Daily Business Report- Jan. 3, 2020
City of San Diego
Report: City of San Diego ahead of
schedule to meet clean air goal
sdnews.com
The city of San Diego has slashed greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 24 percent over the past decade – far surpassing the 2020 goal of 15 percent – and conducted a first-ever analysis on climate equity, according to the Climate Action Plan 2019 Annual Report released last week.
The city’s landmark Climate Action Plan calls for slashing GHGs in half by 2035 compared to emissions from 2010. This year marks the fourth consecutive year of reductions with 24 percent, compared to 21 percent a year ago.
“Climate action isn’t just a phrase in San Diego – it’s a way of life. The investments we’re making now to protect the environment will pay huge dividends going forward,” Mayor Kevin Faulconer said. “We’re making solid progress on leaving behind a cleaner San Diego, but we know there is much more work to do and it’s going to take all of us being part of the solution to get where we need to go.”
The analysis outlined in the report attributed much of the changes to a decrease in natural gas emissions and an increase in water use emissions. In 2018, natural gas emissions decreased by 12 percent. Less rain in 2017 and 2018 meant the city imported more water, which led to a 19 percent increase in emissions in the water category.
Read more…
http://sdnews.com/bookmark/27689047
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San Diego investors get $100 million
to help underrepresented entrepreneurs
Founders First Capital Partners, a small team of local investors, has secured a $100 million commitment from financial backers to form three investment funds in San Diego. From these funds, the group will loan money to startups led by underrepresented founders – minority, military veterans, or woman entrepreneurs – operating in low and middle-income communities outside of capital-flush regions like Silicon Valley and New York. The funding is aimed at businesses that can’t get traditional loans because they don’t have assets, especially those in the service industry.
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TechFlow wins position on Blanket Security
Agreement from Dept. of Homeland Security
San Diego-based TechFlow, a logistics and digital services solutions company, has been awarded a position on the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Architecture, Development, and Platform Technical Service Blanket Purchase Agreement.
This is a multiple award contract vehicle in support of the DHS Office of the Chief Information Officer.
TechFlow was selected as one of four awardees where the total value of the Blanket Purchase Agreements across the four awardees totals $265 million.
The objective of this Blanket Purchase Agreement is to obtain highly specialized technical contractor support services to assist the Office of the Chief Information Officer in accomplishing its vision of customer-centric service delivery. The scope of this effort includes the contractor support services necessary to provide a full range of information technology and program support services resulting in secure utility computing service delivery featuring innovation and re-use.
“We are excited to work with the Department of Homeland Security on its effort to modernize services,” said Robert Baum, TechFlow CEO. “For us, working with a leadership team that is laser focused on bringing new technologies into their business to help them be more effective at servicing our nation is a perfect fit.”
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Women in Tourism & Hospitality to lead
conference promoting diversity, inclusion
Women in Tourism & Hospitality (W.I.T.H.) will host its inaugural conference March 19-20 at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel San Diego-Mission Valley. The W.I.T.H. program recognizes and supports the contributions of women professionals who are significantly impacting tourism and hospitality in the San Diego metro area.
W.I.T.H. will bring together corporations, tourism executives, industry insiders, elected officials, entrepreneurs, educators, and students for one full day of motivation, education and networking.
Opening keynote speaker, Caroline Beteta, resident and CEO of Visit California, will offer insights on her career and how she provides strategic direction for a $131 million global program created to market California as a premier travel destination.
Closing keynote speaker, Hattie Hill, is a Global Diversity, Inclusion and Gender Equity Pioneer, president and CEO at T.D. Jakes Foundation and immediate past president and CEO of the Women’s Foodservice Forum. She will relate inspiring stories about advocating for and equipping women leaders with competencies and a mindset to advance their careers.
“The W.I.T.H Conference is designed to provide strategies and empowerment for women in the hospitality industry to take control of their business, go after what they want, and build a culture of inclusion, diversity and community,” said Clara Carter, founder of W.I.T.H. and the Multi-Cultural Convention Services Network.
At the 5th Annual W.I.T.H. Awards Luncheon, newly announced honorees, all women industry leaders, will participate in a moderated candid panel discussion about their journey to the top, their vision for the future and tips on what it takes to get there. Conference attendees can also bid on silent auction items and funds raised will assist the W.I.T.H. Scholarship Program.
Tickets to the conference are $439 and will raise to $489 after Feb. 28, 2020. Student pricing starts at $249 and will be $299 after Feb. 28, 2020.
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Illumina stock downgraded
to ‘In-Line’ by Evercore ISI
Investment banking firm Evercore ISI has downgraded shares of Illumina to an In Line rating, with a price target of $340.
“We are downgrading Illumina to In Line as we see risks and upside surprises as being fairly balanced at current levels,” analyst Vijay Kumar wrote in a research note.
“While we are huge fans of Illumina as a fundamental, secular growth company longer term, current valuation causes us to move to the sidelines,” he added.
Previously, Evercore had rated the shares at Outperform with a price target of $330.
Kumar said Illumina “had a challenging 2019, with a few curveballs being thrown at the company,” including declines in its microarray and direct-to-consumer business, headwinds in China, and delays in population genomics projects. Growth “never materialized,” leading to a year of “misses and lowered guidance,” Kumar wrote. “As we look towards 2020, we think the company is likely to start the year with a conservative outlook.”
In Thursday morning trading on the Nasdaq, shares of Illumina were down 1 percent at $328.14.
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Junior League sponsors Jan. 25 rally
to shed light on human trafficking
Hundreds of community members will carry handmade signs and march across a bridge to Balboa Park to raise awareness of the impacts of human trafficking in San Diego County on Jan. 25 in a rally sponsored by The Junior League of San Diego.
The Human Trafficking Awareness Rally will be staged from 1 to 3 p.m. at Sixth Avenue and Laurel Street.
At the beginning of the march, the crowd will gather at the park to hear experts share how to recognize the signs of victims being held captive and how to get involved in anti-trafficking efforts in the region.
Each year, the crime of human trafficking violates the human rights of approximately 5,000 local adults and children and costs the San Diego economy $800 million dollars. The FBI names San Diego as one of the 13 areas with the highest rates of child sex trafficking in the nation – and children who are homeless or in the foster care system are especially vulnerable.
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County Library’s Top 10 book
and movie checkouts of 2019
The beginning of the new year is the perfect time to set some reading goals for the months ahead! San Diego County Library has released its top 10 checkout list for 2019. Get some inspiration for your 2020 reading list and see if your favorite books, e-books and DVDs from last year made the cut.
Ready to leave the last decade behind and start this one off with some fresh recommendations? County librarians can tell you what to watch for in 2020 and help you find your next favorite book or movie. For recommendations, visit the library in person or go online.
The items below all fall under the “grown-up” category and do not include children’s books.
Books
“Where The Crawdads Sing” by Delia Owens
“Dark Sacred Night” by Michael Connelly
“Becoming” by Michelle Obama
“The Great Alone” by Kristin Hannah
“The Reckoning” by John Grisham
“Nine Perfect Strangers” by Liane Moriarty
“Long Road to Mercy” by David Baldacci
“Past Tense: A Jack Reacher Novel” by Lee Child
“Crazy Rich Asians” Kevin Kwan
“The President is Missing: A Novel” by James Patterson
EBooks
“The Great Believers” by Rebecca Makkai
“Where The Crawdads Sing” by Delia Owens
“Becoming” by Michelle Obama
“Educated: A Memoir” Tara Westover
“Nine Perfect Strangers” by Liane Moriarty
“Past Tense: A Jack Reacher Novel” by Lee Child
“The Reckoning” by John Grisham
“Crazy Rich Asians” by Kevin Kwan
“Little Fires Everywhere” by Celeste Ng
“The Great Alone” by Kristin Hannah
Movies (Based on DVD and Blu-Ray checkouts)
“Jumanji, Welcome to the Jungle”
“Star Wars Solo: A Star Wars Story”
“Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom”
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LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Dear Editor:
Every day there is news of climate catastrophes that may be linked to climate change. Every day we hear the same excuses from world leaders and legislators: It’s a hoax; we can’t do anything unless China and India do something; climate has changed before; there’s no scientific consensus.
Unless we act, history will show a lack of moral leadership that caused one of the greatest human failures.
But there is hope and a path forward. Scientists agree that climate change can be stopped by ending the burning of fossil fuels. A fee on carbon does exactly this in addition to generating jobs and encouraging energy innovation. If you want to be part of the solution, join a group like Citizens Climate Lobby, a nonpartisan group that is working on getting Congress to pass carbon reduction legislation.
Susan Kobara
Carlsbad, Calif.
