Daily Business Report: Dec. 18, 2023
Judge rejects final legal challenge,
clears the way for Midway Rising project
By Brooke Binkowski | Times of San Diego
A judge rejected a final legal challenge to Measure C Friday, clearing the way for the Midway Rising redevelopment project in the Sports Arena area.
The voter-approved measure removed the 30-foot coastal height limit for the Midway District, including the 48.5-acre Midway-Pacific Highway Community Plan area.
San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria celebrated the decision. “It’s been a monumental week for housing in San Diego,” he said.
Measure C narrowly passed in 2022. Opponents of the measure said that removing the limit would block coastal views and invite traffic congestion. Proponents countered that the development plan would benefit the entire region.
The Midway Rising plan is anticipated to offer more than 4,000 housing units, a sports arena, a park, and an entertainment and cultural arts district.
Photo: A rendering of the Midway Rising plan. (Courtesy Safdie Rabines Architects)
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Gregory Smith chosen next chancellor
of San Diego Community College District
By Ken Stone | Times of San Diego
Gregory Smith lacks a Ph.D., but last week he won a more prestigious title: the next chancellor of the San Diego Community College Disttrict, an inside finalist picked by the governing board ahead of two outside candidates.
Smith has been acting chancellor of the three-campus district since the resignation of Carlos Cortez, who succeeded the long-serving Constance Carroll.
Final approval of the appointment and employment contract will be considered by the board at a regular meeting on Jan. 25, 2024.
Smith previously served as vice chancellor of People, Culture and Technology Services at the SDCCD. He earned a master of public administration from the University of Southern California, and a bachelor of science in political science and a bachelor of arts in English literature from Arizona State University.
County celebrates new affordable housing in San Ysidro
The County celebrated the beginning of construction on a new affordable housing complex in San Ysidro. The Iris at San Ysidro will feature 100 units ranging from one to three bedrooms, including 15 fully furnished units reserved for people experiencing or at risk of experiencing homelessness.
The development is a collaborative partnership with National CORE, the County of San Diego, the San Diego Housing Commission, and City of San Diego.
The county provided $10.5 million from the county’s Innovative Housing Trust Fund and No Place Like Home funds for the development. County Behavioral Health Services also committed to providing care at The Iris for the next 20 years. The Iris at San Ysidro is expected to be completed in 2025.
Bernie Rhinerson elected president of San Diego
Community College District Board of Trustees
Bernie Rhinerson, a longtime advocate for public education and community colleges, was elected president of the San Diego Community College District’s (SDCCD) Board of Trustees at the board’s Dec. 14 organizational meeting.
Rhinerson pledged to continue the steady leadership provided by Dr. Maria Nieto Senour, who had served as board president since 2015. Senour will continue her board service over the next year as a vice president.
Rhinerson is serving his third term on the San Diego Community College District Board of Trustees.
He was first elected in 2012.
Mapping the mouse brain helps reveal what makes us human
By Miles Martin | UC San Diego
Despite all our cells sharing the same DNA, there are thousands of different cell types in the human brain, each with a unique structure and function. One longstanding problem in neuroscience is determining how genes are switched on and off to form the mosaic of different cell types within the brain. Today, scientists from University of California San Diego School of Medicine have published two new studies that bring us closer to solving this mystery.
The researchers analyzed more than 2.3 million individual brain cells from mice to create a comprehensive map of the mouse brain and used artificial intelligence to help predict what stretches of DNA are used to determine a brain cell’s type.
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AC Martin establishes offices in San Diego
AC Martin, a Los Angeles-based architecture and planning company, the establishment of its newest office in San Diego. The expansion signifies the company’s approach to meeting the growing demands of clients and communities beyond its Los Angeles headquarters. The new office positions the firm to serve clients in the Southern California region better while fostering closer collaboration and engagement in the architectural landscape of San Diego.
Sycuan presents $180,000 to 25 charities
Sycuan Casino Resort has presented $180,000 to 25 different charities during its 2023 Holiday Gift Giving Ceremony. Members of the Sycuan Tribal Council and the Sycuan Executive Team individually selected a charity to donate on behalf of Sycuan. The casino has supported a variety of causes over the years ranging from social and health services to he arts and the environment.
Civil Apparel and Centerline Athletics join forces
Civile Apparel, a leading female-founded, American-made, modern lifestyle pickleball brand, announced its merger with Centerline Athletics, a premium, performance-focused pickleball apparel brand set to launch in March 2024. The strategic union is poised to elevate the pickleball experience for players of all levels. The pickleball clothing and apparel market size was valued at $1.15 billion in 2021 and is projected to reach $2.87 billion by 2030.
Quick Custom Intelligence extends partnership
with Buffalo Run Casino & Resort
San Diego-based Quick Custom Intelligence (QCI), a leading enterprise solutions provider, announced an extension of its partnership with Buffalo Run Casino & Resort. Building on the success of the QCI Enterprise Platform, Buffalo Run will now incorporate the QCI Power Pack and its embedded A.I. to elevate guest satisfaction and bolster profitability. Buffalo Run Casino & Resort is owned and operated by the Peoria Tribe of Indians of Oklahoma.
ClearNote Health collaborates with Bayer
ClearNote Health, a company with a mission to enable longer lives for people with cancer through earlier detection and empowering biopharmaceutical companies in developing better drugs, announced it has entered into a collaboration with Bayer to evaluate biological mechanisms underlying patient response and resistance to treatments for metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer. The collaboration aims to provide a deeper understanding of disease biology to help advance Bayer’s precision medicine programs in prostate cancer.
Planning Commission Oks amendment
to Mission Bay Park master plan
On Dec. 7, San Diego Planning Commission voted unanimously to support the De Anza Natural amendment to the Mission Bay Park master plan. The proposed compromise aims to enhance and revitalize the northeast corner of Mission Bay Park, by transforming some of it into a protected wetlands area, while preserving and slightly expanding its widespread recreational use. The master plan amendment will now be passed along to a City Council committee for further review, likely early next year.
La Jolla Music Society accepts $450,000 grant
La Jolla Music Society has received a grant in the amount of $450,000 from the Prebys Foundation, part of $30.6 million awarded by the foundation across San Diego County to advance the arts, support youth success, improve health outcomes, and reduce disparities in medical research. The grant will help support La Jolla Music Society’s efforts and activities in the areas of IDEA (Inclusivity, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility).
Adam Bowman appointed to Salk Fellows Program
The Salk Institute has appointed Adam Bowman to the Salk Fellows Program, where he will join current Salk Fellow Talmo Pereira. Joining in March 2024, Bowman is an applied physicist who develops new technologies for optical microscopy. The Salk Fellows Program brings scientists from broad disciplines to the Institute to encourage innovation and perpetuate the Institute’s collaborative spirit.
Mary Anne Pintar reappointed to Citizens’
Law Enforcement Review Board
The County Board of Supervisors has reappointed MaryAnne Pintar to the Citizens’ Law Enforcement Review Board. Her term will run from Dec. 6 to June 30, 2025. Pintar has more than 20 years of experience in San Diego government and politics. She began her political career in San Diego as then-San Diego Mayor Susan Golding’s press secretary in the 1990s, eventually serving as her communications director and chief of staff.
Maritime Museum docents training program to begin
The Maritime Museum of San Diego is about to begin its next Docent Volunteer Training Program to newcomers. Docents are invited to attend the 2024 training series of lectures and ship tours beginning on Jan. 16 on the upper west-end deck of the historic Victorian-era 1898 steam ferryboat Berkeley. Interested members of the community must register online in advance of training at https://sdmaritime.org/get-involved/.
