Your Daily Business Report: Sept. 28, 2023
UC regents approve UC San Diego
Science Research Park development
By Leslie Sepuka
The University of California Regents approved the design of Science Research Park, where corporate, nonprofit foundation and academic partnerships will advance UC San Diego’s
research objectives, support commercialization and provide students with real-world challenges and experiences that prepare them to contribute to the future workforce.
The university announced in November that Wexford Science & Technology LLC would develop 14 acres within the 23-acre Science Research Park on UC San Diego’s East Campus. Science Research Park will be Wexford’s 17th fully integrated innovation district developed in partnership with and anchored by a leading university or research institution.
Current Science Research Park tenants include La Jolla Institute for Immunology and the Center for Novel Therapeutics, and tenants of the future Science Research Park buildings will build off of existing biotech success in the community. Most of the new building space—over one million square feet—will be dedicated to technology, life science research, office and convening spaces.
Photo: The 23-acre Science Research Park on the UC San Diego campus will support innovative research companies, entrepreneurs and researchers. (Copyright Wexford Science & Technology LLC Credit ZGF Architects)
Common Read project spotlights banned books
By Samantha Boden
Cal State San Marcos students were buzzing with excitement on Sept. 12 as they gathered in front of Kellogg Library during U-Hour to look at the different books on display and pick one up for free at the fall 2023 Campus Common Read kickoff.
For the second straight year, the theme is banned books, which has become a hot topic in libraries across the country due to increasing censorship and restriction in recent years. According to the American Library Association (ALA,) the books commonly targeted are the ones that center around marginalized groups, particularly LGBTQIA+ persons and people of color. By highlighting these underrepresented groups, Common Read will create a space for everyone to have a voice and share their thoughts on how the banning of books affects marginalized communities.
Campus Common Read is held annually and provides students with the opportunity to select a free book and engage with the campus community through constructive discussions and activities that connect to the readings. With a diverse selection of five books to choose from that vary in genre, students can learn more about why books get banned and the important concepts discussed in these texts such as issues relating to race, gender and sexuality.
California community college enrollment
is up, but one group of students lag behind
CalMatters
An emerging trend among community college students ages 20 to 30 has educators worried: While other age groups are returning to college following a drop during the COVID-19 pandemic, these twenty-somethings are the last holdouts.
At its lowest point following the start of the pandemic, the California Community Colleges system had lost just over 417,000 students, an 18.5 percent drop compared to the 2018-19 academic year. That was a 30-year low. The decline means colleges risk losing state funds in the near future, since their funding is pegged in part to enrollment. In the long-term, it means employers may grapple with a less educated or less skilled workforce.
The result is a demographic shift across the community college system. For over a decade, it was students between 20 and 30 years old who made up the plurality of students on campus. Last year, it was students under 20 who represented the largest group. These youth, particularly those in high school, have become central to the strategy of California Community College Chancellor Sonya Christian, who has said she wants to require every ninth-grader in California to enroll in a community college course.
San Diego and Imperial County community
colleges have a $10 billion economic impact
A recent study found that community colleges in San Diego and Imperial counties had a $10 billion economic impact on the region – a financial boost equivalent to the spending generated by hosting 28 Super Bowls.
The 10 community colleges in the region support more than 100,000 jobs or about one out of every 23 jobs in the two-county area. The colleges’ economic impact is reflected in the jobs that graduates attain in high-demand industries because of their education, the cost of running the institutions and paying more than 11,000 employees, and the cost of construction at the college campuses.
Lightcast, a leading provider of economic impact and labor market data to educational institutions and workforce planners, conducted the study. It was based on data from the 2021-2022 academic year from the community colleges in San Diego and Imperial counties: Cuyamaca College, Grossmont College, Imperial Valley College, MiraCosta College, Palomar College, San Diego City College, San Diego Mesa College, San Diego Miramar College, San Diego College of Continuing Education, and Southwestern College.
Most popular Scripps Health groups
to exit Medicare Advantage at end of year
Scripps Health confirmed Tuesday that its clinic and coastal medical groups — which have been the provider’s most popular options for many patients — will stop participating in Medicare Advantage plans starting Jan. 1, 2024.
The move, which first surfacedpublicly in early August, has been estimated to affect about 32,000 San Diego County seniors enrolled in a range of plans from organizations such as SCAN, Anthem, Alignment, MediBlue, Blue Shield, Health Net and United Healthcare.
Rumored for months, Chris Van Gorder, Scripps’ chief executive officer, confirmed the decision Tuesday. This, the executive said, is not a negotiating tactic.
CA Climate Credit to offset SDG&E
Customers’ electric bills in October
For the third time this year, San Diego Gas & Electric residential customers will get a break on their energy bill, thanks to the California Climate Credit program administered by the California Public Utilities Commission as part of the state’s effort to fight climate change. In October, residential electric customers will see a $60.70 credit on their statement. Billing cycles vary for customers, so not everyone will see the bill credit at the same time in October.
Earlier this year, SDG&E residential customers who have both gas and electric service saw a total of about $104 in bill credit applied to their February and March SDG&E statements. These two earlier installments of credits plus the latest one add up to $164.80 for the year.
Alaska Airlines adds another nonstop destination from San Diego
Alaska Airlines will start flying nonstop between San Diego and Atlanta next year, part of of an aggressive move to expand direct service to dozens of domestic and international destinations. The new flight will begin May 16 but tickets are available for purchase now at alaskaair.com. Flights will depart San Diego mid-morning and arrive in Atlanta in the late afternoon with service returning to San Diego in the early evening.
San Diego Farm & Nursery Expo set for Nov. 2
San Diego County Farm Bureau’s annual Farm and Nursery Expo will be held at the California Center for the Arts in Escondido on Thursday, Nov. 2 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The expo is free and designed to support the diversity of Southern California agriculture. The direct economic output from agricultural production in San Diego County totaled $1.7 billion, as stated by the most recent Crop Statistics & Annual Report provided by the San Diego County Department of Agriculture Weights and Measures.
Burnham-Moores Center announces its next Dialogue Series conference
The Burnham-Moores Center for Real Estate will host the Oct. 5 Dialogue Series conference titled “Managing Your Career Trajectory — Staying Relevant in Today’s Dynamid Market,”
in the Illumina Theater at The Alexandria at Torrey Pines, 10996 Torreyana Road, San Diego, from 7:30 to 10 a.m. Opening speaker will be Katie Hart, senior corporate recruiter for Bisnow and Select Leaders. Register here.
County gets grant to fund Mobile Crisis Response Team
The Mobile Crisis Response Team (MCRT) program that supports people confronting mental health struggles is getting a multi-million-dollar boost. Tuesday the County Board of Supervisors accepted $4.48 million in one-time Congressional Directive Spending grant funding to expand the MCRT program. The grant will fund new MCRTs to support areas with higher call volumes, which most recent data shows as East County, and for a pilot team that will respond directly to schools.
County awarded more state funds
to help people living in encampments
More state funds are heading to San Diego County to help people experiencing homelessness along the region’s riverbeds. The newest is a $5.1 million grant for the Sweetwater Riverbed, including an area paralleling Interstate 805 in the South County and known as “The Jungle.” The County’s Department of Homeless Solutions and Equitable Communities led the grant application in collaboration with the City of Chula Vista, National City and California Department of Transportation to the State’s $240 million Encampment Resolution Fund.
La Vida Del Mar earns CARF re-accreditation
La Vida Del Mar, an active retirement community in Solana Beach owned and operated by Senior Resource Group (SRG), announced it has been reaccredited by CARF International. The latest accreditation is the fourth consecutive three-year accreditation awarded to La Vida Del Mar. Similar to the five-star rating of the hospitality industry, this certification is the highest level of accreditation that can be awarded to a retirement community. La Vida Del Mar completed a voluntary peer review process.
CourtAvenue bolsters digital transformation
with addition of Gigantic Playground
CourtAvenue, a leading digital transformation agency, announces the latest addition to its dynamic family of digital transformation and creative enterprises under the CourtAvenue Collective umbrella — Gigantic Playground, a connected experience agency, with a bold new mission to reimagine how we live, work, shop and play through experience design, software engineering, emerging technology, and IoT connectivity solutions.
Shield AI welcomes Shivon Zilis to board of directors
Shield AI, the defense technology company building a leading AI pilot for aircraft, announced that Shivon Zilis, director of special projects at Neuralink and former Open AI board member, has joined its board of directors. Zilis brings 15+ years of successful operational and investment experience in the AI and autonomy fields, advising at several of the world’s most successful AI companies as both an investor and a member of executive teams.
SOCi Inc. taps Ed Calnan as president and chief revenue officer
SOCi Inc., a leading CoMarketing Cloud Platform for multi-location enterprises, announced Ed Calnan as the company’s president and chief revenue officer. As a three-time entrepreneur and co-founder of Seismic Software, Calnan will help drive SOCi’s strategic growth initiatives and oversee its revenue-generating functions, as the six-time Inc. 5000 Fastest Growing Company honoree SOCi continues its impressive run as a premier marketing technology partner to some of the world’s largest enterprise brands.
Cancer for College teams up with Goodroot to expand scope
Cancer for College announced an innovative partnership with Goodroot that will expand its mission by helping families fighting pediatric cancer with their medical bills with a focus on alleviating or canceling their medical debt. Cancer for College (CFC) has provided need-based college scholarships and educational experiences to cancer survivors since 1993, awarding over $7 million in scholarships to more than 1,700 individuals.