Daily Business Report: June 18, 2024
Why are Californians waiting so long on wage theft claims?
A new audit has the answers
By Jeanne Kuang | CalMatters
Severe understaffing, slow hiring, poor training and inefficient bureaucracy combine to slow California’s investigations of wage theft claims, the state auditor’s office concluded Wednesday.
The result, according to the audit of the state Labor Commissioner’s Office, is a backlog of 47,000 claims that take six times longer to resolve than the four months set in state law.
Workers are left waiting years for money they claim they are owed when their employers fail to pay the minimum wage, overtime premiums or legally required break times. Then, those who need the office’s help to collect on their back pay only get all their money back 12 percent of the time.
The audit confirms the findings of several recent news reports on the problem, including a 2022 CalMatters series detailing long waits and low payouts for workers making claims.
Top Photo: Pizza Hut employees strike in protest of allegations of wage theft and abusive scheduling practices in Los Angeles on Jan. 26, 2024. (Photo by Lauren Justice for CalMatters)
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Contractor and architect selected
for new student housing
project for SDSU Imperial Valley College
By Cory Marshall
Nielsen Construction California has been selected as the general contractor for a joint student housing partnership between SDSU Imperial Valley and Imperial Valley College that will result in construction of 40 single- or double-occupancy rooms at SDSU Imperial Valley’s Calexico location. Nielsen’s design partner, Sillman, will be the project architect.
The project is made possible by $11.6 million in state funding, which includes $2.5 million secured by Assemblyman Eduardo Garcia to SDSU Imperial Valley, and an additional $9 million from the Higher Education Student Housing Grant Program — all of which goes toward the $17 million in project costs.
The student housing is planned to be available to students enrolled at SDSU Imperial Valley and Imperial Valley College.
The project is set to break ground in early 2025, and is expected to be completed by fall 2026.
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Breakthrough brain recording device
receives FDA approval for clinical trial
By Ioana Patringenaru | UC San Diego
The Federal Drug Administration approved a clinical trial to test the effectiveness of an electronic grid that records brain activity during surgery, developed by engineers at the University of California San Diego.
The device with nanoscale sensors records electrical signals directly from the surface of the human brain in record-breaking detail. The grid’s breakthrough resolution could provide better guidance for planning and performing surgeries to remove brain tumors and treat drug-resistant epilepsy.
The grid’s higher resolution for recording brain signals could improve neurosurgeons’ ability to minimize damage to healthy brain tissue. During epilepsy surgery, the novel grid could improve the ability to precisely identify the regions of the brain where epileptic seizures originate for safe and effective treatment.
The new brain sensor array, known as platinum nanorod grid (PtNRGrid) features a densely packed grid of a record-breaking 1,024 embedded electrocorticography (ECoG) sensors.
The PtNRGrid was invented by Shadi Dayeh, a Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of California San Diego and members of his team.
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Drug-like inhibitor shows promise in preventing flu
Currently available flu medications only target the virus after it has already established an infection, but what if a drug could prevent infection in the first place? Now, scientists at Scripps Research and the Albert Einstein College of Medicine have designed drug-like molecules to do just that, by thwarting the first stage of influenza infection.
The drug-like inhibitors block the virus from entering the body’s respiratory cells—specifically, they target hemagglutinin, a protein on the surface of type A influenza viruses. The findings, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences on May 16, 2024, represent an important step forward in developing a drug that can prevent influenza infection.
“We’re trying to target the very first stage of influenza infection since it would be better to prevent infection in the first place, but these molecules could also be used to inhibit the spread of the virus after one’s infected,” says corresponding author Ian Wilson, DPhil, the Hansen Professor of Structural Biology at Scripps Research.
NASSCO christens the fifth ship in the ESB Program for the U.S. Navy
General Dynamics NASSCO christened the USNS Robert E. Simanek (ESB 7), the fifth ship for the U.S. Navy’s Expeditionary Sea Base (ESB) program. The Honorable Sean Coffey, general counsel of the Navy, served as the principal speaker at the ceremony, in addition to remarks from NASSCO, U.S. Navy, and U.S. Marine Corps representatives. Following remarks, Ann Simanek Clark, ship sponsor and daughter of the ship’s namesake, christened the ship with the traditional champagne bottle break alongside the hull.
The ship is named for Private First Class Robert Ernest Simanek, who was awarded the Medal of Honor for shielding fellow Marines from a grenade at the Battle of Bunker Hill during the Korean War. The Medal of Honor was presented to him by President Dwight D. Eisenhower in a White House ceremony in 1953.
LOCAL NEWS
AND EVENTS
Summer Culture Fest comes to Downtown San Diego
Nonprofit Devoted to Youth Foundation will holds its annual Summer Culture Fest at the Waterfront Park, 1600 Pacific Highway in Downtown San Diego, on July 6 from noon to 8 p.m. Devoted to Youth is partnering with Point Loma Rotary, the Lakeside VFW, The Women Warriors Foundation and A Way Home for Dogs. The goal is to raise funds to donate event proceeds toward underprivileged and military families in need. The event will offer 36 different worldly foods and over 30 arts and service vendors selling quality goods along with a dog adoption.
Work completed on new International Gateway Monument at San Ysidro
On June 7, Caltrans and Casa Familiar celebrated completion of work on a new International Gateway Monument at San Ysidro, announcing $1.6 million in additional funding for Beyer Boulevard MTS Trolley Station upgrades. The new gateway monument replaces a dilapidated sign that has been in place since the 1970s. This new gateway monument welcomes all cross-border travelers into California and the San Diego County region, adding an identifiable, community gateway monument symbolizes the strong relationship between the United States and Mexico, and sustainable decorative landscaping.
City of San Diego receives funds to develop Coastal Resilience Master Plan
The City of San Diego received grant funding from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and the California State Coastal Conservancy to develop a Coastal Resilience Master Plan as an implementation action of Climate Resilient SD. The plan will identify nature-based solutions for locations along San Diego’s coast to improve the resilience of communities to sea-level rise while also benefiting wildlife, habitat and natural coastal resources.
Visitor hours change at Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego
The Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego will introduce a significant change to its regular visitor hours, aimed at better serving the community. This update makes MCASD the only large museum — a classification used by the American Alliance of Museums based on operational budget and staff size — in San Diego with regular evening hours. Mid-size museums with evening hours in San Diego include the WNDR Museum and the Whaley House Museum, with Mingei International Museum, a large museum, being partly open twice a week during the evening.
Music En La Calle returns to City Heights June 22
Music En La Calle, the free music festival that brings together colorful musical performances representing a wide range of cultures and styles, returns to City Heights for the sixth time. Presented by San Diego’s Bodhi Tree Concerts, Music En La Calle takes place on Saturday, June 22 from noon-6 p.m., at City Heights Performance Annex, 3795 Fairmount Ave. Admission is free and open to all. Artists performing will include Irving Flores Latin Jazz, Naruwan Taiko, Culture Shock San Diego, Mariachi Victoria, and Opera de Tijuana, among others.
Support sought for California State Library Parks Pass
As summer gets underway, California State Parks Foundation is issuing an urgent call to Californians to sign a petition and contact their legislators in support of the California State Library Parks Pass. The funding for this popular state park access program will be eliminated in the state budget unless the governor and the Legislature act before the end of the month. “We are extremely concerned about the governor’s proposal to end this highly effective and popular program providing free access to California state parks,” said Rachel Norton, executive director of California State Parks Foundation.
High-tea fashion show with designer Oscar De La Renta
The Fairmont Grand Del Mar at 5300 Grand Del Mar Court is holding a one-of-a-kind high tea meets fashion experience with internationally acclaimed fashion designer Oscar de La Renta on Thursday, June 20 at 2 p.m. The afternoon tea presentation will take place at the resort’s newly renovated Lobby Lounge showcasing the brand’s 2024 Pre-Fall Collection and signature ‘must-have’ pieces of the season. Tickets to this one-of-a-kind high tea meets fashion experience are available for purchase on Tock.
West Mission Bay Drive Bridge Project attracts award
This past year, several City CIP projects were recognized with industry or professional awards at national, state and local levels, including: The West Mission Bay Drive Bridge Project received the American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) National Recognition Award. The project replaced the existing four-lane bridge built in the early 1950s with two separate three-lane bridge structures with protected multi-use paths. It is the largest bridge project ever completed in the City of San Diego.The city is recruiting fort a variety of positions.
Welllness Day at Liberty Station
Introducing Liberty Station’s new festival: Anchored in Wellness, a day of movement and mindfulness. The event will take place in Ingram Plaza, 2640 Cushing Road, on Saturday, June 29 from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. There will be an area for movement (Pilates, yoga, and, boot camp classes) and an area for mindfulness (meditation, a sound bath, and breathwork). Cost is $30. There will be a vendor booth area with two stages for classes, ice baths, contest giveaways, a wine and beer garden, and experiential activations throughout the event. This event will highlight Liberty Station as one of San Diego’s top wellness destinations.
Art of Navigation exhibit opens at Maritime Museum of San Diego
The Maritime Museum of San Diego announced the opening of the new Art of Navigation exhibit this summer in the Gould Eddy Gallery found aboard the 1898 Victorian – era steam ferryboat Berkeley. Entry to the new exhibit is included with general admission. Art of Navigation draws upon some of the finest and most beautiful examples of period instruments, charts, and voyage accounts, illuminated by the work of documentary maritime artist Gordon Miller. The Maritime Museum of San Diego is open daily at Star of India wharf located at 1492 N. Harbor Drive between Grape and Ash Street.
