Daily Business Report: Dec. 4, 2024
The price tag on Project 2025’s
abortion plan: $300 million cut to Medi-Cal
By Monique O. Madan | CalMatters
In summary:
Under Project 2025, all 50 states would be mandated to report detailed abortion-related data to the federal government or risk funding cuts. California is one of three states that currently does not report.
If President-elect Donald Trump goes forward with Project 2025, California could lose out on at least $300 million a year in funding for abortions, family planning and contraception for millions of low-income residents.
Project 2025, a right-wing blueprint for the next president, targeted the state with an ultimatum that would require California to start reporting abortion data to the Centers for Disease Control or risk losing critical Medicaid funding.
Despite Trump’s attempts to distance himself from the plan during the campaign, at least 140 of his allies produced the report and he’s appointing key figures from the project to his administration. As California leaders rush to shield the state from a Trump agenda, preserving reproductive freedoms stands as a top priority.
Gov. Gavin Newsom called a special session for next month to “Trump-proof” California, and he’s hiring lawyers to prepare for Day 1 of the Trump presidency.
“Whether it be our fundamental civil rights, reproductive freedom, or climate action – we refuse to turn back the clock and allow our values and laws to be attacked,” Newsom said in a statement.
Under Project 2025, all 50 states would be mandated to report detailed abortion-related data to the federal government, including information such as the reason for the abortion, the fetus’ gestational age, the birthing parent’s state of residence, whether the procedure was surgical or medication-induced, and more.
Top Photo: An exam room at Planned Parenthood of Orange and San Bernardino Counties’ health center. (Image courtesy of Planned Parenthood of Orange and San Bernardino Counties)
Landlords are using AI to raise rents — and California cities like San Diego are leading the pushback
By Wendy Fry | CalMatters
If you’ve hunted for apartments recently and felt like all the rents were equally high, you’re not crazy: Many landlords now use a single company’s software — which uses an algorithm based on proprietary lease information — to help set rent prices.
Federal prosecutors say the practice amounts to “an unlawful information-sharing scheme,” and some lawmakers throughout California are moving to curb it. San Diego’s City Council president is the latest to do so, proposing to prevent local apartment owners from using the pricing software, which he maintains is driving up housing costs.
San Diego’s proposed ordinance, now being drafted by the city attorney, comes after San Francisco supervisors in July enacted a similar, first-in-the-nation ban on “the sale or use of algorithmic devices to set rents or manage occupancy levels” for residences. San Jose is considering a similar approach.
And California and seven other states have also joined the federal prosecutors’ antitrust suit, which targets the leading rental pricing platform, Texas-based RealPage. The complaint alleges that “RealPage is an algorithmic intermediary that collects, combines, and exploits landlords’ competitively sensitive information. And in so doing, it enriches itself and compliant landlords at the expense of renters who pay inflated prices…”
Japan Maritime Defense Force selects SeaGuardians from General Atomics
The Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) has selected the General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc. (GA-ASI) SeaGuardian Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA) systems for its Long Endurance Unmanned Aerial Vehicle program. This follows JMSDF use of SeaGuardian since May 2023 as part of its Medium-Altitude, Long Endurance (MALE) RPA System Trial Operations Project.
SeaGuardian has been used by JMSDF to conduct various tests including whether unmanned aircraft can supplant some of the missions currently accomplished with manned aircraft. SeaGuardian is a MALE RPA system that can fly for 24 hours or more, depending on the configuration.
USD celebrates 75th anniversary and $75M record donation for STEM programs
Philanthropist and Chair Emerita at USD Darlene Marcos Shiley announced a record $75 million donation during the university’s 75-year legacy celebration. This gift will primarily fund the Shiley STEM initiative, focused on expanding the university’s 16 STEM programs through the Shiley-Marcos School of Engineering and College of Arts and Sciences.
Dexcom announces OURA partnership, $75M Series D funding
San Diego-based glucose biosensing leader Dexcom announced a strategic partnership with ŌURA, a smart health tracker ring creator, and a $75 million Series D investment. The partnership will enable cross-program and cross-product integrations between Dexcom Biosensors, the Dexcom app, Oura ring, and the Oura app. The funds will be used to support ŌURA’s growing commercial demand.
San Diego FC Announces Partnership with Sycuan Casino Resort
San Diego FC announced a multi-year partnership with Sycuan Casino Resort as the Club’s Founding Chrome Club Partner and Official Tribal Gaming Partner. As part of the “Chrome Club” family of founding partners, this sponsorship includes elements exclusive to Sycuan Casino Resort, with the goal of enhancing the San Diego FC experience and bringing fans closer to the action. Through this partnership, San Diego FC and Sycuan will deepen their shared commitment to the local community, leveraging sports and education to uplift future generations and positively impact the San Diego region.
Scripps Oceanography awarded $40 million
to support the Coastal Data Information Program
Scripps Institution of Oceanography has been awarded a five-year, $40 million award to support the Coastal Data Information Program (CDIP). The award comes from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and will help the program continue to provide real-time wave and sea surface temperature observations and forecasts. The program is known for its yellow mooring buoys that provide a wealth of environmental data. Wave data collected by CDIP plays a critical role in informing marine warnings and advisories issued by the National Weather Service during large and damaging storm events, including hurricanes, tropical storms, and winter storms such as atmospheric rivers and nor’easters.
22nd Agricultural Association receives
24 awards for excellence from IAFE
The 22nd District Agricultural Association — which produces the annual San Diego County Fair and owns and operates the Del Mar Fairgrounds — recently received 24 awards for excellence from the International Association of Fairs and Expositions (IAFE). The honors for the 2024 Fair and the Fairgrounds include 11 first-place awards, plus a Best in Division award.
While the majority of awards recognized the Fair, IAFE also honored the District’s commitment to environmental programs, facility improvements, and year-round operations. In fact, the Best of Division award was for Non-Fair Related Facility Usage, which includes initiatives and activities undertaken year-round at the Fairgrounds.
SDSU, UCSD and SDCCD awarded
grants for Equitable AI Alliance
grant funding will support two more years of collaboration between San Diego State University (SDSU), University of California San Diego (UC San Diego) and the San Diego Community College District (SDCCD) on a mission to tackle artificial intelligence equity gaps across the three regional campus networks.The Equitable AI Alliance was launched earlier this year as a way for SDSU and its partners to pool their AI resources, giving students, faculty and staff equal access to a wider variety of AI tools and training and increasing their potential for skill-building in the AI space. The alliance was one of five projects awarded a $1.5 million AI Grand Challenge grant from the California Education Learning.
Community celebrates Butterfield Trails County Park
County officials and community members kick off a new park project in Valley Center at Butterfield Trails County Park. The community took a tour of the 60-acre property, located at 27765 Valley Center Road, planted trees and engaged in activities. Last year, the county Board of Supervisors approved the purchase of the Butterfield Trails Ranch to create a public park for the Valley Center community. The land is now managed by the county’s Department of Parks and Recreation. Earlier this year, funds were set aside for site inspection and community outreach to decide the future use of the park and meet the needs of the community.
Curebound launches its new Curebound Cancer Challenge
Curebound has launched its new Curebound Cancer Challenge. An evolution of Curebound’s renowned Padres Pedal the Cause event, Curebound Cancer Challenge represents a new and elevated fundraising challenge experience. It aims to increase community participation and accelerate Curebound toward its goal of investing $100 million in cancer research through collaborative grants, public/private partnerships and targeted investments that are anchored in San Diego, with the potential to spread nationally through scientific collaborations.
Cortechs.ai announces oversubscribed funding
Cortechs.ai, a leader in AI-powered neuroimaging and prostate imaging solutions, announced the successful close of an oversubscribed Series C funding round led by VILAS Ventures. This strategic investment will fuel the company’s mission to advance medical imaging through cutting-edge technology, expanding both its product suite and market reach. The funding round, which exceeded its hard cap by a wide margin, drew strong interest from a diverse group of investors, reflecting high confidence in Cortechs.ai’s innovative solutions. Existing investor Genting Berhad, a global conglomerate, participated in the round as well.
Shadowbox announces $2 million investment from Baleon Capital
Shadowbox, a leading innovator in health care automation, announced a $2 million investment from Baleon Capital. To date, Baleon has funded $8 million of capital to fuel growth, expand market penetration, while enhancing product scalability. Shadowbox transforms workflow automation for health care providers and their clients by securely connecting their systems to a comprehensive library of electronic health records (EHRs). With its patented enterprise browser-as-a-platform technology, Shadowbox ensures efficient, accurate, and cost-effective patient data transfer, eliminating costly, labor-intensive integration projects.
Wildfire Systems closes $16 million Series B funding
Wildfire Systems, a San Diego-based provider of a financial technology platform for loyalty and reward programs, shopping companions, and content monetization, raised $16 million in Series B funding. The round was led by Intuit Ventures and Mucker Capital. In addition, new investors Cohen Circle, Samsung Next, Evolution VC, and Gaingels, plus existing investors TTV Capital, QED Investors, B Capital, DLA Piper, Moonshots Capital, and Citi Ventures participated. The Series B brings Wildfire’s total funding raised to date to $36 million.
High schools moved on from college for all.
Will Trump come through for job training?
By Carolyn Jones | CalMatters
In this politically charged era, there’s one thing both parties agree on: the benefits of high school career pathways.
With strong bipartisan support, career and technical education programs are poised to be a centerpiece of education policy over the next few years — both federally and in California. That’s good news for students taking agriscience, cabinetry, game design and other hands-on courses that may lead to high-paying careers.
Education advocates hail this as a boon for high schools. Students enrolled in career training courses tend to have higher test scores and graduation rates. And business leaders say that strong career education can boost a local economy.
ut there are still many unknowns, and some education experts worry that an expansion of career education will come at the expense of college-preparation programs, or lead to a return to “tracking,” in which schools steer certain students — often low-income students — toward careers that tend to pay less than those that require college degrees.
“This could be a great opportunity for career and technical education, but we have to do it right,” said Andy Rotherham, co-founder of Bellwether, a nonprofit educational consulting organization. “There’s a lot at stake.”
Funding is a primary question mark. While Republicans strongly support career education, it’s unclear if that enthusiasm will translate to more money — especially if Congress eliminates the Department of Education, as President-elect Trump has vowed to do.
