Daily Business Report: Friday, July 8, 2022
Will a new oversight position help California’s
high-speed rail plans get on track?
By Ralph Vartabedian | CalMatters
In Summary
Gov. Gavin Newsom and the Legislature agreed to create an inspector general job for high-speek rail as part of a compromise that they hope will get the project moving and end with an actual train
After a decade of cost, schedule, technical, regulatory, personnel and legal problems, the California high speed rail project will be getting an inspector general soon as part of a deal between Gov. Gavin Newsom and the Legislature.
The new investigative position is intended to intensify oversight and improve performance of the $105 billion railroad project. Enthusiasm for the change is high, but whether it will fix everything is uncertain, even among state leaders.
“There is nothing but problems on the project,” said Speaker Anthony Rendon, a Lakewood Democrat. “The inspector general provides oversight and some sense of what is going on with management. That has been missing for a long time.”
But will it work?
“We don’t know,” Rendon said. “We need to be vigilant. The IG will provide what we need to carry that out.”
Until now, a variety of outside agencies have advised the Legislature and the governor on the project, resulting in recommendations that often were not carried out. In some cases, they required changes that nobody had the power to make and in other cases carried too high a political price with outside interest groups.
Top photo: A rendering of the proposed California High-Speed Rail. Courtesy of the California High-Speed Rail Authority
New headache center opens at UC San Diego Health
Center will provide specialized, multidisciplinary treatment for headaches, migraines and traumatic brain injuries
Headaches are one of the most common disorders of the body’s nervous system, with 60 million Americans living with chronic migraine and headache, according to the American Academy of Neurology. For many, this disorder causes lifelong disability.
Expanding upon care provided for San Diegans living with headache disorders, UC San Diego Health has opened a new, multidisciplinary center that will provide specialized care for such disorders, plus migraine and long-term side effects of traumatic brain injuries.
The new Headache Center at UC San Diego Health is located in Sorrento Valley at 4910 Directors Place, Suite 250, San Diego, CA 92121.
“Ten percent of primary care visits are focused on headache and migraine, and many of these individuals require specialized care in order to improve their symptoms,” said Nina Riggins, M.D., neurologist and headache specialist at UC San Diego Health, and director of the new center. “In partnership with primary care, women’s health, interventional radiology, neurosurgery, spine and pain specialists, and others, we will treat individuals who are dealing with serious, debilitating headache disease, with a targeted therapeutic approach.”
Large office property in Oceanside acquired
by charter school organization for $11.8 million
Partnering with Parents LLC, doing business as The Classical Academies charter schools, has acquired four vacant Oceanside office buildings that were previously owned by the County of San Diego for $11.8 million. The four buildings total 99,968 square feet and are located at 1305-1320 Union Plaza Court.
Peter Curry, Jason Kimmel and Tim Winslow with Cushman & Wakefield represented the seller in the transaction. Jon Walters and Jim Benson of Kidder Mathews represented the buyer.
“Formerly occupied by the County of San Diego for decades, this was a rare opportunity to acquire this strategically located campus in a private cul-de-sac,” said Curry. “And the land size, layout and functionality of this former longstanding office property seems very well suited to support the needs of a school campus use and create a great learning environment.”
San Diego Symphony strikes Tchaikovsky’s
‘1812 Overture’ from concert
With its frenzied booming sounds of war, Tchaikovsky’s “1812 Overture,” written as a commemoration of Russia’s defeat of Napoleon’s army, has been stricken from the repertoire of San Diego Symphony’s Tchaikovsky concert on Aug. 26 out of respect for the people of Ukraine, suffering at the hands of the invading Russia military.
Originally titled the “1812 Tchaikovsky Spectacular,” the concert at the Rady Shell at Jacobs Parknhas been renamed “Tchaikovsky’s Symphonic Tales.”
“While this program has been a regular of San Diego Symphony summer seasons past, with the ongoing Russian war that threatens the people of Ukraine, who – as we speak – are fighting for their very lives, we feel that it is important to amend this program,” said a symphony announcement.
The program, as amended, will include Tchaikovky’s “Waltz” and “Polonaise” from Eugene Onegin, “The Tempest” Fantasy Overture, Op. 18, “Francesca da Rimini, Op. 32, and the Rinsky-Korsakov “Russian Easter Overture,” Op. 36.
“We join the many millions across the world who wholeheartedly support Ukraine and its people in one of the darkest hours of their history and carry hope that this war will end soon,” the symphony said.
Sara Hyzer appointed chief financial officer at WD-40 Company
WD-40 Company announced that it will appoint Sara Hyzer as vice president, finance, treasurer and chief financial officer, assuming the role from the company’s current chief financial officer, Jay Rembolt, who announced his planned retirement in late 2020.
Hyzer currently serves as vice president, global finance strategy at WD-40 Company and will undertake duties as chief financial officer on Nov.1, 2022, which is after the filing of WD-40 Company’s 2022 annual report.
To ensure a smooth transition into her new role, Hyzer will work closely with Rembolt, who will serve as a strategic adviser to the company until Jan. 6, 2023.
Hyzer will report to the company’s chief executive officer and will oversee WD-40 Company’s financial operations, including the management of accounting, external reporting, tax, treasury, financial planning and analysis, and internal audit.
Prior to joining WD-40 Company, Hyzer spent over 20 years at PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, with the last six years serving as an audit partner for both publicly traded and privately held companies in various industries, including consumer products and life sciences.
She Hyzer holds a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Colorado State University. She is a Certified Public Accountant in the state of California and is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.
Parkway Plaza accepting entries for
its first Taste for the Space competition
Parkway Plaza shopping center in El Cajon will host its first-ever culinary competition and community experience, Taste for the Space throughout the month of September. With a prize package valued at over $50,000, Parkway Plaza is offering a $15,000 business investment and three months of free rent to local restaurants, food trucks and culinary professionals who compete for an eatery space at the shopping center. Local businesses interested in competing can apply on Parkway Plaza’s website, now through July 31. Finalists will be announced on Aug. 1.
Taste for the Space will take place from Sept. 1 to Sept. 30 where up to four chosen operators will have the opportunity to “pop up” in a turn-key food court space and showcase their signature cuisine for one month to the public. The visitors to Parkway Plaza, along with a panel of local tastemaker judges will vote to influence whose concept will win the space. The winner will be announced at Parkway Plaza’s 50th Anniversary celebration on Oct. 1, 2022.
For more information on Taste for the Space or how to apply visit: visitparkwayplaza.com/taste4thespace
$12 million available from county
for affordable, supportive housing units
If you can acquire, build or rehabilitate affordable housing units, you may qualify for a loan from the County of San Diego to help.
Housing and Community Development Services at the County Health and Human Services Agency (HHSA) has released a Notice of Funding Availability for $12 million for the acquisition, construction, and/or rehabilitation of multi-family affordable housing units for extremely low-income people and families. Applications will be accepted for a three-month period, ending at 2 p.m. Sep. 30, 2022.
The NOFA includes $12 million from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) and 120 Project Based Vouchers (PBV). All ARPA funds will be provided in the form of loans to successful applicants who agree to provide permanent supportive housing for extremely low-income households.
For more information, visit the Housing and Community Development Services website.
New San Diego facility seeks to make
diagnostics more available, affordable
CorDx, a global leader in the development, manufacturing, and distribution of diagnostics and medical devices, recently unveiled a new facility in San Diego with innovations designed to make medical diagnostic products more accessible and affordable for health care professionals and end users alike.
The campus facility, which began development in January 2021, features CorDx’s proprietary integrated supply chain, an innovation that surpasses the distributed supply chain found in many diagnostics developers. The facility primarily focuses on the latter half of the manufacturing process: pouch and sealing, plastic cassetting/assembly, and a dry environment. It features 17,000 square feet of R&D and manufacturing space and 7,000 square feet of finished product storage. Two additional office locations are set aside for administrative support and business development.
The facility is staffed by over 130 technicians with another 50-100 personnel expected to be added by end of 2022. An additional 300 technicians will be expected to be added to CorDx’s Atlanta, Ga., facility by the end of 2022.
North Island brown kiwi successfully
hatched at San Diego Zoo Safari Park
San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance has achieved a conservation milestone with the hatching of a North Island brown kiwi—the first time this species has hatched at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park. The male chick hatched on June 13, and brings valuable genetic diversity to the very small brown kiwi population in North America. Wildlife care specialists will monitor the chick’s diet and weight gain for the next several weeks, and they report that the young kiwi is doing well.
Native to New Zealand, the brown kiwi is a flightless bird about the size of a chicken. Not able to fly up into trees to nest, it makes it home in burrows in the ground. The brown kiwi is mostly nocturnal, emerging from its burrow at night to feed on worms and other invertebrates.
San Diego Mental Health Consortium expands outreach
Rapidly expanding its outreach, San Diego Mental Health Consortium (SDMHC) – a program launched by Alliant Educational Foundation (AEF) to provide mental health services to underserved children and youth – will serve over 150 individuals and their families in the coming school year.
Partnering with a number of high-profile area nonprofit agencies as well as Alliant International University (AIU) and Alliant’s California School of Professional Psychology (CSPP), the AEF-funded consortium helps support children’s mental health and strengthen positive parenting by providing quality mental health services, including group and supportive therapy. CSPP graduate students are assigned to participating agencies with a site supervisor and a licensed clinical psychologist supervisor – providing clinical assessment and therapy for children and their families.
According to Valin Brown, AEF’s CEO, since its inception in 2020, SDMHC has tripled its initial partners – expanding from 3 to 9 nonprofit agencies and will now provide high quality mental health support and resources to more individuals and their families.
Biocom California appoints Miguel Motta
VP and head of San Diego operations
Biocom California the association representing the California life science industry, announced the appointment of Miguel Motta as the organization’s vice president of strategic operations and head of its San Diego regional office.
Motta is an international business professional with more than 20 years of experience in the life sciences industry.
Most recently, he served as president and CEO of IRP Health. He has held executive positions in Fortune 500 companies, including Monsanto, now Bayer Crop Sciences.
Motta has been chairman, president, chief executive officer, chief financial officer or chief operating officer of growth-stage, venture capital-backed companies.
He has extensive experience in launching novel products in developed and emerging markets, mergers and acquisitions and capital formation.
He has led global organizations in Switzerland, Spain, The Netherlands, France, Japan, Mexico and the U.S. Motta received his MBA with honors from the Rotterdam School of Management in the Netherlands.
Kilroy Realty announces new onsite solar projects
Kilroy Realty Corporation has completed three onsite solar installations at 2100 Kettner and 9455 Towne Centre Drive in San Diego and Kilroy Oyster Point – Phase 1 in South San Francisco. With these systems energized, Kilroy now hosts over six megawatts of solar spanning across 13 assets, demonstrating Kilroy’s continued commitment to scaling its renewable energy installations throughout its California portfolio.
The additional supply of clean solar electricity from these projects extends Kilroy’s position as a sustainability leader and advances the company’s efforts to champion sustainability initiatives that address the critical global challenge of climate change.
