Daily Business Report: Friday, May 26, 2023
Encinitas State Sen. Catherine Blakespear
opens legal fund over Facebook feud
By Alexei Koseff | CalMatters
A first-term state senator is raising money from interest groups to fight ongoing litigation related to complaints that she blocked critics on social media in her previous job as a mayor.
Sen. Catherine Blakespear, an Encinitas Democrat who was elected to the Senate in November, opened the legal defense fund at the end of January and has raised $17,500 so far, in addition to receiving legal assistance from the California Democratic Party, according to campaign finance records.
Blakespear appears to be the only legislator with an active legal defense fund. The contributions include $12,000 from the Southwest Regional Council of Carpenters and $5,500 from the Pechanga Band of Indians, both of which lobby at the state Capitol.
Blakespear declined to discuss the case in depth because it is still active, but she defended using her legislative position to fundraise for her legal bills.The case stretches back more than a year, to April 2022, when a group of Encinitas residents who had written critical comments about then-Mayor Blakespear demanded that she unblock them from her Facebook page, according to The Coast News Group, a local news outlet in North County.
Top Photo: State Sen. Catherine Blakespear, an Encinitas Democrat. (Illustration by Miguel Gutierrez Jr.)
37-story mixed-use development reaches
topping out phase in Downtown San Diego
Holland Partner Group, North America Sekisui House and Lowe have reached the topping out phase in the development of West, a $400 million, 37-story mixed-use project located at 1011 Union Street in Downtown San Diego. As the first multi-mixed-use tower in the city, the project will feature 280,000 square feet of office space, 19,000 square feet of retail space and 431 luxury apartments.
Natilus partners with ZeroAvia to jointly
develop hydrogen-electric UAV engines
Natilus, a San Diego company designing and developing autonomous, blended-wing body cargo aircraft, and ZeroAvia, a leader in zero-emission commercial aviation, have partnered to jointly develop hydrogen-electric engines for the Natilus Kona cargo aircraft. ZeroAvia’s ZA600 will be the sole hydrogen-electric propultion source offered for the new Kona short-haul feeder UAV, with the partnership focused on delivering zero-emission and lower cost operations.
ZeroAvia, based in Hollister, Calif., has demonstrated a prototype of the ZA600 with world-first flight testing of a retrofitted 19-seat aircraft in flight. The company has twice held the record for demonstrating the largest hydrogen fuel cell aircraft.
Self-driving truck outfit cutting 151
jobs at San Diego headquarters
Self-driving semi-truck outfit TuSimple Holdings has disclosed more details about plans to reduce its workforce by 30 percent —including that it will eliminate 151 jobs in San Diego. Last week, TuSimple said it would reduce its global headcount by 300 positions as it attempts to become leaner amid a tough economic environment, falling stock price and the possible delisting of its shares from the Nasdaq exchange.
TuSimple is headquartered in San Diego. It also has operations in Texas and Arizona, as well as Europe and China.
Weekend treat: The North Park Music Fest
The 2nd annual North Park Music Fest will take place Saturday and Sunday at the neighborhood’s North Park Mini Park and surrounding streets.
The all-ages festival has three performance stages with 40 musical acts overall, featuring a variety of genres including indie, pop rock, hip hop, world music, blues, spoken word, and DJs. General admission is $45 both days. A two-day general admission pass is $60 and the price includes a commemorative festival mug, as well as entrance to Friday’s preview night. Tickets are available now at www.northparkmusicfest.org.
The musical lineups, which run from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. on May 27 and 11a.m. to 9 p.m. on May 28, was curated by San Diego Music Foundation President Dang Nguyen. Musical acts scheduled to perform on Saturday include Mr. Tube and the Flying Objects, Kate Clover, and Wild Wild Wets. Sunday’s scheduled acts include El Ten Eleven, Mattson 2, and Well Well Well.
The music, arts, and food festival is produced by the volunteer-based nonprofit organization North Park Main Street, which is both a business improvement district established by the City of San Diego and a Main Street program affiliated with the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
Father Joe’s Villages to announce two
more affordable housing developments
SAN DIEGO — Father Joe’s Villages on May 30 will announce two more communities as part of its broader Turning the Key initiative to provide 2,000 affordable housing units to people experiencing homelessness in San Diego. The 10 a.m. announcement will shed light on two new developments: one community located at the intersection of 17th Street and Commercial Street (known as C17) and another at 16th Street and Island Ave.
Port partners with KIGT Inc. to complete
installation of EV charging stations
SAN DIEGO — The Port of San Diego has partnered with KIGT Inc., a minority-owned, manufacturer and services provider of electric vehicle (EV) charging stations, to install 10 public EV charging stations in the San Diego Convention Center parking garage. The recent addition of the EV charging stations brings the total amount of stations along the San Diego Bay waterfront to 62, of which 36 are public and 26 are Port staff parking stalls. The charging stations include a data sharing platform that will allow Port staff to monitor equipment usage.
Crowe PR expands hospitality roster
SAN DIEGO — Crowe PR, a national public relations and digital marketing agency, announced the addition of both Lopesan Costa Bávaro, Spa & Casino and The Eliza Jane to the firm’s hospitality roster. The announcement of Lopesan Costa Bávaro expands Crowe PR’s presence and client support to the Caribbean, while The Eliza Jane strengthens Crowe PR’s rapidly growing presence in the southeastern United States.
Credit union’s Free Shed Day April 1 saved 337 trees
SAN DIEGO — San Diego County Credit Union’s latest Free Shred Day Event, held at three locations on April 1, resulting in over 39,700 pounds of paper being collected and shredded. The credit union began hosting its free Shred Day events in 2007 and has since collected, shredded, and recycled more than 4.5 million pounds of documents at no charge, saving over 39,388 trees (roughly 120 pounds shredded represents one saved tree). The events have also saved the community roughly $505,495 in costs associated with shredding documents.
Infinium Spirits wins big at the 2023
San Francisco World Spirits Competition
SAN DIEGO — Infinium Spirits, a San Diego-based prmium spirits supplier, announced that its brands have won a collective of 10 medals at the 23rd annual San Francisco Spirits Competition. Infinium’s performance against entries from across the globe resulted in 6 Double Gold and 4 Gold Medals across the company’s Mezcal, Whiskey, Brandy, and Vodka. The family owned company was formed in 2005.
MG Properties acquires Artesia
Apartments in Everett, Wash.
SAN DIEGO — MG Properties, a privately held real estate investment company in San Diego, has acquired Artesia Apartments, a premier apartment community located in the Silver Lakeneighborhood of Everett, Wash., for a purchase price of $61.6 million. Financing was provided by Freddie Mac and arranged by Brian Eisendrath, Cameron Chalfant, Jake Vitta, and Tyler Johnson of Institutional Property Advisors.
Kern Medical chooses PrecisePK to provide
Bayesian precision dosing solutions
SAN DIEGO — PrecisePK welcomes Kern Medical as its latest institution to implement innovations in precision dosing for vancomycin and other antibiotics using the Bayesian AUC-based method. PrecisePK is leading health systems worldwide in transforming the way medications are dosed to fit patient-specific needs. This recent alliance with Kern Medical adds to the system-wide endeavor of accomplishing personalized and precision dosing with a modernized approach by leveraging technology.
Dr. Peter Staats joins Neuralace
Medical Advisory Board
SAN DIEGO — Neuralace Medical Inc., a medical technology company specializing in innovative non-invasive solutions for the treatment of chronic peripheral neuropathic pain, welcomes Dr. Peter Staats, chief medical officer at National Spine and Pain Centers, to the Neuralace Medical Advisory Board. Staats brings extensive expertise to the company and will collaborate with the advisory board and Neuralace Medical to contribute valuable insights and strategic guidance.
North Island Credit Union earns CDFI certification
SAN DIEGO — North Island Credit Union announced that it is the first credit union in San Diego County to receive certification as a Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) by the U.S. Treasury Department’s CDFI Fund. The CDFI certification is available only to organizations that have proven they provide financial services and products in communities that have historically lacked access to traditional banking services.
Trestle Biotherapeutics joins the
Wellcome Leap HOPE Program
SAN DIEGO — Trestle Biotherapeutics announced that it has joined the Wellcome Leap HOPE program. HOPE (Human, Organs, Physiology & Engineering) is a $50 million program focused on bioengineering complex human organs and immune system interactions. If successful, the HOPE program would demonstrate the capacity to produce tissue capable of restoring sufficient function to remove patients from dialysis and, eventually, produce immune-tolerant organs for transplantation.
