Daily Business Report: Friday, Nov. 3, 2023
San Diego International Airport is 9th worst
airport for international travel during holidays
San Diego International Airport is the 9th worst airport for international travel during the holidays, according to a report by Upgraded Points, a company that provides strategies that help travelers.
Apart from higher ticket prices and longer flight times, one of the biggest inconveniences of traveling internationally is the ever-dreaded wait at immigration checkpoints.
“Being stuck in a traffic jam at customs after an already lengthy day of travel can really sour an otherwise great vacation,” saidAlex Miller, founder and CEO of Upgraded Points, who conducted the study.
Key takeaways from the study:
• During the winter holiday season last year, San Diego International Airport reported an average wait time of 23.3 minutes for all travelers.
• Citizenship status plays a role as well: while U.S. citizens at San Diego International Airport experience an average wait tim of 19 minutes, non-U.S. citizens saw an average wait time of 28.5 minutes during the holiday travel season.
Photo: Travelers at San Diego International Airport. (Photo by TheWindow Flyer)
_______________________________________________________________________
North San Diego Business Chamber
launches Cyber-Tech Advisory Council
The North San Diego Business Chamber has launched the Cyber-Tech Advisory Council. It is the latest addition to the chamber’s line-up of five advisory councils, giving members the chance to learn about the technological direction of the region.
The Cyber-Tech Advisory Council is dedicated to exploring and advancing technology and cybersecurity initiatives in San Diego County, and its creation marks a significant step forward in fostering a secure and informed environment for businesses, organizations, and individuals in our everchanging digital age.
Members of the Cyber-Tech Advisory Council will serve as strategic advisors, offering their expertise and insights on technology-related matters. Through collaborative discussions and information-sharing, they will contribute to the Chamber’s official stance on technology policies and digital initiatives affecting businesses in San Diego
The next meeting is slated for Nov. 15 and will feature a presentation by Mary J. Werner of the award-winning managed security services provider, Proficio on cybersecurity and workforce development trends.
For more information and to join the Cyber-Tech Advisory Council, visit the website or contact Sophia Hernandez at shernandez@sdbusinesschamber.com.
_______________________________________________________________________
North Park Main Street awarded $1.5 million
for innovative micro-transit project in Mid-City
Clean Mobility Options (CMO), a statewide public program committed to addressing mobility challenges in under-resourced communities throughout California, has awarded $1.5 million to North Park Main Street (NPMS) for their groundbreaking micro-transit project in the Mid-City area. This project, led by NPMS in collaboration with the City Heights Community Development Corporation (CHCDC) and Circuit, aims to provide a clean, shared, zero-emission transport system to enhance connectivity between the City Heights and North Park neighborhoods.
The funds granted by CMO will be utilized to launch a neighborhood electric vehicle (NEV) shuttle system in a designated area within Mid-City. NPMS and CHCDC will spearhead the community input and guidance, while Circuit, an experienced operator in the San Diego region, will provide operational expertise. Circuit currently operates in various areas across San Diego, including Downtown, National City, Pacific Beach, Chula Vista, Carlsbad, and Oceanside.
_______________________________________________________________________
10 California congressional races could tip the 2024 balance
By Lynn La | CalMatters
Yes, the headline race in California’s 2024 election is the first open U.S. Senate seat in 30 years. But voters should also pay attention to the U.S. House: California helped flip control to Republicans in 2022 (and the speakership went from Nancy Pelosi of San Francisco to Kevin McCarthy of Bakersfield, until he was deposed last month).
And California is shaping up as a key battleground again next year. Both parties are spending money and resources in the state. Now, California’s delegation includes 40 Democrats and 12 Republicans, who hold an overall majority of a mere nine seats in the House.
Wednesday, the well-regarded Cook Political Report put out its latest scorecard
and 10 of the state’s 52 congressional seats are in play. It says a year out from the general election, it’s more likely that Democrats will retake the House than keep control of the U.S. Senate.
_______________________________________________________________________
New entrances to Terminal 1 at San Diego International Airport
Visitors heading by foot and by car to San Diego International Airport on N. Harbor Drive will access Terminal 1 via new entrances. The new entrances are a part of the airport’s New Terminal 1 planning and construction. Drivers heading westbound on N. Harbor Drive will see the new Terminal 1 entrance near Liberator Way. This will come up earlier for motorists than the previous entrance.
Pedestrians will access the airport from a new path which begins near the intersection of N. Harbor Drive and Harbor Island Drive.
The new entrances will also allow construction crews to continue work on the New T1 Parking Plaza, which is scheduled to open in late 2024. The five-level structure will offer 5,200 parking spaces — 750 more parking spaces than the old Terminal 1 surface parking lot. Ten percent of parking spaces in the new parking structure will be equipped with charging stations for electric vehicles. The first phase of the New T1 is scheduled to open in late summer 2025.
Chula Vista council member and her brother,
an ex-aide to Stephen Whitburn, face fraud charges
By Brooke Binkowski | Times of San Diego
Two well-known Democratic political players and siblings in South Bay — a Chula Vista City Council member and a former San Diego City Council member’s chief of staff — are facing fraud, conspiracy, and money laundering charges, the San Diego District Attorney’s office announced.
Andrea Cardenas, a Chula Vista City Council member and her older brother Jesus Cardenas, a former chief of staff to San Diego City Councilman Stephen Whitburn, are accused of fraudulently obtaining a $176,227 Paycheck Protection Program loan for their Grassroots Resources, a local government and political consulting firm.
_______________________________________________________________________
Steve Breen joins San Diego’s inewsource
Steve Breen, a nationally acclaimed San Diego cartoonist, is joining forces with local investigative newsroom inewsource to bridge communities and local news through art.
Breen will be part of a new community engagement lab at inewsource, pioneering new ways to tell stories, work hand-in-hand with communities, and save local news.
He was an editorial cartoonist for the San Diego Union-Tribune for 22 years.
C Squared Social expands product offerings
C Squared Social announces the release of Launch Pad, a marketing solution tailored for small businesses and emerging brands. In tandem with C Squared’s signature Blueprint, Launch Pad helps small businesses with limited financial resources begin their marketing efforts without sacrificing the full support of a marketing agency. C Squared has offices in Boise, Idaho, and San Diego.
QIAGEN and Element Biosciences in partnership
QIAGEN, located in Venno, Netherlands, and San Diego’s Element Biosciences Inc. announced a strategic partnership to offer comprehensive next-generation sequencing workflows for the AVITI System, an innovative sequencing platform based on Element’s novel Avidity sequencing chemistry. The AVITI System, a flexible benchtop sequencer with industry-leading performance and cost, delivers high quality, affordable data for any application, at a range of scale.
Ambetter from Health Net offers health
insurance to 10 counties in California
Ambetter from Health Net, a product offered by a wholly owned subsidiary of Centene Corporation, which provides insurance to under-insured and underinsured populations through Covered California, announced it will offer a variety of affordable health insurance plans to residents in 10 counties in California, including San Diego County, for 2024. Open enrollment is from Nov. 1, 2023, through Jan. 31, 2024.
Brain Corp and Dane Technologies extend partnership
Brain Corp, an artificial intelligence (AI) company creating transformative core technology in robotics and AI, and Dane Technologies, a leader in designing and manufacturing power assist solutions, announced an expanded partnership for the development of inventory scanning retail solutions, which will be built on Brain Corp’s next generation robotics platform. The next generation platform, designed with a new, modular architecture, represents the latest evolution of Brain Corp’s BrainOS robotics platform.
Kearny Mesa Toyota ranked among the
Top 100 Best Dealerships to Work For
Penske Automotive Group Inc., a diversified international transportation services company and one of the world’s premier automotive and commercial truck retailers, announced that 44 of its dealerships, including Kearny Mesa Toyoto of San Diego, have been recognized as part of the Top 100 Best Dealerships to Work For 2023 by Automotive News, more than any other dealership group.
North Island Credit Union launches Holiday Toy Drive
North Island Credit Union, in partnership with Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater San Diego, is sponsoring its 2023 Holiday Toy Drive. Through Dec. 9, North Island Credit Union encourages community members to drop off a new, unwrapped toy to any of its branch locations in San Diego. Donations needed include toys or gifts appropriate for elementary and middle school ages.
Block Clinical Inc. announces partnership with Lyft Healthcare
Block Clinical Inc. a leading innovator in the clinical trial industry, announced a partnership with Lyft Healthcare to revolutionize the transportation experience for clinical trial participants. This collaboration marks a significant leap forward in improving patient care and access to critical medical research, reaffirming our commitment to patient-centric innovation, according to the company.
Rallybio Corporation to present at hematology convention
Rallybio Corporation announced that an abstract for the Rallybio Fetal and Neonatal Alloimmune Thrombocytopenia natural history study has been accepted for poster presentation at the upcoming 65th American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting, which will be held Dec. 9-12, 2023, in San Diego. The abstract is available on the ASH Annual Meeting website.
ATCC appoints Dr. Alfredo Molinolo to board of directors
ATCC, a leading biological materials management and standards organization, announced the appointment of Alfredo Molinolo, M.D., director of the Biorepository and Tissue Technology Shared Resource at the Moores Cancer Center, the University of California San Diego, to its board of directors. Molinolo is a professor in the Department of Pathology, and in his current role, he oversees the development of efficient ways to collect, process, store, maintain, and share a validated biospecimen collection from human and experimental sources.
ClearNote Health joins the Pancreatic
Cancer Early Detection Consortium
ClearNote Health, a cancer detection company focused on identifying cancer earlier in people at high risk for the deadliest cancers to enable longer lives, announced it has signed an agreement to partner with the Pancreatic Cancer Early Detection Consortium.bThe PRECEDE Consortium is an international, multi-institutional collaborative group of experts working to improve early detection for those with a heritable risk for pancreatic cancer, or those with pancreatic cysts, through a novel model of collaboration and data sharing.
