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc. The funding comesafter Army National Guard States, which make up 45 percent of the U.S. Army’s combat divisions, requested GE-25Ms to make ARNG Divisions Multi-Domain Operations capable, deployable, and better able to team with newly formed Division Artillery Brigades. They will also be available tosupport domestic missions, such as homeland defense and disaster response, as needed.
California Wild Ales brewery to present
May the 4th Star Wars-themed celebration
California Wild Ales is gearing up for its annual May the 4th Star Wars-themed celebration. The brewery, known for its creative and innovative craft beers, will be hosting a day-long event on May the 4th, featuring a lineup of special Star Wars-inspired brews, including Darth Citrius, Chewboocha, Jabba the Hopp, and Juicy Jedi IPA.
Located in the heart of Ocean Beach, Wild Ales has become a staple in the San Diego craft beer scene. Co-founders Zack Brager and Bill DeWitt are known for their passion for both craft beer and Star Wars, and this event brings their two passions together in a galactic celebration.
California Wild Ales also announced plans to move its production facility to neighboring Point Loma, with the new location set to open this spring. The move will allow the brewery to increase its production.
Do worms get stressed? An expert answers
By Miles Martin
April is National Stress Awareness Month, so Assistant Professor Caroline Kumsta talks about how she uses worms to study the cellular stress responses that occur with aging.
Nematodes are very good for aging research because they have a short life span—only a few weeks—so we can measure the effects of aging within a reasonable amount of time.
Another reason why we like these worms is because we can measure stress responses in more than individual cells.
Calsense named Small Business of the Year
CARLSBAD — Smart irrigation industry pioneer Calsense has been named Small Business of the Year in the Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce’s 2023 Carlsbad Business Achievement & Distinction (CBAD) Awards. The award winners were announced at a gala luncheon at The Westin Carlsbad Resort & Spa on Monday, April 24. For almost four decades, Calsense has helped create a sustainable future by developing water resource management tools and strategies, directly incorporating input from its customers. The CBAD Small Business of the Year Award is for companies with 100 employees or less.
SDSU highlighted in new rankings
SAN DIEGO — San Diego State University’s rehabilitation counseling program is No. 3 in the nation in new rankings of the best graduate schools by U.S. News & World Report, which also placed SDSU’s College of Education and its health care management degree among five “top 50” programs. The College of Education is ranked No. 49, its highest position ever and three slots higher than last year, in the publication’s 2023-24 Best Graduate Schools, released April 25. Its educational administration program was No. 26, matching last year’s ranking.
Oncolytics Biotech to give oral talk at American
Society of Clinical Oncology annual meeting
SAN DIEGO — Oncolytics Biotech Inc. announced the acceptance of an abstract for an oral presentation at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) annual meeting, which is taking place from June 2 – 6, 2023 in Chicago and online. Oncolytics is a biotechnology company developing pelareorep, an intravenously delivered immunotherapeutic agent. This compound induces anti-cancer immune responses and promotes an inflamed tumor phenotype — turning “cold” tumors “hot” —through innate and adaptive immune responses to treat a variety of cancers.
Women’s Public Leadership Network
announces new board chair
SAN DIEGO — Women’s Public Leadership Network (WPLN)—a nonpartisan, nonprofit that educates, organizes and inspires women to seek public office — announced Joel Noyes as the new chair of the board at their second annual National Summit in San Diego. Noyes is the director of Government and external affairs for Hess Corporation. He serves as the lead for legislative initiatives at both the federal and state levels, and also manages corporate social responsibility activities for the company’s U.S. operational assets.
San Diego Metropolitan Transit System
selects bp pulse for its electric bus fleet
SAN DIEGO — The San Diego Metropolican Transit System has selected bp pulse to manage its growing electric bus fleet through it charge management software Omega. MTS has committed to transitioning its bus fleet from compressed natural gas to 100 percent zero tailpipe emission bus by 2040. The program will begin at the South Bay facility, where bp pulse will deploy Omega charge management on 36 chargers, with plans to scale operations to three additional locations over the next five years.
Enlyte releases Part 1 of annual Pharmacy
Solutions Drug Trends Report
SAN DIEGO — Efforts to curtail overprescribing of opioids are seemingly having a positive impact in workers’ comp, while increases in costly topical and migraine medications are driving pharmacy spend. These are some of the major findings in part 1 of Enlyte’s 2023 Annual Pharmacy Solutions Drug Trends Report. The goal of the full report, which will be issued in four segments over the next several months, is to provide an overall picture of drug utilization and cost trends in workers’ comp to equip industry professionals with useful insights for pharmacy management. To access part 1 of Enlyte’s drug trends report, click here.
CyberCatch enters partnership
with Canadian SME Magazine
SAN DIEGO — CyberCatch Holdings Inc., an innovative cybersecurity company offering an AI-enabled platform solution for continuous compliance and cyber risk mitigation, announces a partnership with Canadian SME Magazine, Canada’s leading publication for small and medium enterprises. Under the partnership, Canadian SME Magazine will market CyberCatch’s Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) solution to the publication’s 30,000 SME subscribers and to the rest of Canada’s 1.2 million SMEs.
North Island Credit Union awards 10
scholarships to college-bound students
SAN DIEGO — North Island Credit Union has awarded 10 scholarships of $1,000 each to college-bound students in San Diego and Riverside Counties in its annual College Scholarship Program. Through the program, North Island Credit Union recognizes exceptional students who are active in both their schools and the communities, giving back to others through service and volunteer work. The credit union’s scholarship program was created in 2005 to recognize outstanding students within its local communities.
Wrike announces expansion
of its Work Intelligence solution
SAN DIEGO — Wrike, a work management platform and pioneer in Artificial Intelligence (AI) for the collaborative work management industry, announced a planned expansion of its
Work Intelligence solution that includes new advancements in AI. Since 2017, Wrike has invested in leveraging AI, ML, and automation to develop intelligent capabilities that automate work so teams are free to be more creative, productive, and outcomes-oriented.
Wrike was first-to-market with smart AI-powered features designed for any work environment.
DermTech signs contract with New York health plan
SAN DIEGO — DermTech Inc., a leader in precision dermatology enabled by a non-invasive skin genomics platform, announced an agreement with a physician-founded, member-focused and community-based not-for-profit health plan in New York. The contract, which is in addition to a favorable coverage policy that became effective April 15, 2023, enhances access to the foundational assay of the DermTech Melanoma Test (DMT) for the approximately 400,000 members of this plan. The DMT is an innovative, non-invasive way to enhance melanoma detection with a greater than 99 percent negative predictive value (NPV).
