Daily Business Report: Tuesday, April 9, 2024
San Diegans’ preferred design for
new OB Pier is longer, more durable
By Ken Stone | Times of San Diego
Using new concrete techniques may be key to a new Ocean Beach Pier that can last 50-75 years, design experts said Saturday at a presentation on replacing the iconic structure.
Following more than a year of community engagement, the City of San Diego at a Liberty Station presentation revealed the preferred design concept that captures the features San Diegans expressed they would like to see in a new pier.
Avoiding excessive maintenance is a goal.
Scott Jordan, a designer with Civitas, told a crowd of about 200: “We’re looking at strong, durable materials to make (the new pier) last as long as possible. We’re looking a different concrete and mixes.”
Jordan explained that the rebar within the pilings on the current pier weren’t coated or protected. When exposed to salt in the water, the rebar expanded and pieces of concrete flaked off.
Just using coated rebar alone will make a new pier much more durable.
Jordan spoke to the media after a presentation by the design team of their preferred design based on past workshop participants and then asked Saturday’s audience about lighting, retail choices, shade and the appearances of the entrance and end of the pier.
The new pier is about 2,000 feet long (compared to the current 1,971 feet). It will have a slightly wider deck width of 22 feet (vs. 20 now) and a shape similar to the existing pier, with curving arms on the western end. It is a hybrid of the proposed designs.
While the 58-year-old pier covers 54,000 square feet, the proposed one would be 76,000 with an elevated level (two tiers).
Photos: Three views of the new OB Pier is shown in these renderings: Top: Infinity Plaza. Left: Elevated viewing. Right: Shaded viewing.
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BAE Systems awarded contract
up to $182 million for suite of services
BAE Systems has been awarded a contract by the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) worth up to $182 million to provide advanced modeling services that aim to streamline data.
Under the contract with NGA — a combat support agency within the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) — it is expected that the GEM Cutter suite of programs will integrate with existing enterprise solutions while improving the quality of analysis, streamline workflows, reduce project time lines, and increase the impact of GEOINT production. It gathers these capabilities in a single interactive location known as the Analyst Workbench, which includes advanced commercial technologies for data integration, data analytics, artificial intelligence (AI), and machine learning (ML) experimentation and production.
Work on the GEM Cutter contract will occur in Denver, Colorado; San Diego, St Louis, Missouri; and the Washington, D.C. metro area.
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Native American students get free tuition
to attend the UC. Why it isn’t enough.
By Christopher Buchanan | CalMatters
For high school senior Robert McConnell, an acceptance to UC Santa Cruz would all but guarantee his attendance. That’s because, as a member of a federally recognized tribe, McConnell would not have to pay tuition to pursue his dreams of studying marine biology under the UC Native American Opportunity Plan.
Launched in 2021, the University of California plan offers free tuition to any member of a federal or state-recognized Native American tribe who can provide proof of membership. McConnell, a member of the Hoopa Valley Tribe in rural Northern California, said an acceptance will grant him opportunities that aren’t available in his unincorporated tribal community.
Over 85percent of the residents in Hoopa identify as Native American or Alaskan Native. Leaving behind cultural and family to attend far away institutions can be extremely difficult for Native students. The nearest UC campus to Hoopa is Davis, 200 miles away.
For the low-to-middle income Native students of Hoopa, an opportunity to attend UC is invaluable. The reported monthly income for families in the small territory is just over $55,000 a year — qualifying many for federal and state tuition assistance.
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Carlsbad startup touts its new battery
technology as a fast-charging ‘universal adapter’
Officials at a startup based in Carlsbad expect a battery technology they have engineered will transform the way e-bikes and electric-powered hand-held tools are charged. And once it’s scaled up, they believe the technology will reshape even more sectors of the economy.“We unleash batteries here,” said Daniel Glenn, president of ZapBatt, a company headquarted in a 4,000-square-foot office not far from McClellan-Palomar Airport.
“We unleash batteries here,” said Daniel Gl of ZapBatta company headquartered in a 4,000-square-foot office not far from McClellan–Palomar Airport.ZapBatt engineers have designed a battery operating system b that acts as a universal adapter for devices that run on electricity.
At his lab bench, company co-founder and Chief Technical Davod Felzer takes a 12-volt battery and, through a process using ZapBatt’s software and hardware technology, increases the effective voltage level to 25 volts — enough to power a cordless vacuum cleaner — within a matter of seconds.
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These Californians just got protection from big rent hikes
By Jeanne Kuang | CalMatters
Many landlords providing new low-income housing in California won’t be able to increase the rent on their tenants by more than 10 percent per year, under a rule imposed last week by a state committee.
The cap, passed by the California Tax Credit Allocation Committee, affects all future developments built with the help of Low Income Housing Tax Credits. California awards the federal and state credits to build about 20,000 new units a year; the program is the primary government funding source for private developers to build affordable housing.
The rule is similar to a 2019 state law for other tenants — restricting annual increases to either 5 percent plus inflation, or 10 percent, whichever is lower.
The cap doesn’t directly protect those living in the roughly 350,000 existing low-income units statewide financed by the tax credits. But officials expect most property owners to comply anyway because they need the state committee’s approval to sell the properties, or to get new tax credits for renovations.
Marina Wiant, the committee’s executive director, said the committee can’t legally impose new rules on developers who have already entered contracts with the government to receive the tax credits.
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Robert Frost Sesquicentennial event concludes after five days
The recent Sesquicentennial Celebration commemorating the 150th birthday of Robert Frost, organized by the Robert Frost Society in collaboration with the Library Foundation SD, has drawn to a close. The event, held in San Diego from March 20 – 24, left attendees with a legacy of poetic inspiration and cultural enrichment. This five-day event marked a once in a lifetime gathering of poets, scholars, and enthusiasts from around the world.
Coalition formed to advance patient access to genetic testing
Leading commercial organizations and patient advocacy groups in the field of cancer genetics announced the founding of the Inter-Organization Cancer Genetics Clinical Evidence Coalition (INTERACT), a coalition whose mission is to increase evidence-based access to genetic testing for people with or at risk of hereditary cancers. Founding laboratory members include organizer Ambry Genetics, a subsidiary of REALM IDx, Illumina, Myriad Genetics, and Quest Diagnostics.
Blacksmith Medicines to present at healthcare conference
Blacksmith Medicines Inc., a leading biopharma dedicated to discovering and developing medicines targeting metalloenzymes, announced that it will present a company overview and participate in meetings at the 23rdAnnual Needham Healthcare Conference on Thursday, April 11, 2024 at 11 am ET. Blacksmith has executed strategic drug discovery collaborations with Basilea Pharmaceutica International Ltd., Cyteir Therapeutics Inc., Eli Lilly and Company, Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd., and Zoetis LLC.
Cortechs.ai appoints Kyle Frye as new CEO
Cortechs.ai, a leading innovator in AI applications for radiology and the developer of FDA-cleared products for the improved detection of neurodegenerative diseases and cancer, announced the appointment of Kyle Frye as its new chief executive officer. Kyle Frye brings to Cortechs.ai an impressive background in medical technology and leadership, most recently coming from SyntheticMR as their president and CCO.
Denovo Biopharma announces major breakthrough
Denovo Biopharma LLC, a pioneer in applying precision medicine to the development of innovative drugs, announced positive results for its biomarker–guided Phase 2b clinical trial (ENLIGHTEN) designed to assess the efficacy and safety of DB104 (liafensine) in patients with treatment-resistant depression (TRD). More than 23 million people in the United States alone suffer from major depressive disorder (MDD). Over 30 percent do not benefit from currently available antidepressants and are diagnosed.
Senhwa Biosciences to exhibit at AACR annual meeting
Senhwa Biosciences Inc., a drug development company focusing on first-in-class therapeutics for oncology, rare diseases, and infectious diseases, announces it will be exhibiting at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting, 2024, held at the San Diego Convention Center from April 5 to 10. The AACR Annual is one of the biggest and most important events in cancer research
Kintara Therapeutics and TuHURA in merger agreement
Kintara Therapeutics Inc., a biopharmaceutical company investigating REM-001 in an NIH-sponsored and funded open label study in cutaneous metastatic breast cancer, and TuHURA Biosciences Inc., a Phase 3 registration-stage immune-oncology company developing novel technologies to overcome resistance to cancer immunotherapy, announced that they have entered into a definitive agreement for an all-stock transaction. The combined company will focus on advancing TuHURA’s personalized cancer vaccines.
Firestorm Labs celebrates opening of headquarters
Firestorm Labs, a defense technology startup spearheading expeditionary manufacturing of Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS), celebrated the grand opening of its state-of-the-art, 14,000-square-foot headquarters in Kearny Mesa. Firestorm Founders Dan Magy (CEO), Ian Muceus (CTO) and Chad McCoy (CSO) were joined for the inaugural event by Congresswoman Sara Jacobs (CA-51), a third generation San Diegan and member of the House of Representatives’ Armed Services and Foreign Affairs Committees.
DexCom publishes annual Sustainability Report
DexCom Inc., the leader in real-time continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) for people with diabetes, released its annual Sustainability Report. This report provides updates on key corporate sustainability initiatives that are aligned with Dexcom’s core values and business strategy. The report can be found on the company’s investor relations site at investors.dexcom.com. All data in the report reflects fiscal year 2023, unless noted otherwise.
Manatt continues to expand San Diego office
Manatt, Phelps & Phillips LLP, a multidisciplinary, integrated professional services firm, announced the arrival of San Diego-based trial lawyer and Partner Kareem A. Sale to the firm’s Trial, White Collar and Investigations practice. As a former federal prosecutor with significant experience overseeing largescale cyber investigations and prosecutions for the National Security and Cybercrimes Section of the United States Attorney’s Office (USAO), Salem helps clients navigate data security incidents.
