Daily Business Report: Aug. 17, 2023
How California got tough on guns
By Ben Christopher | CalMatters
The modern American gun debate began in 1967, when 30 protesting members of the Black Panther Party marched into the California Capitol with loaded handguns, shotguns and rifles. In California there were few restrictions on carrying loaded weapons in public.
Soon a bill to ban “open carry” of loaded firearms within cities and towns sailed through and was signed by then-Gov. Ronald Reagan. It’s hard to say which now seems more unlikely: that two dozen revolutionaries could legally stroll into the state Assembly chamber with semi-automatic rifles, or that a Republican governor would champion stricter gun control.
In the years since, California’s progressive politicians have layered on restrictions while gun owners and manufacturers keep pushing back, particularly in the judiciary. The US Supreme Court has been particularly receptive: In 2022, a majority of the justices threw the future of many of California’s strictest gun laws into question. The trend seemed to be fulfilling the prophecy of a National Rifle Association spokesperson that the Trump-altered Supreme Court meant “winter may very well be coming for gun laws in California.”
On the premise that the best defense is a good offense, Gov. Gavin Newsom and his allies in the Legislature introduced a new, long-shot amendment to the U.S. Constitution that would place age limits, background check requirements and mandatory waiting periods on gun purchasers, and ban the civilian ownership of so-called assault weapons.
Photo: Handguns on display at a gun shop in Fresno County on March 15, 2023. (Photo by Larry Valenzuela, CalMatters/CatchLight Local)
USS Sioux City decommissioned after less than five years in service
The Maritime Executive
In a ceremony at Naval Station Mayport in Jacksonville, Fla., on Monday, the Freedom-class littoral combat ship USS Sioux City was decommissioned 20 years ahead of her expected lifespan. The vessel was the most accomplished of her class, having deployed four times for operations overseas.
USSSioux City headed into retirement four years and nine months after she was commissioned. According to naval commentator Chris Cavas, this ranks among the fastest decommissionings since the Second World War.
The U. S. Navy has an interest in offloading its Freedom-class LCS vessels, which have high maintenance and operating costs but limited lethality and survivability.
San Diego Community Power fined over $1 million by CPUC
San Diego Community Power has been fined over $1 million by the California Public Utilities Commission for its failure to procure adequate backup energy sources, per state records.
San Diego Community Power is a community choice aggregation program and energy provider for its members, including Encinitas, San Diego, Chula Vista, La Mesa, Imperial Beach and National City and San Diego County.
Laura Fernandez, SDCP director of regulatory and legislative affairs, said rates would not increase due to the fines, which will be paid from the agency’s power budget. Fernandez was also critical of the regulatory agency, telling media outlets its demands were “impossible” to meet.
Viasat Real-Time Earth opens ground station in Japan
Network now enables global Ka-band service for low earth orbit customers
Carlsbad-based Viasat announced the opening of a Real-Time Earth (RTE) ground station in Hokkaido, Japan, now enabling RTE customers the ability to downlink Ka-band payload data in the northwestern Pacific at the site hosted by RTE partner Infostellar. This new ground site gives RTE customers unique access to a strategic location that reduces the time it takes to deliver mission critical data.
Viasat is establishing itself as a global leader in Ka-band support for low earth orbit (LEO) missions with its ability to downlink Ka-band payload data with a 7.3m full motion antenna at the Hokkaido site and is postured to support current and future government and commercial satellite programs. For Viasat, the Hokkaido ground station is a vital link in supporting high data rate remote sensing missions in polar and inclined orbits through the RTE network of Ka-band antenna systems.
General Atomics destroys ‘forever chemicals’ in landfill
General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems announced that its industrial Supercritical Water Oxidation (iSCWO) system has successfully destroyed per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances-contaminated landfill leachate sourced from a municipal landfill. Leachate is a liquid generated when water percolates through municipal solid waste landfills, accumulating contaminants as it moves into collection or subsurface areas.
General Atomics is working with landfill operators to demonstrate and deliver test analysis verifying its system’s capability to eliminate PFAS and other hazardous organic waste in leachate. Testing is conducted at General Atomics’ dedicated test facility in San Diego.
Scientists unite to get to the heart of AFib
By Susan Gammon
A collaborative study led by researchers at Sanford Burnham Prebys is paving the way to identifying gene networks that cause atrial fibrillation (AFib), the most common age-related cardiac arrhythmia. The findings, published in Disease Models & Mechanisms, validate an approach that combines multiple experimental platforms to identify genes linked to an abnormal heart rhythm.
“One of the biggest challenges to solving the AFib genetic puzzle has been the lack of experimental models that are relevant to humans,” says Alex Colas, co-senior author and assistant professor in the Development, Aging and Regeneration Program at Sanford Burnham Prebys. “By working with colleagues who focus on AFib but in different systems, we have created a robust multiplatform model that can accurately pinpoint genes associated with this condition.”
SOCi Inc. lands on Inc. 5000 Honor Roll
SOCi Inc., at leading CoMarketing Cloud for multi-location enterprises, has been recognized on the prestigious Inc. 5000 list for the sixth year in a row. Securing a spot on the coveted Inc. 5000 Honor Roll as a multi-year honoree, SOCi’s unwavering commitment to innovation and delivering value to its clients has enabled the San Diego company to increase its position 425 spots YoY to No. 1694 on this year’s Inc. 5000 list.
AWE expands global reach with rlaxx TV partnership
Herring Networks, Inc. announced today that its AWE (A Wealth of Entertainment) entertainment brand has partnered with rlaxx TV to launch its AWE Plus linear channel on rlaxx’s platform which reaches more than 26 countries across Europe, the Middle East, South America and Africa. As part of the deal, AWE will also include hundreds of selected episodes for rlaxx TV’s On Demand section.
Immagene Biopharmaceuticals announces first patient dosed in study
Inmagene Biopharmaceuticals, a clinical stage biotechnology company developing innovative and differentiated therapies for immunological and inflammatory diseases, announced that the first patient has been dosed in a global multicenter proof-of-concept study of IMG-007 in adult patients with moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis (AD). The objective of the study is to assess the safety, pharmacokinetics, and efficacy of IMG-007 in AD patients. Additional information can be found at www.clinicaltrials.gov
Medcrypt and Tidelift partner to empower medical device manufacturers
Medcrypt Inc., the proactive cybersecurity solution provider for medical device manufacturers (MDMs), announced its partnership with Tidelift, a provider of solutions for improving the security and resilience of the open-source software powering modern applications. This partnership will strengthen medical device security by leveraging data to offer advanced security solutions to customers, ensuring devices stay safe throughout their entire lifecycle.
Wildfire Systems and Shop Your Way in partnership
Wildlife Systems Inc, an innovative financial technology platform that powers reward programs, shopping companions, and content monetization, announced a new partnership with Shop Your Way. A high-growth FinTech and e-Commerce enablement platform, Shop Your Way enables their millions of members to earn points on everyday purchases which they can redeem for gift cards, products, home services, and more. Shop Your Way members can now leverage Wildfire’s Chrome desktop extension to earn cashback rewards from online purchases at thousands of online merchants.
San Diego Health Connect selects 4medica to reduce duplicate patient records
4medica, a renowned health care data quality leader specializing in enterprise master person index matching technology and real-time interoperability, announced that San Diego Health Connect will deploy 4medica’s cloud-based Data Quality Platform to improve patient matching and health data quality. San Diego Health Connect securely connects hospitals, health systems, patients, private health information exchanges and other health care stakeholders so that they can share important health information.
Avidity Biosciences receives FDA Orphan
Drug designation for DMD treatment
Avidity Biosciences Inc. announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted Orphan Drug designation to AOC 1044, the company’s investigational therapy in development for the treatment of Duchenne muscular dystrophy in people with mutations amenable to exon 44 skipping. DMD is a rare genetic condition that is characterized by progressive muscle damage and weakness due to the loss of dystrophin protein that typically starts at a very young age.
Impilo Therapeutics launches to enable medicines
to effectively treat solid tumor cancers
Impilo Therapeutics Inc. , a privately held drug discovery and development company, announced that it has launched with the mission to enable nucleic acid-based medicines to effectively treat solid tumor cancers. The company’s technology is derived from an agreement with Lisata Therapeutics Inc. for the targeted delivery of nucleic acid-based medicines. Impilo is advancing its Tumor-Penetrating Nanocomplex, or TPN Platform, to provide a targeted delivery approach for a wide range of nucleic acid treatment modalities.
Amprion announces granting of European patents
Amprion, a global leader in neurodegenerative disease diagnostics, continues to fortify its intellectual property surrounding the company’s proprietary methodology for highly sensitive detection of misfolded proteins and amyloid-like aggregates. Recently, fundamental patents have been issued in the EU and UK which expands Amprion’s extensive coverage in key geographies. The issued patents apply broadly to the methodology known alternatively as Seed Amplification Assay, Protein Misfolding Cyclic Amplification and Real-Time Quaking-Induced Conversion.
Petco becomes first and only national retailer to bring
Ollie’s human-grade pet nutrition to pet parents
Petco Health and Wellness Company Inc. and dog nutrition brand Ollie announced an exclusive partnership to bring Ollie’s human-grade fresh and baked food, treats and supplements for dogs to Petco customers. Previously only available direct-to-consumer through an online subscription, Ollie’s high-quality assortment can now be shopped in a variety of flexible ways at petco.com/Ollie, via the Petco app, and in most Petco pet care centers nationwide by the end of September.
Inc. 5000 ranks Cymbiotika as one of fastest-growing private companies
Cymbiotika, a leading nutritional supplement brand known for creating clean, science-backed supplements, was named on the Inc. 5000 Fastest Growing Company List. Cymbiotika also excelled in distinct categories. Within California, it secured an impressive #37 position, establishing itself as a prominent player in the state’s business landscape. Its impact in the consumer products sector was equally impressive, securing the #13 spot. At the local level, Cymbiotika attained the #8 position in the San Diego area, affirming its contribution to the region’s economic growth.
