Daily Business Report: Monday, May 15, 2023
Visual Capitalist
The World’s Busiest Airports
By Avery Koop
Airports, with their slow-moving queues and bustling gates, can be some of the most crowded, stressful places in the world. Despite the negatives associated with commercial air travel, overall it’s an impressive system, with the biggest air transit hubs recording passenger traffic numbers that rival the populations of large countries.
Data from the Airports Council International (ACI) was used to rank the top 10 busiest airports in the world, looking at total passengers enplaned and deplaned, with passengers in transit counted once.
In 2022, worldwide passenger traffic came near to 7 billion, an increase of almost 54 percent from 2021, and a 74 percent recovery from pre-pandemic levels.
The Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) leads the top 10 busiest airports list, with 93,699,630 passengers in 2022 — a 24 percent increase over 2021.
Airports in Dallas, Denver, Chicago, Dubai, Los Angeles, Istanbul, London, New Delhi and Paris make up the rest of the top 10 list (see the infographic)
Home sales step back in April,
while median prices tick up again
After two months of a rise in home sales in San Diego County, buyers took a step back in April, according to the Greater San Diego Association of Realtors. Sales of previously owned single-family (detached) homes in April were 13 percent lower compared to March, and attached properties (condominiums and townhomes) were 11 percent lower.
A much more telling statistic is that compared to the same month last year, sales of single-family homes are down 40 percent, and for attached properties sales are 35 percent lower. Homes are selling at a much slower pace than a year ago, with escrows closing in the 30-day range.
The median price of detached homes ticked up in April to $952,600, an increase of 1 percent over March, but a nearly 5 percent fall from April of 2022 when single-family homes hit the $1 million mark for the first time in county history. Condo and townhome prices were virtually unchanged in April, although slightly higher month over month, settling at a median price of $640,000; that’s 3 percent lower than a year ago.
Most expensive property sold in April
The most expensive single-family property sold in April in San Diego County was an 8,900-square-foot Bird Rock property in La Jolla known as the ORA House. A contemporary and sustainable home built in 2022, it has 5 bedrooms, 5 full and 3 half bathrooms, a master suite with views from every angle, and a rooftop entertainment space. The property sold on April 26 for $22.5 million.
San Diego will be homeport for the future
destroyer USS Lenah Sutcliffe Higbee
The latest Navy ship to be homeported in San Diego — the Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer USS Lenah Sutcliffe Higbee — was scheduled to be commissioned over the weekend in Key West, Fla.
The ship’s namesake, Lenah Sutcliffe Higbee, served as the second Superintendent of the Navy Nurse Corps in 1911, and was also the first woman recipient of the Navy Cross. The ship will be the 72nd Arleigh Burke-class destroyer to be commissioned, with 17 additional ships currently under contract for the DDG 51 program.
The future USS Lenah Sutcliffe Higbee will be 509.5 feet long and 59 feet wide, with a displacement of 9,496 tons.
Is San Diego’s rooftop solar boom over?
San Diego is a mecca for rooftop solar, with some of the highest installation rates in the nation. And yet, many apartment buildings, warehouses and parking lots across the sun-soaked region lack photo-voltaic panels.
Meanwhile, pulling in renewable power from the desert and other far-flung locations has reached a choke point, with the $1.9 billion Sunrise Powerlink transmission line having effectively reached its capacity after just a decade in service.
San Diego County officials are now weighing how best to phase out fossil fuels by California’s target of 2045. The region has enough space within its borders, from rooftops to rural landscapes, to generate all the clean power it will need through mid-century, according to a recent report.
When pigs stand
High court backs California pigs proposition
CalMatters
Because of a U.S. Supreme Court ruling last week, California’s Proposition 12 can stand — which means the pigs can, too.
In 2018, California voters approved the ballot measure to ban the sale of meat and egg products from farms that did not raise their “veal calves, breeding pigs and egg-laying hens” in spaces that give them room enough to stand up and turn around. The proposition was supposed to go into effect in 2022, but two out-of-state organizations, the National Pork Producers Council and the American Farm Bureau Federation, sued to stop the measure.
The Supreme Court sided with California voters in a 5 to 4 ruling that didn’t follow the typical conservative-liberal split. In the majority opinion, Justice Neil Gorsuch wrote that rather than California regulating out-of-state businesses unconstitutionally, it is the businesses that are attempting to restrict a state’s ability to “regulate goods sold within their borders.” He was joined by Justices Amy Coney Barrett, Elena Kagan, Sonia Sotomayor and Clarence Thomas.
‘My Holiday Fairy’ CEO Kate Wharton, junior
at La Jolla High School, receives Tony Gwynn award
Kate Wharton, a junior at La Jolla High School who is the CEO and founder of “My Holiday Fairy,” was honored with the Padres’ Tony Gwynn Community All-Star Program Award and $5,000 at a pre-game ceremony at Petco Park during a home game on Saturday, May 6. Kate will be using the $5,000 awarded to her nonprofit organization to benefit children and families at the San Diego Rescue Mission,which provides meals, shelter, clothing, education and job-skills training for men, women, and single parents with children experiencing homelessness.
Through donor contributions raised since 2022, Kate and her team at “My Holiday Fairy” have brought “Twinkle Totes” filled with gifts and treats — such as toys, toiletries, and sweets, in addition to tickets to multiple excursions and experiences — to young people at the San Diego Rescue Mission to enjoy during Christmas, Easter, and Valentine’s Day celebrations.
The Tony Gwynn Community All-Star Program recognizes and honors San Diego’s youth who follow in Tony’s footsteps and support their local community. High school students ages 13-18 working in conjunction with a local nonprofit organization to support underserved segments of our community are encouraged to apply for this grant to support their efforts.
Four $5,000 grants will be awarded to local organizations in the name of the winners.
Access Trax wins $25,000
MetroConnect VI export grand prize
SAN DIEGO — World Trade Center San Diego named Access Trax, which provides ADA compliant portable access mats for outdoor accessibility, as the winner of the MetroConnect export accelerator program, now in its sixth year. Made possible by a grant from JPMorgan Chase & Co. and Procopio, the female-led small business will use the $25,000 award to expand its presence in markets such as Canada and Australia.
AimLoan.com San Diego Blues Festival
announced end after 12 years
SAN DIEGO — The Jacobs & Cushman San Diego Food Bank announced the end of the popular AimLoan.com San Diego Blues Festival after bringing together dozens of award-winning musical acts, blues lovers, volunteers, and Food Bank supporters to Embarcadero Marina Park North for the past 12 years. The family-friendly event benefited the Jacobs & Cushman San Diego Food Bank and its North County Food Bank chapter, but the combination of soaring inflation, supply-chain challenges, and skyrocketing overhead costs for event infrastructure and entertainment have forced organizers to announce the event’s closure.
Ocean Beach Pier Renewal Project
SAN DIEGO — The City of San Diego invites residents to attend the second community workshop on the Ocean Beach Pier Renewal Project. The workshop will cover guiding principles, as well as constraints and opportunities related to the Ocean Beach Pier on Saturday, June 10 from 2-4 p.m. at Liberty Station Conference Center 2600 Laning Road. Presentations will be given at 2 p.m. followed by self-paced interactive workshops.
Get update on Sports Arena redevelopment
SAN DIEGO — The public is invited to join the Midway Rising Sports Arena redevelopment team on Thursday, May 18, to learn more about its vision for redevelopment of the Sports Arena site. The event is from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the Neil Morgan Auditorium at San Diego Central Library, 330 Park Blvd. For more informastion, contact team@midwayrising.info.
Petco Park named best MLB ballpark by USA Today
SAN DIEGO — Petco Park, located in the heart of downtown, has been named the best MLB ballpark by USA Today in the 2023 version of their rankings. The ballparks were ranked on the factors of general atmosphere, design, location, amenities, food and character. “It’s really difficult to imagine any stadium topping Petco Park — it’s simply the best,” said USA Today writer Andrew Joseph. Petco Park opened in 2004, replacing Qualcomm Stadium as the Padres’ home ballpark.
Accessity receives $5.8 million
from Treasury Department
SAN DIEGO — San Diego nonprofit Accessity secured a $5.8 million grant from the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Community Development Financiasl Fund Equitable Recovery Program, representing its second largest grant received in California. With the support, Accessity will provide direct access to funds for minority-owned small businesses in Southern California and expand its services to include education, operational assistance, and training for small businesses.
San Diego craft brewers bring home 3 golds,
multiple medals from World Beer Cup
SAN DIEGO — San Diego craft breweries won 12 medals this week at the 2023 World Beer Cup, the international event known as “the Olympics of beer competitions.” Three brewers scored gold medals – AleSmith Brewing in Miramar, BattleMage Brewing in Vista and North Park Beer Co. Pizza Port and Eppig Brewing won multiple medals, two apiece. In addition to the three golds, local breweries won two silver and seven bronzes. The event in Nashville featured more than 10,000 beers from nearly 2,400 breweries spanning 51 countries, entered in 103 categories.
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County to hold community meetings
on its new recommended budget
SAN DIEGO — People in the community will get a chance to give their feedback on the County’s new recommended budget at two community budget meetings this week. The meetings give people a chance to learn more about the budget, ask questions and give their input.The first one will be a hybrid in-person and virtual meeting. It will take place from 2 to 4 p.m. on Tuesday, May 16 at the County Operations Center in Kearny Mesa. The second meeting will be held in the evening and be virtual only. The meeting will run from 5:30 to 7 p.m. on Thursday, May 18.
Sarah Beckman named executive
director of Outside the Lens
SAN DIEGO — Outside the Lens, one of San Diego’s media arts education nonprofits for youth, announced the hiring of Sarah Beckman as its new executive director. Beckman most recently served as vice president of institutional advancement for Forever Balboa Park as part of a two-plus-decade career in development and marketing leadership roles at local arts and cultural nonprofits. In her new role, Beckman will advance the development and use of a new state-of-the-art media space, The Wonder Lab, at OTL’s new headquarters in East Village
City Attorney’s Office sues California Theatre owners
SAN DIEGO — The City Attorney’s Office filed a civil enforcement action against the owners of the dilapidated California Theatre at 1122 Fourth Ave. at C Street, seeking to have the property declared a continuing public nuisance. The action, filed by the City Attorney’s Nuisance Abatement Unit, seeks civil penalties of $2,500 per day for each ongoing violation of San Diego Municipal Code. Violations include the buildings being structurally unsound and containing hazardous materials, while being a shelter for transients and a venue for skateboarders, young explorers, and graffiti artists
