Daily Business Report: April 12, 2024
Backers of California homeless camp ban
cite ‘successful’ San Diego law. But is it?
By Marisa Kendall | CalMatters
Politicians pushing to make homeless encampments illegal across wide swaths of California point to one city as proof it will work.
“San Diego gets it,” Senate Republican Leader Brian Jones said during a recent press conference. “They are having great success so far with their ordinance, and we hope we can take that success across the state.”
Jones’ proposal, Senate Bill 1011, is modeled after a controversial new San Diego ordinance that bans encampments near schools, shelters and transit hubs, in parks, and even, if shelter beds are available, on all public sidewalks.
But how well is San Diego’s “Unsafe Camping Ordinance” really working?
While encampments are much less noticeable in some areas — such as downtown, in the city’s main park, and around certain schools — they’re just as prevalent, if not more so, near freeways and along the banks of the San Diego River.
The city’s homeless shelters are full, often with no beds for people who want to avoid a citation. There’s no evidence the city’s overall homeless population has decreased in the eight months since enforcement started.
Still, Jones is banking on the fact that Californians are fed up with the state’s current approach. Despite Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration spending an unprecedented $24 billion on housing and homelessness over the last five years, encampments are rampant throughout the state.
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Northrop Grumman donates James Webb Space
Telescope full-scale model to the Space Foundation
Northrop Grumman announced the company is gifting its James Webb Space Telescope full-scale model to the Space Foundation. With this gift, the model will be permanently displayed at Space Foundation Discovery Center in Colorado Springs.
Prior to the launch of NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope on Dec. 25, 2021, the full-scale model traveled the world for more than a decade to raise awareness of Webb’s groundbreaking engineering and historic mission. The model’s new home, the Space Foundation Discovery Center, is a hands-on, interactive space and science center focused on inspiring, educating and preparing the next generation of explorers and innovators. It also reaches a global audience through its International Teacher Liaisons program and distant learning technologies.
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Viasat chosen to power inflight connectivity
on Icelandair’s new Airbus Aircraft
Viasat, a global leader in satellite communications, announced that Icelandair has selected its industry-leading inflight Wi-Fi solution for the airline’s new fleet of Airbus aircraft. The new fleet is expected to service routes between Iceland and Europe as well as transatlantic flights, and is scheduled to begin delivery in Q4 CY 2024, marking the first Airbus aircraft to be operated by Icelandair.
To support Icelandair’s passenger experience goals, Viasat’s satellite connectivity service will be configured to provide a high-quality, fast online experience on all routes it serves, including streaming entertainment, and real-time productivity tools, keeping passengers and crew connected throughout the flight.
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Scientists: Tiny brain bubbles carry complete codes
Scientists at Sanford Burnham Prebys demonstrated that vesicles traveling between cells in the brain carry more complete instructions for altering cellular function than previously thought. In findings published in Cell Reports, senior author Jerold Chun, M.D., and team also discovered that the biological instructions within these vesicles differed significantly in postmortem brain samples donated from patients suffering from Alzheimer’s disease.
Researchers call the tiny brain bubbles under scrutiny in this study small extracellular vesicles (sEVs). These tiny biological water balloons are produced by most cells in the body to ferry a wide variety of proteins, lipids and byproducts of cellular metabolism, as well as RNA nucleic acid codes used by recipient cells to construct new proteins.
Cubic selected to upgrade Twin Cities’
Metro Transit Go-To Contactless Fare System
Metro Transit of Minneapolis-St. Paul has awarded a significant contract to Cubic Transportation Systems to upgrade and modernize the metropolitan region’s Go-To Contactless Fare System. Under the new program, Metro Transit will join other major cities, including New York, Chicago and the San Francisco Bay Area, in leveraging Cubic’s state-of-the-art cloud technologies, real-time wireless and account-based processing solutions, while opening the system to contactless bank card acceptance.
Leveraging Cubic’s Urban Mobility processing platform, Metro Transit’s 40 million annual riders will be able to tap their contactless bank cards, including those residing in Apple Pay and Google Pay, to seamlessly pay for fares with no need to separately procure a dedicated smart card or ticket.
Albert P. Pisano elected to European Academy of Sciences and Arts
Albert P. Pisano, dean of UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering and special adviser to the chancellor, has been elected a member of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts. The induction ceremony was held in Salzburg, Austria on April 5.
Pisano helped to organize forward-looking events in both Stockholm and Glasgow that are part of the Jacobs School’s larger efforts to build positive momentum for collaborative research infrastructure that accelerates innovation in future wireless technologies. These events connected industry, academia and government officials around challenges and opportunities for innovation in the development of future wireless technologies. More context is available in an article that Pisano published in Issues in Science and Technology titled “A More Effective Innovation Practice.”
SDG&E recognized for public safety partner portal
San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) was recently honored with the “2024 Chartwell Best Practices Award” for developing and deploying the Public Safety Partner Portal, which offers a centralized digital hub for emergency preparedness, response, recovery, and reporting for SDG&E and its public safety partners. The enhanced portal integrates a 24/7 accessible tool for local emergency management agencies and public safety partners to access centralized information for planning, response, and recovery efforts.
Cetera completes successful consolidation of advisory business
Cetera Financial Group, a premier financial advisor Wealth Hub, announced that it has successfully consolidated the Cetera Advisors LLC registered investment adviser (RIA) to its sister RIA, Cetera Investment Advisers LLC. The project results in significant cost savings along with simplified and streamlined operations with no impact to affiliated advisors. The project was completed on time and under budget and Cetera Investment Advisers LLC is now the primary RIA for legacy Cetera communities.
Element 451 introduces world’s first AI assistants for higher ed
Element451, the all-in-one, AI student engagement platform for higher education, announced groundbreaking new tools to help institutions greatly improve staff productivity and student engagement. At the ASU+GSV AIR Show in San Diego, Element451 unveiled its new family of AI Assistants and AI-powered information discovery. First AI assistants for higher education are trained to support specific roles and functions for students and staff.
AI changes how small/medium businessess
are marketing to get back in the game
Complete Business Marketing Unveils a new “Gemini AI” powered SaaS marketing solution for SMBs to get back in the game when trying to generate customer leads online. CBM’s AI “boxed solution approach” addresses Google’s shift away from standard SEO for generating leads to SGE (Google Search Generative Experience) that has left most businesses in America out in the wind when it comes to generating vital leads online.
Healthpoint Capital acquires SteriCUBE, a leading sterilization platform
San Diego’s HealthpointCapital, the leading private equity firm focused exclusively on musculoskeletal health care, announced the acquisition of a majority stake in SteriCUBE Holdings Inc. The SteriCUBE®Multiple Tray Sterilization (MTS) System is a patented, environmentally friendly technology for simultaneous sterilization of instrument-holding trays. These trays are utilized to organize and protect the numerous instruments required in common orthopaedic and cardiac surgeries.
Sony Electronics unveils 4K 60p pan-tilt-zoom camera model
Sony Electronics is releasing a flagship 4K 60p pan-tilt-zoom (PTZ) camera model with an integrated lens, the BRC-AM7. Incorporating PTZ Auto Framing technology, which uses artificial intelligence (AI) technology for advanced recognition, the camera facilitates accurate and natural automatic tracking of moving subjects. These innovations enable simplified high-quality video production for broadcast, live event, and sports productions.
Sony Electronics is releasing the BRC-AM7, a 4K 60p pan-tilt-zoom camera with an integrated lens and Auto Framing.
HCAP announces investmentin Gondola Skate Moving Systems
HCAP Partners, a California-based private equity firm and nationally recognized impact investor, announced its investment in Gondola Skate Moving Systems, a premier fixture mobilization equipment supplier. Terms of the investment were not disclosed. Since 1997, Gondola Skate Moving Systems has been a leader in providing innovative products that allow retailers and warehouse operators to mobilize their shelving platforms, generally referred to as gondola fixtures.
MD Revolution partners with Dexcom
MD Revolution, the leader in remote care management solutions for health systems and multi-specialty clinics, has partnered with Dexcom to integrate their industry-leading continuous glucose monitoring systems with MD Revolution’s remote care management platform. Dexcom’s wearable devices pair with a user’s smartphone to monitor glucose levels. Now, a patient’s glucose monitoring data can be made available to clinicians through MD Revolution’s care management platform, empowering clinicians to make informed decisions.
nLorem Foundation announces second
annual Nano-rare Patient Colloquium
n-Lorem, a nonprofit foundation, has announced the dates for its second annual Nano-rare Patient Colloquium, which will be held Oct. 30 & 31 in Cambridge, Mass. The Nano-rare Patient Colloquium will bring together a Community of Care for Nano-rare that consists of treating physicians, industry leaders, corporate, foundation and individual supporters, the n-Lorem team and most importantly, nano-rare patients and their families.
Parhelia Biosciences launches Parhelia Spatial Station
Parhelia Biosciences, a leader in spatial biology automation, is excited to announce the launch of the Parhelia Spatial Station at the American Association for Cancer Research Conference—a next-generation sample preparation platform designed to revolutionize spatial biology through automation and pushbutton precision. The Parhelia Spatial Station includes cutting-edge features such as automated dewaxing and antigen retrieval, customizable panel mixing, and support for multi-omics applications.
CourseKey and Milady announce new software integration
CourseKey, a student retention platform for vocational education programs, announced an API integration with Milady, the leading provider of beauty and wellness education for schools worldwide, to simplify operations for beauty and wellness education programs. The CourseKey and Milady integration aggregates grades from the CIMA digital learning platform from Milady with attendance and skill attainment from CourseKey for a real-time visualization of student progress.
HappyCo unveils AI-powered Centralized Maintenance platform
HappyCo announced the debut of Centralized Maintenance, marking an industry-first step towards transforming maintenance operations from a challenge into a strategic advantage for multifamily property owners and managers. Powered by its custom-trained artificial intelligence (AI) companion, aptly named JoyAI, the platform automates and optimizes everything from real-time scheduling and technician matching to 24/7 resident communications, intelligent inventory management, and remote technician expertise.
