Daily Business Report: July 21, 2023
Cajon Valley School District shows how
electric vehicles can feed the grid
and help avoid brownouts
By Alejandro Lazo | CalMatters
As a historic 10-day heat wave threatened brownouts across California last summer, The Cajon Valley Union School District in El Cajon did its part to help: It captured excess power from its electric school buses and sent it back to the state’s overwhelmed grid.
The seven school buses provided enough power for 452 homes each day of the heat wave, and the buses were recharged only during off hours when the grid was not strained.
California energy officials have high hopes that this new power source, called bidirectional charging, will boost California’s power supply as it ramps up is ambitious agenda for electrifying its cars, trucks and buses while switching to 100 percent clean energy.
Gov. Gavin Newsom called two-way charging technology a “game changer,” saying “this is the future” during a speech last September, about a week after the heat wave ended.
This year, a bill already approved by the state Senate in a 29-9 vote would require all new electric cars sold in California to be equipped with bidirectional technology by 2030. In the Assembly, two committees approved the bill earlier this month and it is now under consideration by a third.
Photo: Electric school buses at the Cajon Valley Union School District in El Cajon were used to help feed power into the grid during last summer’s heat wave. (Photo via the California Energy Commission)
The future USS Canberra litteral combat
ship will be homeported in San Diego
The Navy’s Independence-variant Littoral Combat Ship, the future USS Canberra (LCS 30), will be commissioned Saturday at the Royal Australian Naval Base Garden Island in Sydney Harbor — a rare commissioning abroad for the U.S. Navy. The ship will be homeported in San Diego.
Built by Austral USA, this will be the 26th littoral combat ship to enter the fleet and the 15th of the Independence variant. Austral is hosting a watch party for the event at its facility in San diego.
It will be up to the ship’s crew, its sponsor, the commissioning committee, and the City of Canberra to strengthen the relationship between the ship and its namesake for the life of the ship. The ship’s sponsor is Australian Senator, the Honourable Marise Payne, the former Australian Minister of Foreign Affairs. The commissioning ceremony will be highlighted by a time-honored Navy tradition when Ms. Payne will give the first order to “man our ship and bring her to life!”
Bill to preserve 720 acres of Pala Band
land heads to President Biden’s desk
By Debbie L. Sklar | Times of San Diegp
A bill to place into trust around 720 acres of land considered sacred to the Pala Band of Mission Indians passed through the U.S. Senate unanimously this week and is now headed to President Joe Biden’s desk to be signed into law.
The bill — authored by California’s two Democratic senators, Alex Padilla and Dianne Feinstein, and Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Fallbrook — will authorize Interior Secretary Deb Haaland to transfer 721 acres of land that was acquired by the Pala into trust for the benefit of the tribe and its members.
“With the passage of the legislation, our ancestral grounds, which is central to our spiritual and cultural traditions, will be forever protected as part of the Pala Reservation,” said Chairman Robert Smith of the Pala Band of Mission Indians.
Craft Beer Con on Aug. 8 celebrates
San Diego as ‘The Capital of Craft’
San Diego Brewers Guild will host the 2023 Craft Beer Con on Tuesday, Aug. 8 at Mira Costa College’s San Elijo campus in Cardiff. The annual half-day conference that celebrates San Diego as The Capital of Craft and discusses trends in the local craft beer industry is open to the general public.
The conference begins at 11a.m. and includes three education tracks, a trade show that runs throughout the day, and beer tastings that start at 4 p.m. Food trucks will be on hand during the lunch hour. Tickets can be purchased here – $60 for the general public and $50 for Brewers Guild members.
“While some of the topics are nuanced for experienced brewers and brewery owners, this is a tremendous opportunity for anyone interested in our industry to learn more and get involved,” said Brewers Guild Board Member Erik Fowler.
The three education tracks are Production, Sales & Marketing, and Business. Attendees can learn from such topics as hopping techniques for modern beer styles, marketing to a non-beer drinker, the world of a beer buyer, and leadership development.
Craft Beer Con is co-produced by MiraCosta College’s BrewTech Program, a 210-hour course that trains students to become production brewers.
Airport Arts Program unveils
‘A Necessary Departure’
San Diego International Airport’s Arts Program has completed the installation of its latest temporary exhibition, “A Necessary Departure,” located throughout Terminal 2 pre-and-post security. “A Necessary Departure” is a collection of works from 17 local artists and organizations that examines personal transformations and how our community has remade itself after the pandemic. Pieces speak to themes that developed out of this unique period in history, through the lens of San Diegans who experienced it in their own ways.
Rebekah J. Hook-Held joins leadership
team at The New Children’s Museum
Rebekah J. Hook-Held will join The New Children’s Museum as chief strategic advancement officer on Aug. 28. Hook-Held is an accomplished San Diego civic leader with over 15 years of experience in public affairs, community engagement and advocacy.
Hook-Held joins the museum following nearly 10 years with The San Diego LGBT Community Center as chief public affairs and civic engagement officer.
During her tenure, she led their public affairs, advocacy, communications and marketing, leadership development and community empowerment programs.
As part of her role on The Center’s senior team, she was part of the Catalyst Committee that played an integral role in developing The Center’s current strategic plan.
She is a fierce advocate for policies that reduce barriers and enhance fair treatment, access, opportunity, and advancement for all community members.
Overcrowding straining San Diego
Humane Society’s resources
By Dave Schwab | sdnews.com
San Diego Humane Society is facing a critical problem this summer – overcrowding. So much so, that the San Diego nonprofit operating five animal shelters countywide has launched an initiative named “Summer To Save Lives.”
The initiative invites the community to partner with them through Aug. 31 to help reduce shelter overcrowding by promoting more adoptions, temporary foster care, and volunteer opportunities to help out in shelters.
SDHS has campuses in El Cajon, Escondido, Oceanside, Ramona, and San Diego at 5500 Gaines St.
This summer initiative was developed because shelters nationwide are facing unprecedented challenges: record numbers of animals in care, staffing and volunteer shortages, and a critical lack of space for incoming animals. The organization is asking community members to be heroes for homeless pets and shelters in need.
Following July 4th, when SDHS took in 323 stray pets, SDHS had 2,584 animals in care, compared to 1,755 in 2022.
Insurance executive lands on national
‘Top Retail Brokers’ list for 2023
SAN DIEGO — Snapp & Associastes Senior Vice President Dan Beck has been named to Insurance Business America’s (IBA) prestigious Top Retail Brokers list for 2023.
Beck is one of only 51 insurance professionals named to the annual national list which highlights some of the best in the U.S. insurance industry, according to the organization. F
ounded in 1947, Snapp & Associates is one of San Diego’s top insurance brokerages.
Snapdragon Stadium awarded NWSL
championship game on Nov. 11
SAN DIEGO — Snapdragon Stadium has been chosen to host the 2023 National Women’s Soccer League Championship on Nov. 11, the league announced. This will be the first time the championship will be held on the West Coast since 2018. Opened in August 2022, Snapdragon Stadium serves as the home of the Wave. When used for soccer-specific events, the venue seats 32,000 spectators.
Indian gaming revenue for fiscal year
2022 reaches record $40.9 billion
Indian gaming revenue for fiscal year 2022 reached a record 40.9 billion, an increase of 4.9 percent over 2021, the National Indian Gaming Commission reported. Gaming revenue for FY 2022 is the highest in Indian gaming history. Seven of NIGC’s eight regions showed an increase over FY 2021. The overall FY 2022 GGR increase was $1.9 billion, about 5 percent higher than the historic FY 2021 GGR of $39 billion, as operations emerged from the pandemic.
San Diego American Indian Health
Center receives $500,000 grant
SAN DIEGO — San Diego American Indian Health Center (SDAIHC) has received a $500,000 two-year grant from The Conrad Prebys Foundation to provide access and quality health care to American Indian and Native Alaskan community members. The grant is a part of The Conrad Prebys Foundation’s Strengthening Health Access, Resources and Excellence (SHARE) Initiative. Over the next two years, SDAIHC will be using the grant to reach its target population, American Indian and Native Alaskans, as well as populations with low socioeconomic status, through outreach and opportunities for health education.
444th annual Holiday Bowl to be
staged in Petco Park on Dec. 27
SAN DIEGO —Sports San Diego announced that the 44th annual Holiday Bowl will be played at Petco Park on Wednesday, Dec. 27 with kickoff at 5 p.m. The game will be televised nationally on FOX. The 2023 Holiday Bowl will feature top teams from the Pac-12 and ACC. Last year’s game featured a final minute touchdown by the Oregon Ducks to defeat the North Carolina Tar Heels 28-27 before 36,242 fans. For the second straight year, the 46th KGB Sky Show will be held. It was first launched in 1976.
La Mesa property improvement
program receiving applications
LA MESA — Since opening online applications for year two funding for the La Mesa Facade and Property Improvement Grant Program on July 10, the city has received 18 applications.
The program provides matching grant funding for business and property owners of retail, commercial, industrial and office properties looking to improve or renovate existing buildings within city limits. Improvements include structural façade improvements, paint, awnings, signs, irrigated landscaping, outside decorative lighting and more.
Local car-building team to compete
in Michigan street-legal drag race
SAN DIEGO— Local San Diego automotive builder Rickie Fernandez and rookie racer Quinn Clark, have been recruited to compete in the “Direct Connection Grudge Race,” the marquee street-legal drag race at MotorTrend Presents Roadkill Nights Powered by Dodge, a day-long horsepower festival, taking place in downtown Pontiac, Michigan on Aug. 12, 2023.
Sentynl Therapeutics announces continued
support for BeginNGS program
SOLANA BEACH — Sentynl Therapeutics Inc., a U.S.-based biopharmaceutical company, announced its continued support of the Rady Children’s Institute for Genomic Medicine BeginNGS program (pronouncedBeginnings) as it completes its inaugural year. BeginNGS is a multi-stakeholder collaboration program with the goal of ending the rare disease diagnostic and therapeutic odyssey for babies and their families. With active engagement from Sentynl and 22 other founding members, BeginNGS is designed to screen newborns for hundreds of known, treatable genetic diseases, so medical professionals can identify treatment options before symptoms arise.
Creyon Bio expands senior leadership team
SAN DIEGO — Creyon Bio Inc., a drug development company engineering medicines to develop novel gene-centric medicines faster and at lower cost for rare and common diseases, announced that Jason Ferrone and Robert Muir have joined the executive leadership team. Ferrone has been appointed as chief operating officer and general counsel, and Muir has been appointed as chief financial officer. “Strategic expansion of the executive leadership of Creyon will support efforts to clinically validate our platform as the first OBMs engineered by Creyon advance toward clinical trials,” said Creyon President and CEO Chris Hart.
Kranti Ponnam accepted as member
of the Forbes Business Council
SAN DIEGO — Kranti Ponnam, a highly regarded and accomplished business leader, has been accepted as a member of the prestigious Forbes Business Council. This exclusive invitation-only community brings together successful executives, entrepreneurs, and professionals who have demonstrated exceptional expertise and achievements in their respective industries. As a member of the Forbes Business Council, Kranti Ponnam joins an elite group of individuals known for their outstanding contributions and thought leadership. Ponnam has consistently displayed a profound understanding of business dynamics and a passion for driving innovation and growth.
Dalrada Pharmaceutical subsidiary
earns prestigious NABP accreditation
SAN DIEGO — Dalrada Financial Corporation announced that its pharmaceutical subsidiary, Watson Rx Solutions, has been accredited by the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy for Specialty Pharmacy practice and Digital Pharmacy practice. The two accreditations further validate Watson Rx as a retailer that conforms and adheres to best practices and all applicable local, state, and federal laws, as well as specific rules and regulations in accordance with NABP standards.
