Daily Business Report: Aug. 2, 2023
Don’t call it ‘toilet to tap’ — California
plans to turn sewage into drinking water
By Rachel Becker | CalMatters
Californians could drink highly purified sewage water that is piped directly into drinking water supplies for the first time under proposed rules unveiled by state water officials.
The drought-prone state has turned to recycled water for more than 60 years to bolster its scarce supplies, but the current regulations require it to first make a pit stop in a reservoir or an aquifer before it can flow to taps.
The new rules, mandated by state law, would require extensive treatment and monitoring before wastewater can be piped to taps or mingled with raw water upstream of a drinking water treatment plant.
“Toilet-to-tap” this is not.
Between flush and faucet, a slew of steps are designed to remove chemicals and pathogens that remain in sewage after it has already undergone traditional primary, secondary and sometimes tertiary treatment.
It is bubbled with ozone, chewed by bacteria, filtered through activated carbon, pushed at high pressures through reverse osmosis membranes multiple times, cleansed with an oxidizer like hydrogen peroxide and beamed with high-intensity UV light. Valuable minerals, such as calcium, that were filtered out are restored. And then, finally, the wastewater is subjected to the regular treatment that all drinking water currently undergoes.
“Quite honestly, it’ll be the cleanest drinking water around,” said Darrin Polhemus, deputy director of the state’s Division of Drinking Water.
Photo: Reverse osmosis, a step in the water purification process, eliminates more than 99 percent of all impurities at the Pure Water Southern California Demonstration Plant in Carson. On the left is the filter, and on the right are samples before and after reverse osmosis. (Photo by Lauren Justice for CalMatters)
After three years and $200 million in upgrades, why can’t the USS Boxer get to sea?
By Andrew Dyer | KPBS
Since entering a San Diego dry dock in June 2020 the amphibious assault ship Boxer has spent just seven days at sea and hasn’t left San Diego for 13 months, a Navy spokesperson told KPBS in a statement on July 26.
The Navy won’t say what issues plague the Boxer or how many times over the last year it’s tried and failed to get to sea. Cmdr. Arlo Abrahamson, a Naval Surface Force spokesperson in San Diego, said the Boxer’s crew has identified “additional maintenance requirements” before getting underway.
“We don’t discuss specific instances of maintenance casualties due to operational security,” Abrahamson said. “However, I can note that the Boxer’s preparation for sea trials identified additional maintenance requirements before the ship could get underway.”
In June 2020, the ship began a two-year, $200 million upgrade to equip it to operate with the latest Marine Corps fighter, the F-35B Lightning II. It spent the next 14 months in a San Diego dry dock. After leaving dry dock, the Boxer spent another nine months pier-side where maintenance and upgrade work continued.
Free college tuition program application deadline is Aug. 14
The San Diego Community College District (SDCCD) has reached a record number of applications for the San Diego Promise, a two-year tuition-free program toward San Diego City, Mesa, and Miramar colleges. Applications for the fall semester will remain open through Aug. 14.
The SDCCD has already received 5,275 San Diego Promise applications for fall 2023, nearly a 6 percent increase from last fall.
Launched by the SDCCD in 2016, graduating high school seniors, first time college students and returning SDCCD students who have not enrolled in courses for three or more semesters (not including summer session) qualify for the San Diego Promise.
Students and parents interested in learning more about the San Diego Promise, are encouraged to register for a virtual information night at 6 p.m. on August 17.
San Diego now enforcing homeless camping ban
Police began enforcing San Diego’s controversial new camping ban Monday, and although officials said they’ve so far focused only on Balboa Park, the new ordinance combined with other enforcement of laws long on the books has already made notable changes in the encampment landscape.
The “Unsafe Camping Ordinance” allows officers to force people off public land if they’re sleeping within two blocks of a school, shelter, trolley station, waterway or park “where a substantial public health and safety risk is determined.”
Capt. Shawn Takeuchi, head of the city’s neighborhood policing division, said his five-member team did arrest several homeless people Monday by Balboa Park, but only for existing warrants.
San Diego woman to premiere film in Norway
Poway’s Abby Boretto has added a new skill to her already full resume. Well known as a philanthropist, influential community member, Mrs. California All Star United States 2021 and founding contributor to the Silver Sisters Campaign, serendipity has called her in a new direction.
She is now a filmmaker and is busily planning a premiere in Norway for September.
Her unique and fascinating story has been featured internationally, on ABC, as well as locally in the Union-Tribune.
Read in SD METRO. Scroll to page 16.
SAILORS AT SEA
INDIAN OCEAN (July 27, 2023) Chief Engineer, Lt. Mathew Scott, from Santee, inspects a fuel sample for impurities in the central control station of the Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Antietam (CG 54) during a replenishment at sea with the Henry J. Kaiser-class fleet replenishment oiler USNS Rappahannock (T-AO 204) in the Indian Ocean during Talisman Sabre 23, July 27, 2023. Talisman Sabre is the largest bilateral military exercise between Australia and the United States, advancing a free and open Indo-Pacific by strengthening relationships and interoperability among key allies and enhancing our collective capabilities to respond to a wide array of potential security concerns. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Ryre Arciaga)
USD awarded grant to support first-year students with U.S. passports
Twenty-five incoming University of San Diego students will receive their first U.S. passport free of charge as part of the Institute of International Education’s American Passport Project grant received by the university. The institute awarded 48 U.S. universities and colleges a Passport Project grant. This grant will be facilitated by USD’s Office of International Studies Abroad.
Eligibility is limited to students entering USD in the 2023-2024 academic year to ensure they have ample time to apply for and receive their passport and work with advisors to build a study abroad plan that aligns with their academic goals.
Prashant Budhale joins Modern Restaurant Concepts as chief technology officer
SAN DIEGO — Modern Restaurant Concepts, a leading fast-casual restaurant platform comprised of the QDOBA and Modern Market Eatery brands, announced that Prashant Budhale has joined the company as chief technology officer.
Budhale brings more than 28 years of experience in technology leadership to MRC, and as CTO, will lead all technology across MRC brands.
Prior to joining Modern Restaurant Concepts, Budhale served as head of technology for SONIC Drive-In, part of the Inspire Brands portfolio.
Kay Faulconer Boger named interim CEO/executive director at SDCCE
Longtime educator and decorated workforce development administrator Kay Faulconer Boger has been named interim CEO/executive director of the San Diego College of Continuing Education (SDCCE) Foundation.
Boger will be in charge of operational oversight; expanding philanthropic giving; the foundation’s marketing and branding; building an even more robust Employment Training Institute program; assessing staffing needs; strengthening both SDCCE and SDCCE Foundation infrastructure; and more.
Project Clean Water campaign promotes proper trash disposal
SAN DIEGO — Project Clean Water, a countywide initiative dedicated to protecting water quality in San Diego County, has launched an environmental initiative that addresses the issue of trash and litter and the impact on San Diego’s beaches, rivers, and creeks. The campaign, named “Trash Free Starts With Me,” aims to combat the pollution crisis that can be heightened during the summer when more people are outside and there are more visitors to the county. The campaign’s focus is to raise awareness and empower individuals to take responsibility for maintaining the cleanliness of our waterways.
UC San Diego Health ranks No. 1 in San Diego
SAN DIEGO — For the first time, UC San Diego Health was placed on the 2023-2024 U.S. News & World Report “Best Hospitals National Honor Roll,” a distinction awarded to only 22 hospitals nationwide. The academic medical center also ranked nationally in 10 specialties and once again ranked No. 1 in San Diego according to the “Best Hospitals” survey.
33,000 vehicles diverted from San Diego County Fair in Del Mar
DEL MAR — The 2023 San Diego County Fair recorded a 72 percent increase in the use of off-site parking and public transportation, helping to reduce traffic impacts in the cities of Del Mar, Solana Beach, and San Diego. This year, 113,293 Fair guests and employees were transported to and from off-site lots — Torrey Pines High School and Del Mar Horsepark — and from the public transportation hub at the Solana Beach Station. That represents about 13 percent of the 997,720 fairgoers in 2023. By comparison, in 2022, these numbers totaled 66,025, or just under 7 percent of that summer’s 973,508 fairgoers.
Ribbon cutting for battery energy storage system in Chula Vista
CHULA VISTA — Congressman Scott Peters, the North American Development Bank (NADBank), and EnerSmart, a local Solana Beach renewable energy company, will host a ribbon-cutting event for a new battery energy storage system today at 11 a.m. at 3823 Main St., Chula Vista. The 6-MWAC system will be comprised of six energy storage containers,six inverters, two transformers, and two switch boxes. Electricity to and from the grid will be delivered and stored through specific, existing transmission lines owned by San SDG&E.
TERI Inc. receives $100,000 gift from David C. Copley Foundation
SAN DIEGO — TERI Inc., a nonprofit organization whose mission is to change the way the world sees, helps, and empowers individuals with special needs, received a $100,000 grant from the David C. Copley Foundation to enhance the lives of kids, adults, and senior with autism and other intellectual and developmental disabilities. The gift directly benefits TERI’s new Walter J. & Betty C. Zable Foundation Performing Arts & Fine Arts Center, furnishing the theater, studios, and classrooms with state-of-the-art technology.
San Diego’s BXNG Club expands to Los Angeles
LOS ANGELES — The BXNG Club, a San Diego-based health and fitness club that combines authentic combat sports and mainstream fitness, announced its fifth location, and its first club in Los Angeles. A 15,000-square-foot high-design facility will be based in the Arts District, an area of LA known to many as the creative, entertainment, and cultural hub of Los Angeles.
North Island Credit Union launches book drive
SAN DIEGO — North Island Credit Union has launched a book drive to help ensure children in low-income households have access to books outside the classroom. The book drive is being conducted with the Scripps Howard Fund and ABC 10News as part of its “If You Give a Child a Book . . .” childhood literacy campaign.Through Aug. 31, community members can drop off new books to any of the branch locations in San Diego County. A complete list of North Island Credit Union locations is available here.
MD Revolution acquires NavCare
SAN DIEGO — MD Revolution, a leading provider of remote care management and clinical services has acquired NavCare, a remote patient care services company specializing in comprehensive chronic care management. The acquisition provides NavCare clients with enhanced clinical and patient management tools, patient engagement applications and bi-directional integrations. Direct patient care will continue to be delivered by the same teams as NavCare patients migrate to MD Revolution’s RevUp Care Management Platform.
Petco debuts annual Halloween ‘Bootique’ collection
SAN DIEGO — Petco Health and Wellness Company Inc. unveiled its latest “Bootique” collection, offering the ultimate one-stop shop for pet essentials and Halloween must-haves. Featuring more than 350 items total, including over 200 products under $20, the new collection ranges from apparel, accessories and home décor to toys and treats to help pets and pet parents show off their spirit in style and create memories safely.
