Daily Business Report: Oct. 4, 2023
California could soon ban 4 food
additives in common sweets
By Shreya Agrawal | CalMatters
It’s no longer the “Skittles ban,”but legislation on Gov. Gavin Newsom’s desk still could force food manufacturers to change their recipes for a variety of sweets and baked goods.
The California Food Safety Act would prohibit the sale of food products containing several additives that are outlawed in the European Union and are thought to be harmful to the health of people who eat them.
The bill made headlines as “the Skittles ban” earlier this year because the original version of it would have prohibited a chemical used to add color to the popular candy. Lawmakers last month amended the bill to allow the sale of products with that chemical, although it still would ban chemicals that are commonly used in other sweets.
If Newsom signs the bill, manufacturers would have until Jan. 1, 2027 to reformulate their products and comply with California law. That could lead the companies to remove the additives from their products nationwide because of the size of California’s market.
Photo: Peeps Marshmallow Chicks on display at a store in Albuquerque, N.M. on April 5, 2023. (Photo by Sam Wasson, Sipa USA via Reuters and CalMatters)
Port of San Diego and Holland America Line
celebrate the start of San Diego’s cruise season
The Port of San Diego and Holland America Line have kicked off the new cruise season.
This year’s full schedule features long-term Port partners Holland America Line and Disney Cruise Line, as well as Silversea Cruises, Celebrity Cruises, Viking Cruises, and more. Enjoying first time visits to San Diego this season are the Disney Magic, the Viking Star, and MSC Explora.
Itineraries include voyages to the Mexican Riviera, Hawaii, the Panama Canal, and the Pacific Coast. One of this year’s most exciting voyages is the Holland America Solar Eclipse Experience which will allow visitors a once in a lifetime chance to view a total solar eclipse just off the coast of Mexico aboard the MS Koningsdam in April of next year.
“Half of the Holland America Line fleet will visit Port of San Diego this season departing on cruises that reach as far as Australia, making it one of our most vital homeports,” said Beth Bodensteiner, chief commercial officer for Holland America Line.
Midway Rising scraps hotel and middle-income
homes from sports arena project
The Midway Rising development team selected to remake San Diego’s 48-acre sports arena property in the Midway District has erased a 200-room hotel from its project and is no longer planning to construct 250 residential units for middle-income families, with infrastructure and financing complications blamed for the changes.
The project alterations were revealed Monday by Penny Maus, who heads the city’s real estate department, during her quarterly project update to San Diego City Council.
Northrop Grumman to modernize cockpit
and mission solutions for E-2D Advanced Hawkeye
Northrop Grumman Corporation was awarded a contract by the U.S. Navy to evolve the E-2D Advanced Hawkeye cockpit and computing architecture with Delta System Software Configuration 6 through 2028.
The E-2D Advanced Hawkeye is the latest in a line of Airborne Early Warning & Control aircraft that stretches back over 60 years. The E-2 platform is the foundation for the world’s premier airborne battle management command and control systems, effective over land and sea. Northrop Grumman has evolved the E-2D Advanced Hawkeye into a cutting-edge platform, capable of facing threats anywhere in the world.
Research:
How liver cells become scarring, and worse
Over time, accumulating scarring distorts the liver, interferes with its blood supply and may progressively lead to worsening consequences, from cirrhosis to liver failure to liver cancer. In advanced cases, the only treatment is an organ transplant.
In a new paper, published online in the journal Cellular and Molecular Gastroenterology and Hepatology, a team of scientists led by corresponding authors David A. Brenner, M.D.,
president and CEO of Sanford Burnham Prebys, and Tatiana Kisseleva, M.D., professor of surgery at UC San Diego School of Medicine, describe the origin and fate of liver myofibroblasts — the cells that form liver scar tissue — and emerging evidence that liver fibrosis can be reversed if the causative agent is removed.
Opinion
Newsom risks being ‘Gov. (Magic) Mushroom’
By Tom Philp | Sacramento Bee
Gov. Gavin Newsom should not want to go down in history as Governor Mushroom. But the California Legislature, with a bill to legalize certain hallucinogens, is giving him a politically dangerous psychedelic opportunity.
With numerous moderate Democrats voting no or not at all, the liberal faction of the Legislature approved Senate Bill 58 by Scott Wiener of San Francisco. Stating that decades of prohibitions have failed to deter drug use and increased their dangers, SB 58 would decriminalize a family of naturally occurring hallucinogenic substances in small doses for adults
The substances include psilocybin/psilocyn (mushrooms), Dimethyltryptamine (“DMT”), and mescaline (excluding peyote). They are all ingredients of one kind of mushroom or another.
UC San Diego Human Milk Institute
names new executive director
The University of California San Diego has appointed Mitra Hooshmand, as the new executive director of the UC San Diego Human Milk Institute.
Her appointment marks an important milestone for the growing institute, which is believed to be the first of its kind worldwide. UC San Diego launched the institute in October 2022 to accelerate research on the nature, biology and therapeutic potential of human milk.
Hooshmand is a trained scientist with primary expertise in stem cell biology, neurobiology and immunology.
San Diego Foundation made $131.1 million in 2023 grants
San Diego Foundation announced a near-record $131.1 million in grants to mostly San Diego-based nonprofits for the 2023 fiscal year, including a record $45 million to health and human services causes to address basic needs like housing and food. This past year, San Diego Foundation awarded 8,925 grants to 2,577 nonprofits. San Diego County nonprofits accounted for $109.5 million in local grants or 83.5 percent of grant funding.
Bertrand Mangeot selected as general manager of InterContinental San Diego
Bertrand Mangeot has been named the new general manager of InterContinental San Diego. A French native, Mangeot brings years of international experience where he will oversee all departments and operations at the property. Mangeot began his career in Luxembourg at KPMG. He later held multiple hospitality positions at Intercontinental Barclay. The InterContinental is a waterfront hotel in Downtown San Diego.
Reliable water supplies make San Diego region well protected for 2024
The San Diego County Water Authority announced that the region has reliable supplies to meet demands in Water Year 2024, which started Oct. 1. “San Diego County continues to have the water necessary to support our $268 billion economy and quality of life for 3.3 million residents,” said Mel Katz, chair of the Water Authority Board of Directors. “We are grateful for the reprieve from drought – but we recognize that dry times will return, probably sooner than later. We are ready when they do.”
Katalyst expands destination and travel client roster
Katalyst, a Southern California-based public relations and social media agency, announced the addition of San Diego Tourism Authority, Visit Oceanside and San Diego Botanic Garden to its client roster. Now a team of 20, with offices in San Diego, Los Angeles and Santa Barbara, Katalyst’s roster includes top hospitality, travel and lifestyle brands. The $31 million renovation of the historic LaFayette Hotel was a client.
MidFirst Bank expands into San Diego, South Bay, Santa Barbara
MidFirst Bank, through its 1st Century Bank division, has announced the expansion of its Southern California presence with new additions to its Century City team as well as entry into new markets, including San Diego, the South Bay and Santa Barbara. The bank welcomes 22 seasoned bankers into leadership roles from the former First Republic Bank.
With $36.5 billion in assets, Oklahoma City-based MidFirst Bank is the largest privately owned bank in the nation.
HNM Systems Inc. joins Fiber Broadband Association
HNM Systems Inc, , a leader in providing direct hire, contract to hire and professional placement to the telecommunications, utilities and IT sectors, announced it has joined the Fiber Broadband Association, an organization that is dedicated to accelerating the deployment of fiber broadband networks to ensure every community can leverage the economic and societal benefits that only fiber can deliver. This partnership signifies HNM’s continued commitment to procuring top tier talent to help bridge the ongoing digital divide.
Family Health Centers of San Diego to host wellness fair
On Saturday, Oct. 7, 2023, the Family Health Centers of San Diego, National Alliance for Hispanic Health, and Healthy Americas Foundation will host as health and wellness fair for all.¡Vive tu vida! Get Up! Get Moving!, celebrating its 17th year, is the nation’s premier annual Hispanic family physical activity and healthy lifestyle event. The 2023 event series is sponsored nationally by the Siemens Foundation.
Aviko Radiopharmaceuticals and Neutron
Therapeutics for strategic partnership
Aviko Radiopharmaceuticals, a Deerfield Management-founded biotechnology company developing medicines to unlock the potential of boron neutron capture therapy, and Neutron Therapeutics, a leading developer of accelerator-based neutron systems for targeted radiation therapy of solid tumors, announced an exclusive, strategic partnership with Leo Cancer Care, a company developing upright patient positioning systems for radiation therapy.
Vista Community Clinic receives $700,000 for mental health care in schools
Vista Community Clinic, a local community health care center, has been awarded a $700,000 grant to enhance primary health care with a special emphasis on mental health care in local schools. The funding from the Health Resources and Services Administration will allow the clinic to launch a school-based mobile mental health unit to provide services to students in the Vista Unified School District. Vista Community Clinic has 12 locations within North County, Orange and Riverside Counties.
