Daily Business Report: Aug. 2, 2022
RIP to Sport Arena: as plans stand, city may
want to take ‘sports’ out of the name
By Scott Lewis | Voice of San Diego
The Sports Arena, for now the Pechanga Arena San Diego, is 56 years old this year and, if the mayor, City Council and city staff have their way, it won’t reach its 60th birthday.
They want it gone. In all the talk about what will happen to the Midway neighborhood and the redevelopment of the nearly 50-acres of land the city owns along Sports Arena Boulevard, it may not have sunk in that the entire leadership of city government is committed to demolishing the arena.
As city staff were urgently trying to advance their top three choices of teams to do this work, some voices peeped that maybe we didn’t need a new arena or maybe there were other priorities or maybe it could be renovated. And if you’re going to build a new arena, why build it there? There’s nothing about the neighborhood, especially with 4,000 more new homes, that makes it an obvious place to put a new arena except that one has been there for so long.
(And it was only put there after an uncomfortable history with the neighborhood that was there before.)
In April, Councilman Joe LaCava heard those concerns but dismissed them.
“I actually kind of agree with you about the Sports Arena but that debate has been risen and resolved. And a sports arena is going to be part of this project. We’re not going backward,” he said.
Top Photo: Clockwise from top: Midway Rising, Midway Village+ and HometownSD.
General Atomics satellite with Argos-4 payload completes
environmental testing in preparation for launch
General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems (GA-EMS) announced that it has successfully completed environmental testing of its satellite platform and integrated Argos-4 hosted payload in preparation for a fall 2022 launch. The company is delivering the spacecraft as a Hosted Payload Solutions (HoPS) mission delivery order for the Argos Advanced Data Collection System (A-DCS) awarded to General Atomics by the United States Space Force, Space Systems Command, on behalf of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The Argos-4 instrument onboard the GA-EMS satellite was provided by France’s National Centre for Space Studies (CNES).
The Argos-4 payload will collect, process, and disseminate environmental data from fixed and mobile sensors worldwide.
Missile Defense Agency selects Northrop
Grumman to lead missile defense program
Northrop Grumman Corporation has been awarded a contract with a maximum amount of $3.3 billionby the Missile Defense Agency for the Ground-based Midcourse Defense (GMD) Weapon System (GWS) program. The GWS program defends the United States against intermediate and intercontinental ballistic missile attacks. Under this competitively procured contract, Northrop Grumman will provide design, development, verification, deployment and sustainment support of new capabilities for GWS.
$6.25 million grant establishes new
AI center at Fowler College of Business
San Diego State University has announced a $6.25 million grant from the James Silberrad Brown Foundation through the San Diego Foundation that will provide $5 million for an artificial intelligence (AI) center at the Fowler College of Business and $1 million for the Aztecs Going Pro student-athlete career development program.
The foundation is named for the late Jim Brown, who graduated from SDSU in 1967 with a business management degree. Brown was a past member of the SDSU Alumni Board of Advisors and the 1991 Distinguished Alumni Award recipient from what was then the College of Business Administration.
Brown and his wife, Marilyn Creson Brown, have been major donors to the university for decades and are well known for their philanthropy throughout San Diego. The couple frequently attended SDSU sporting events together.
New National Science Foundation institute
will get to the core of Data Science
A new National Science Foundation initiative has created a $10 million institute led by computer and data scientists at University of California San DIego that aims to transform the core fundamentals of the rapidly emerging field of Data Science.
Called The Institute for Emerging CORE Methods in Data Science (EnCORE), the institute will be housed in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering, in collaboration with The Halicioglu Data Science Institute (HDSI), and will tackle a set of important problems in theoretical foundations of Data Science.
UC San Diego team members will work with researchers from three partnering institutions – University of Pennsylvania, University of Texas at Austin and University of California, Los Angeles – to transform four core aspects of data science: complexity of data, optimization, responsible computing, and education and engagement.
“The NSF TRIPODS Institutes will bring advances in data science theory that improve health care, manufacturing, and many other applications and industries that use data for decision-making,” said Shekhar Bhansali, NSF division director for electrical, communications and cyber systems.
Sanford Burnham Prebys celebrates 46 years of discoveries
Sanford Burnham Prebys recently hosted a celebration to honor the anniversary of the Institute’s founding. More than 200 scientists, students and staff gathered to commemorate 46 years of world-class biomedical research.
“I’ve seen the Institute grow from just five employees to the more than 500 we have today,” said Institute Professor Jose Luis Millán who emceed the event. Millán joined the Institute in 1977, just one year after its founding. “What is important for the Institute now, as we reach middle age, is to reflect on our successes as we move forward into the next decades of our life.”
Sanford Burnham Prebys was founded on July 7, 1976, as the La Jolla Cancer Research Foundation. Since then, the Institute has established itself as a world leader in biomedical research, where scientists can work collaboratively to discover cures.
Malin Burnham recounted how he met the Institute’s two other namesakes, T. Denny Sanford and Conrad Prebys, reflecting on how these chance meetings helped the Institute grow to become the world-class facility it is today. He also expressed his gratitude to the staff.
“All of you are a part of the family, and that is what I’ve enjoyed as much as anything in my 40 years with this organization,” said Burnham during his comments. “I want to thank each and every one of you for being a part of this organization.”
Theater Review
‘The Remarkable Mister Holmes’
By Martin Kruming
Sherlock Holmes, a musical? Elementary, dear theater goers!
The much anticipated world premiere of “The Remarkable Mister Holmes” played Saturday night to a packed audience at the North Coast Repertory Theatre in Solana Beach who laughed, clapped and gave a standing ovation lasting more than a minute after the mystery had been solved and the last person left the stage.
We all know about Sherlock, his trusted sidekick, Watson, and of course, the devilish Professor Moriarty.
Set in London in 1889, the play opens with a series of vignettes that display Sherlock’s (Bart Shatto) wit, talents and sleuth-solving abilities. What unfolds is a mysterious death that only Holmes can solve with the aid of Sheila Watson (Sharon Rietkerk) not her brother Dr. Watsonb who’s on his way to Argentina where he’s inherited a mine. “You’re a Watson of a different kind,” explains Sherlock.
For almost three hours, the audience is treated to a stream of songs, including A Watson of a Different Kind, Poor Mr. Holmes and It’s Elementary, and lines of witty – and often risqué – scenes in an attempt to figure out who the villain really is.
It’s never obvious until Sherlock – the intuitive sleuth that he is – unlocks the mystery and exposes the intricacies of this complicated plot at which point Dr. Watson appears with Professor Moriarty looming nearby.
“Pure delight,” explained one theater goer. “That was so good. SO GOOD!” said another.
How does the North Coast Rep consistently produce such wonderful plays over a 40-year span? “It’s the people,” explained one season ticket holder.
The Remarkable Mister Holmes, a collaboration of Artistic Director David Ellenstein and Omri Schein (they co-wrote the book), continues through Aug. 21.
Martin Kruming is a former journalist who’s part of the San Diego-based Global Neighborhood Project.
State and local leaders celebrate awarding
of $68.5 million in state funding for San Diego
Mayor Todd Gloria led a community celebration in Oak Park last week to highlight $68.5 million in state budget funding for critically important projects in the City of San Diego – part of $485 million for projects and programs regionwide. Gloria was joined by members of San Diego’s state legislative delegation and of the City Council, as well as representatives from the office of Gov. Gavin Newsom.
The biggest single allocation of funding to the city is $20 million for construction of a new Oak Park Library, a project championed by Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkins along with other members of the delegation. Of the total funding for the City of San Diego, $29.25 million will fund park and recreation projects, $27.9 million will fund library projects, $7.3 million will fund cultural projects and $4.05 million will fund projects that promote green jobs and enhance public safety.
Girls Inc. of San Diego to 3 women
doing outstanding work in county
Girls Inc. of San Diego will host its second annual SHE LEADS: Strong, Smart and Bold Women of San Diego event on Sept. 28. Business and community leaders throughout San Diego County will come together in person to honor three women who have made standout contributions in the fields of technology, finance and government, as well as a commitment to making an impact on women and girls.
The honorees are:
• Maritza Diaz, CEO of ITJ, enabling companies to create software centers of excellence in Mexico.
• Kim Folsom, Founder, Chairperson and CEO of Founders First Capital Partners, bridging the funding and economic gap for diverse founder-led businesses.
• Janessa Goldbeck, CEO of Vet Voice Foundation and a Marine Corps veteran, empowering military veterans to become civic leaders and policy advocates as they continue their service at home.
The outdoor event will take place on Sept. 28 from 6-8 p.m. at the Farmer & The Seahorse in San Diego.
GluBio completes Series A+ financing of $22 million
GluBio Therapeutics, a biotech company with research operations in San Diego and Shanghai, China, announced the completion of Series A+ financing of $22 million. This round is led by Qiming Venture Partners and joined by Lilly Asia Ventures and Kaitai Capital, bringing the total capital raised to nearly $90 million since its establishment in March, 2021.
The investment will help advance two molecular glue degraders with best-in-class potential into the clinic for hematological malignancies, accelerate the lead optimization entry of three first-in-class TPD drugs for solid tumors and inflammatory diseases, and further upgrade GluBio’s proprietary TPD discovery platform and screening capabilities tailored for rapid discovery and optimization of small molecule protein degraders for “undruggable” therapeutic targets.
Groundbreaking held July 28
for Oceanside’s new Fire Station 1
Latitude 33 Planning & Engineering joined the City of Oceanside, Cox Construction Company, and STK Architecture Inc. in celebrating the groundbreaking of Oceanside’s new Fire Station 1. Located at 602 Civic Center Drive, the facility will be across the street from the Oceanside Civic Center. The project was funded by Measure X, the ½ percent sales tax increase, passed by voters in November 2018. The new, modern Fire Station 1 will better serve Oceanside’s residents, businesses, and visitors.
The new Fire Station 1 will replace the city’s current Fire Station 1 on Pier View Way. The old facility, built in 1929, does not accommodate modern-sized firefighting equipment. The new facility will encompass an approximately 20,000-square-foot, two-level building with parking lot, walkways, and emergency vehicle driveways. The building will include a five-bay apparatus space to house a fire engine, fire truck ladder company, an ambulance, battalion chief vehicle, and additional equipment.
Differentiated raises $5 million Seed round
Differentiated Therapeutics (dx/tx), a biotech company based in San Diego and Cambridge, Mass., announced the completion of a $5 million Seed financing. Curie.Bio, a founder-focused seed-stage venture capital firm, financed the round.
Differentiated Therapeutics was founded by CEO Bryce Allen, COO Diala Ezzeddine, and Professor Isaac Kohane, M.D. , of Harvard Medical School. Bryce Allen has a demonstrated track record in developing innovative computational approaches to designing small molecule therapeutics, most recently as a founding member of Silicon Therapeutics, acquired by Roivant Sciences in 2021 for $450 million. At Silicon, he was a key architect of the physics-based platform, and led the computationally-driven design and optimization of a best-in-class STING agonist currently in the clinic.
County expands support for people leaving
jail and returning to their communities
The County of San Diego was awarded $6 million in Proposition 47 grant funding that will be used to help people returning to their communities after serving time in County jails. The financial support is earmarked for those leaving custody who have a history of behavioral health needs and are homeless or at risk of homelessness. The County will also leverage an additional $4 million for a total program of $10 million.
“The goal of this grant and the work of the Community Care Coordination team is to help people leaving jail to gain independence, reduce criminal behavior and future returns to jail, and therefore improve public safety,” said Andrea Pella, director of Prevention, Diversion and Re-Entry for San Diego County. “This program will provide connections to care and housing resources for those who may have otherwise been homeless upon their release from jail.”
