Daily Business Report: January 26, 2024
San Diego Community College District
boosts minimum wage to over $30 per hour
With the cost of living continuing to rise in one of America’s most expensive cities, the San Diego Community College District (SDCCD) has boosted the minimum wage for all permanent employees to $30.58 per hour ― an amount that is nearly twice the state’s minimum wage.
The unprecedented increase, which became effective Jan. 1 and applies to approximately 250 employees who previously earned less than the new amount, ensures that all SDCCD employees are paid a living wage as defined by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Living Wage Calculator. In addition, minimum wages for temporary employees have been increased to $22.31 per hour.
According to MIT, two working adults raising two children in the San Diego metropolitan area need to make $30.58 per hour to support themselves and their family. A single adult with no children must earn $22.31 to support themselves.
Under the change, permanent full-time employees now earn a minimum of $63,606 annually; temporary full-time employees now earn a minimum of $46,404 annually.
Top Photo: Edith Rangel is one of 250 permanent employees who will benefit from an increase in the district’s minimum wage to $30.58. Previously, it was $22.13 (SDCCD photo).
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Cygnet Theatre and NTC Foundation
break ground on ‘The Joan’
By Dave Schwab | sdnews.com
The NTC Foundation and Cygnet Theatre broke ground on Jan. 23 at The Joan and Irwin Jacobs Performing Arts Center, nicknamed “The Joan,” while launching a public fundraising campaign for the community arts project. Construction and renovations will now move forward to open the new center in spring 2025. Besides the Jacobs family, major individual project donors include Dorothea Laub, Molly Wagner, and Pam Hamilton Lester.
Nonprofit NTC Foundation, established to renovate 26 historic buildings at the former Naval Training Center, and Cygnet Theatre, a leading San Diego performing arts institution, are partnering in the adaptive reuse of historic Naval Building 178. That structure will be transformed, with the public’s support, into a world-class performing arts center and home for Cygnet Theatre.
The new venue will foster live performance, elevate the arts, and engage audiences with an unparalleled cultural experience for years to come. Currently, $31.6 million has been raised for the project and NTC Foundation and Cygnet Theatre will rely on philanthropic donations to raise the rest.
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Aerospace engineering faculty members
rank in top 2 percent of authors worldwide
In an October 2023 Stanford University study, three San Diego State University aerospace engineering faculty members ― professors Ping Lu, Luciano Demasi, and Joseph Katz ― ranked in the top 2 percent of aerospace and aeronautics authors worldwide.
“It’s built on decades of hard work,” said Lu. “We have a long tradition in conducting really top-notch scholarly research and educating our students with a very solid, well-rounded aerospace education for fifty years or so.”
The publication outlines two lists in the categories of single year and career-long impact, based on the number of times their publications are cited by other researchers.
Photos: Professors, from left: Luciano Demasi, Ping Lu, and Joseph Katz
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General Atomics’ Gray Eagle 25M makes its first flight
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc. (GA-ASI) conducted the first flight of the Gray Eagle 25M Unmanned Aircraft System at its El Mirage, Calif. flight facility on Dec. 5, 2023. The first flight marks a significant milestone in the Gray Eagle modernization program as the U.S. Army continues to develop the Multi-Domain Operations-capable GE-25Ms for U.S. Army active duty and National Guard units.
The flight follows the award of an undefinitized contract on Dec. 1, 2023, not to exceed $389 million for the Gray Eagle 25M Production Representative Test Aircraft. The GE-25M is expected to be in service for the Army into the 2050s.
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What a GOP fight over undocumented health
care says about California’s changing politics
By Ana B. Ibarra | CalMatters
Two California lawmakers publicl blew up at each other earlier this month, hitting a nerve on an issue that has long-divided the state’s elected leaders: Whether and how much to offer government-subsidized health benefits to undocumented residents.
In one corner, Corona Assemblymember Bill Essayli declared that he wanted to unravel a new law that offers subsidized health coverage to undocumented immigrants.
In the other, Visalia Assemblymembe Devon Mathis stood up for the health care expansion, arguing this helps the state reduce health costs in the long-term and helps working families who are critical to the state’s economy.
That both are Republicans — members of the party that in 1994 pushed to deny any non-emergency health care services to undocumented immigrants through Proposition 187 — underscores how far the state’s political debate has moved to the left over the course of five gubernatorial administrations.
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Author Jennifer Coburn to give talk today at San Carlos Public Library
Area author Jennifer Coburn will give a talk today at 2 p.m. at the San Carlos Public Library on her book, “Cradles of The Reich.” The book chronicles Germany, 1939. The nation is on the brink of war with Adolf Hitler’s hopes of creating a “master race” of pure-blooded Aryan babies launched. Coburn brings to life the top secret Lebensborn Nazi breeding program, highlighting the story of three German women who change the course of one another’s lives.
The San Carlos Public Library is located at 7265 Jackson Drive.
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American Marketing Association accepting
entries for 2024 Sandie Awards
The American Marketing Association (AMA) San Diego Chapter is holding its 2nd annual Sandie Awards. The “Sandies” recognize the best marketing campaigns and communications released in San Diego County in the previous year, created by or for an agency, consultancy, corporation, educational institution, nonprofit, or college student in San Diego County. Entries for marketing work released in 2023 are being accepted here through March 2, 2024, with discounted entry fees through Feb. 2.
San Diego Workforce Partnership thrives with $9 million
new funding and 23 percent enrollment growth
The San Diego Workforce Partnership has secured more than $9 million in grant awards from various funding sources and increased job seeker enrollment by 23 percent, underscoring its impactful role in the region’s economy. These and other milestones can be found in the just-released San Diego Workforce Partnership’s 2023 Annual Report.
Portside Community Academy graduates first cohort of students
The Port of San Diego has graduated the first cohort of participants from the Portside Community Academy, a pilot program aimed at building deeper connections with portside communities by exploring innovations in the maritime industry that are helping improve human health and quality of life. The first cohort took place from October through December 2023, offering residents a unique opportunity to engage with the Port’s sustainability efforts on and around San Diego Bay.
Dr. Jean Twenge joins Troomi Wireless board
Dr. Jean Twenge, a renowned researcher, professor of psychology at San Diego State University, has joined the advisory board of Troomi Wireless, a pioneering provider of safe smartphone solutions for children. Twenge is author of the influential book “iGen: Why Today’s Super-Connected Kids Are Growing Up Less Rebellious, More Tolerant, Less Happy–and Completely Unprepared for Adulthood.”
Coastwise announces 13th Five Star Wealth Management Award
Coastwise Capital Group, LLC announced thirteen years of recognized managerial and client service excellence with the receipt of the 2024 FIVE STAR Wealth Manager Award. The 2024 FIVE STAR Wealth Manager list represents the top wealth managers in San Diego. Wealth managers are nominated by peers, as well as firms including CPAs, estate planning attorneys, and other financial professionals. Coastwise Capital Group, LLC is a boutique money management firm headquartered in La Jolla.
Stephen Cushman appointed to Housing Commission board
Stephen P. Cushman was confirmed by the San Diego City Council to serve as a member of the San Diego Housing Commission (SDHC) Board of Commissioners. Mayor Todd Gloria appointed Cushman to fill a vacancy on the SDHC board. His current leadership roles include member of the Board of Directors and Executive Committee of the Downtown San Diego Partnership, chair of the Committee on Downtown Homelessness, and member of the Jacobs & Cushman San Diego Food Bank Board of Directors.
Blenders Eyewear enter partnership with MyFBAPrep
MyFBAPrep, a leading e-commerce warehouse and fulfillment network, announced a strategic partnership with San Diego-based Blenders Eyewear, a rapidly growing eyewear company known for its quality sunglasses with bold designs and colorways. This partnership is set to bolster Blenders’ logistics capabilities, further boosting its hypergrowth trajectory. Effective immediately, MyFBAPrep will begin onboarding Blenders into its warehouse network.
Entos Pharmaceuticals launches clinic in Carlsbad
Entos Pharmaceuticals, a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing genetic medicines with its proprietary Fusogenix proteolipid vehicle (PLV) nucleic acid delivery platform, announced the launch of its new Good Manufacturing Practices manufacturing facility in Carlsbad. This new site will allow Entos to support in-house production of drug substance for IND-enabling studies and clinical trials of the company’s pipeline of proprietary and partnered programs.
NTC Foundation awards Liberty Station
studio space to four dancers
NTC Foundation, the nonprofit organization that oversees the development of 26 buildings in Arts District Liberty Station, has announced four dancers as the 2024 Emerging Artists. The Emerging Artist program awards studio space to emerging talent for 18 months at Arts District Liberty Station. This year’s recipients are Joyce Lien Kushner, Sol Dela Rosa, Lexii Regina, and Micah Parra.
