Daily Business Report: July 13, 2023
Rep. Peters bill would boost Navy repair
work at private shipyards on West Coast
By Chris Jennewein | Times of San Diego
Rep. Scott Peters has introduced a bill that would stimulate the repair of Navy vessels at private shipyards on the West Coast.
The Smart Ship Repair Act, introduced in the House on Monday, would limit the Navy’s use of government docks when space is available at private shipyards. It covers only ships that are not nuclear powered.
“San Diego is home to a vibrant ship repair industry that supports the Navy’s force posture in the Asia-Pacific,” said Peters. “This bill will further strengthen the San Diego-Navy partnership and ensure San Diego’s ship repair industry remains a leading national security partner as our country prepares for the threats of the future.”
Major San Diego shipyards operated by NASSCO, BAE Systems and Austal USA would all benefit from the measure.
Photo: A littoral combat ship being repaired at the NASSCO shipyard in Barrio Logan. (Courtesy of NASSCO). See below
All Freedom littoral combat ships
in commission tapped for early disposal
The nine Freedom-class Littoral Combat Ships currently in Navy service – the youngest of which commissioned in 2020 – have been marked for disposal as part of the Department of Defense’s Fiscal Year 2023 budget proposal.
Eight of the Freedom-class littoral combat ships now based in Jacksonville and another based in San Diego would be retired, even though they averaged only four years old and had been built to last 25 years
The ships – USS Fort Worth (LCS-3), USS Milwaukee (LCS-5), USS Detroit (LCS-7), USS Little Rock (LCS-9), USS Sioux City (LCS-11), USS Wichita (LCS-13), USS Billings (LCS-15) and USS St. Louis (LCS-19) – are part of the 24 ships the service has chosen to decommission in FY 2023 for an estimated $3.6 billion in savings.
The Pentagon saw a warship boondoggle. Congress saw jobs
Governor gives City of Chula Vista OK
to advance plans for a new university
The City of Chula Vista is one step closer to realizing its dream of having a world-class university within its city limits, says Assembly member David Alvarez. This week, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed into law an exemption from the Surplus Lands Act for the City of Chula Vista’s University-Innovation District (UID) development project on approximately 383 acres.
Working in partnership with legislative leaders, Sen. Steve Padilla (D-San Diego) and Alvarez (D-San Diego) brokered negotiations resulting in this exemption making it possible for the city to advance long standing plans of developing a campus in the mentioned district.
“This project represents a monumental step forward towards addressing a wide array of inequities that South Bay residents face daily,”said Padilla. “Universities offer incredible economic opportunities for the surrounding communities in addition to the increased capacity and access they provide to higher education. This is an investment in the future of this region.”
Read more on Chula Vista University
Drones, satellites and AI: How California fights
its unpredictable wildfires with analytics
As nights warm and droughts intensify, past models predicting fire behavior have become unreliable. So California is working with analysts and tapping into new technology to figure out how to attack wildfires. Gleaned from military satellites, drones and infrared mapping, the information is spat out in real time and triaged by a fire behavior analyst.
President nominates Mayor Todd Gloria to board
of the Harry S. Truman Scholarship Foundation
President Joe Biden has nominated San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria for membership on the board of trustees of the Harry S. Truman Scholarship Foundation.
The Truman Scholarship is the premier graduate scholarship for students interested in public service. The scholarship provides $30,000 for the graduate school of the Scholar’s choice, extensive programming and mentorship opportunities.
A third-generation San Diegan, Gloria is the first person of color and the first LGBTQ person to be elected the city’s mayor. He served two terms in the state Assembly, and began his career at the county’s Health and Human Services Agency. He holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of San Diego.
San Diego County advances electric vehicle use
The County of San Diegomade more progress in 2022 advancing electric vehicle (EV) ownership and use which reduces greenhouse gas emissions, improves air quality, and supports the climate action and decarbonization efforts.
As of April 2023, there are 126 electric vehicles in the county fleet and another 133 on order. This will bring the total number of county-operated electric vehicles to 259, exceeding the EV Roadmap goal of 250 fleet vehicles by 2025. The county also working on transitioning medium- and heavy-duty vehicles to clean and zero-emission fuels.
To keep these EVs charged and on the go, 119 new Level II EV charging stations were added in the County Operations Center parking structure, bringing the total number of EV chargers installed for fleet vehicles to 203 in 2022. And with funding through operational budget and up to $3 million in grants, 282 additional charging stations will be installed at up to 17 County sites within the next five years.
Trial attorney Alyshia Lord joins
Gomez Trial Attorneys in San Diego
SAN DIEGO — Gomez Trial Attorneys announce the addition of trial attorney Alyshia Lord to its San Diego office. Alyshia Lord is a trial attorney who focuses her practice on personal injury and premises liability litigation.
As a career plaintif’s attorney, Lord has spent her entire profession aggressively advocating and fighting for those wrongfully harmed by others as a result of medical negligence, sexual abuse, traffic collisions, property owner negligence, and illegal consumer practices.
Previously, she worked at a leading national law firm for victims of childhood sexual abuse.
Llewellyn Crain joins San Diego
Opera as chief development officer
SAN DIEGO — Llewellyn Crain has been appointed chief development officer for the San Diego Opera.
She will lead the company’s development department; raising funds through major gifts, membership, planned and annual giving, corporate and foundation support, as well as special events.
Crain has been the director of philanthropy at The Old Globe since 2016 and is responsible for annual, endowment, and legacy fundraising.
In her seven years at the Globe, she has increased the number of donors by over 200 percent, the annual fund by over 40 percent, and led a successful emergency fundraising campaign during the Globe’s closure due to the pandemic.
Alex Caniglia joins JLL Capital Markets
SAN DIEGO — Alex Caniglia has joined JLL Capital Markets as a managing director in the San Diego office.
Caniglia spent the last three years with Walker & Dunlop, focusing on multi-housing investment sales throughout Southern California, and prior to those roles, she worked for JLL/HFF for over five years.
Throughout her career, Caniglia has executed billions of dollars in multi-housing transactions.
Neena Kuzmich appointed director
of engineering for SD County Water Authority
SAN DIEGO — Neena Kuzmich has been appointed director of engineering for the San Diego County Water Authority – the first woman to lead the Engineering Department since the agency’s formation in 1944.
Kuzmich brings more than 25 years of experience as a civil engineer to fill the position vacated by the retirement of Gary Bousquet.
Kuzmich joined the Water Authority in 2013 and has 26 years of experience in design, construction, and project management. She previously served as deputy director of engineering.
Kuzmich is responsible for overseeing and managing the design and construction of Capital Improvement Program projects, and the implementation of the Water Authority’s energy management policy.
Arthrosi Therapeutics secures
$75 million in Series D financing
SAN DIEGO — Arthrosi Therapeutics, a clinical-stage biotechnology company, announced the successful securing of $75 million in Series D financing. This round is led by Guangrun Health Industry (Hong Kong) Co. Limited and backed by a consortium of investors, including Reichstein Biotech (HK) Co. Limited, a subsidiary of ApicHope Pharmaceuticals. The participation of these investors underscores their continued confidence and commitment to the development of AR882,which has the potential to change the treatment paradigm for gout.
Christine Poon appointed to board
of Neurocrine Biosciences
SAN DIEGO —Neurocrine Biosciences Inc. announced the appointment of Christine A. Poon, a business leader with extensive experience in the pharmaceutical industry, to its board of directors. Poon has demonstrated broad expertise in pharmaceutical operations, including capital allocation decisions, during a 30-year career in the health care industry. She served as vice chairman and member of the board of directors of Johnson & Johnson from 2005 until her retirement in March 2009.
Realty Income declares 637th
common stock monthly dividend
SAN DIEGO — Realty Income Corporation (Realty Income, The Monthly Dividend Company, announced that it has declared the 632nd consecutive common stock monthly dividend. The dividend amount of $0.2555 per share, representing an annualized amount of $3.066 per share, is payable on Aug. 15, 2023 to stockholders of record as of Aug. 1, 2023. The ex-dividend date for July’s dividend is July 31, 2023.
Live! Casinos install the Quick Custom
Intelligence Enterprise Platform
SAN DIEGO — Quick Custom Intelligence and Live! Casinos announced the successful deployment of version 5.2 of the QCI Enterprise Platform at their locations in Maryland, Philadelphia, and Pittsburgh. Version 5.2 enhances the award-winning QCI Platform with the automation of operational tools that become a central part of the daily management of a gaming facility, allowing for strategic discussions fueled by accurate data models and industry-leading reports.
Optimizely retail leader announced
as keynote speaker at Opticon 2023
SAN DIEGO — Optimizely, a leading digital experience platform (DXP) provider, announced that visionary retail leader Angela Ahrendts will keynote its annual user conference, Opticon 2023. Taking place at the Marriott Marquis San Diego Marina,
from Oct. 10-12, Opticon 2023 will showcase how Optimizely’s comprehensive marketing solutions have fueled lasting consumer-brand relationships and sustained growth for its customers and partners.
U.S.-Mexico Border COVID-19
Testing Program ends
SAN DIEGO — The U.S.-Mexico Border Philanthropy Partnership, the Consulate General of Mexico in San Diego, the California Department of Public Health, and Cross Border Xpress announce the end of the U.S.-Mexico Border COVID-19 Testing Program at the San Diego-Tijuana CBX on June 29, 2023. A total of 16,857 individuals, aged 5 and up, participated in the program, and 564 positive COVID-19 cases were identified.
The AHEAD Study is testing lecanemab
for effects on Alzheimer’s disease patients
SAN DIEGO — Alzheimer’s disease (AD) researchers increasingly believe that treating at the earliest possible stage may be key to helping combat the disease. Ongoing studies are now testing whether lecanemab can effectively delay or prevent the symptoms of disease if started even before there is evidence of cognitive impairment. The AHEAD Study is testing the effect of lecanemab in people who have no cognitive symptoms of AD but in whom biomarker tests indicate amyloid is present in the brain.
WSP USA’s ClimateVue platform
earns SEAL Sustainable Product Award
SAN DIEGO — A digital toolkit purpose-built to equip decision makers with key climate insights was recognized with a Sustainable Product Award from the Sustainability, Environmental Achievement and Leadership (SEAL) 2023 Business Sustainability Awards.
WSP USA, a leading engineering, environment and professional services consultancy, built the ClimateVue suite of tools to help clients improve their resilience practices by monitoring future rainfall trends, help communities visualize potential impacts and create mitigation plans while providing local leaders with real-time management tools.
Blanchard is certified as a Most Loved Workplace
SAN DIEGO — Blanchard, a global pioneer in leadership development, consulting, and coaching for more than 40 years, announced it has been certified as a Most Loved Workplace, backed by the research and analysis of Best Practice Institute (BPI). This validation provides the most comprehensive look at workplace sentiment for organizations today. Blanchard has been certified as a Most Loved Workplacebecause of its positive vision of the future, respectful relationships between all employees, and commitment to keep love for its employees as the center of its business model.
Illumina announces launch of latest
version of DRAGEN software
SAN DIEGO —Illumina Inc., a global leader in DNA sequencing and array-based technologies, announced the launch of the latest version of DRAGEN software for analysis of next-generation sequencing data. DRAGEN 4.2 expands award-winning accuracy combined with its renowned flexibility and scalability to enable efficient workflows and extract meaningful insights from genomic data. Prior to this version release, DRAGEN 4.1 introduced DRAGEN integration to the NovaSeq X Series, Illumina’s newest and most powerful sequencer.
Progessive Insurance implements
Mitchell’s Estimating platform
SAN DIEGO — Mitchell, an Enlyte company and leading technology and information provider for the Property & Casualty claims and Collision Repair industries, announced that Progressive Insurance has implemented Mitchell Cloud Estimating TruckMax to help better manage appraisals of collision-damaged light-, medium- and heavy-duty trucks. Progressive is the largest U.S. insurer of commercial autos, with 16 percent market share in 2022. The carrier, also a top seller of motorcycle insurance, first selected Mitchell’s cloud-based estimating solution in 2019 for claims involving personal autos and motorcycles.
Sydney Sloan joins Drata
as chief marketing officer
SAN DIEGO — Drata, a continuous security and compliance automation platform, announced the appointment of Sydney Sloan as the company’s first ever chief marketing officer (CMO). Sloan will oversee global marketing at Drata to help market and brand leadership, fuel customer engagement, and accelerate the company’s commitment to delivering value to its over 3,000 customers. Sloan is an expert in spearheading and executing successful global marketing strategies while building world class teams for high growth SaaS companies.
