Daily Business Report: Oct. 19, 2023
Once hailed as a drought fix, California moves
to restrict synthetic turf over health concerns
By Shreya Agrawal | CalMatters
Gov. Gavin Newsom last week passed on a chance to limit the use of the so-called “forever chemicals” in legions of plastic products when he vetoed a bill that would have banned them in synthetic lawns. His veto of an environmental bill that overwhelmingly passed the Legislature underscores California’s convoluted guidance on the plastic turf that some homeowners, schools and businesses use in place of grass in a state accustomed to drought.
Less than a decade ago then-Gov. Jerry Brown signed a law prohibiting cities and counties from banning synthetic grass. At the time, the state was in the middle of a crippling drought and fake lawns were thought to be helpful in saving water.
But this year Democrats in the Legislature went in a different direction, proposing bills that would discourage synthetic turf. They’re worried about health risks created by the chemicals present in these lawns, including perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, also known as PFAS chemicals. Some chemicals in the crumb rubber base of synthetic turf, such as bisphenol A, commonly known as BPA, can leach out during extreme heat. These chemicals have been linked to various chronic diseases including cancers, diabetes and neurological impairments.
Photo: Workers install artificial turf in the yard of a home in Los Angeles in 2015. (Photo bu Lucy Nicholson, Reuters, via CalMatters)
Restaurants can apply for $5,000 loans
from the Restaurant Care Resilience Fund
Applications will open on Oct. 25 for this year’s second round of Restaurant Care Resilience Fund, a $2.1 million fund created by California Restaurant Foundation and made possible by donations from SoCalGas, PG&E Foundation and SDG&E.
The Resilience Fund aims to build resiliency within California’s restaurant community by providing $5,000 grants to independent restaurant owners across the state to invest in technology adoption, equipment upgrades, employee onboarding and retention or unforeseen hardships.
The fund, which first debuted in 2021, has helped over 1,100 independent restaurants across California to date, 162 of which were funded directly by SDG&E.
___________________________________________________________________________
Charles Ragland serves justice atop
local Attorney General’s Office
By Brian Hiro | Cal State San Marcos
There was a time when Charles Ragland seemed destined to pursue a career in politics, and his tenure as student body president at Cal State San Marcos in the mid-1990s was just the tip of the iceberg.
Two developments changed his life course, and are the reason why today Ragland is one of the foremost attorneys in San Diego – as well as one of CSUSM’s most decorated alumni. The first was the Monica Lewinsky scandal that roiled the nation in the late ’90s and caused Ragland to grow disillusioned about politics as a noble calling.
“It all just seemed really dumb, to be quite honest,” he said.
___________________________________________________________________________
Nanoparticle vaccine could curb cancer
metastasis to lungs by targeting a protein
By Liezel Labios | UCSD
Engineers at the University of California San Diego have developed an experimental vaccine that could prevent the spread of metastatic cancers to the lungs. The key ingredients of the vaccine are nanoparticles—fashioned from bacterial viruses—that have been engineered to target a protein known to play a central role in cancer growth and spread. In mice, the vaccine significantly reduced the spread of metastatic breast and skin cancers to the lungs. It also improved the survival rate in mice with metastatic breast cancer after surgical removal of the primary tumor.
The findings were published on Oct. 16 in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
___________________________________________________________________________
Salk researchers unveil human brain cell atlas
‘A new era in brain science’
Salk Institute researchers, as part of a larger collaboration with research teams around the world, analyzed more than half a million brain cells from three human brains to assemble an atlas of hundreds of cell types that make up a human brain in unprecedented detail.
The research, published in a special issue of the journal Science on Oct. 13, 2023, is the first time that techniques to identify brain cell subtypes originally developed and applied in mice have been applied to human brains.
__________________________________________________________________________
MedLeaf ‘devastated’ by city’s proposed lottery for pot shops
OCEANSIDE — As the City of Oceanside prepares to review candidates for storefront cannabis licenses, owners and employees of the city’s only marijuana delivery service, MedLeaf, fear the compny will go out of business if its unable to open a brickd-and-mortar shop.
In April, the City Council directed staff to develop a program allowing two permits for retail cannabis shops. The city currently allows for up to two delivery-only dispensaries, one of which is owned by MedLeaf.
MedLeaf owners Karen and George Hannawi, and Justin Baker, a U.S. Army veteran and Karen’s brother, said they were excited at the prospect of moving into a traditional storefront after more than two years operating in the city but were discouraged after learning staff’s recommendations do not include giving the business preference for a storefront license.
Aleph One CEO unveils new book
on how to build tech products
Aleph One, the Inc. 5000-listed venture studio known for its impact in AI, FinTech, and blockchain, announces the launch of CEO Stanislav Synko’s debut book, “Simple Custom Wild: The Guide for Non-Technical Entrepreneurs on How to Build Tech Products.” This essential guide provides non-technical entrepreneurs with strategies and frameworks to help them grow and scale their products. “Simple Custom Wild” is now available for purchase through Amazon.
Passive direct liquid cooling to be
used to warm up a city in Poland
MTEC “Termal,” a utility operator, ACX Technologies, a data center integrator, and Neurok Thermocon, a leading provider of passive direct liquid cooling (PDLC) products for data centers with an office in San Diego, signed a tentative agreement to create a data center in Poland which utilize heat reuse to warm up a city of Lubin, Poland. Neurok Thermocon Inc. provides Passive Direct Liquid Cooling (PDLC) systems for data centers all over the world under the brand Green Loop Cooling.
Stellar Solar releases video on how
residential solar transcends politics
Stellar Solar, a leading California and Michigan residential and commercial PV solar design and installation company based in San Diego and Royal Oak, Mich., has released a short video to convey the message that residential solar can work for anyone, regardless of their political views, who are looking to save money with clean energy. It details how the Stellar founding partners have overcome and learned to embrace their political differences to reach customers from the left, right and center of the political spectrum.
Koza Law Group receives peer review rating
for Bobby Kouretchian from Martindale-Hubbell
Carlsbad-based Koza Law Group announced it has received notification from Martindale-Hubbell that Bobby Kouretchian has received the highest level of recognition from the Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review Rating system. Bobby Kouretchian was bestowed the “AV PREEMINENT” rating, as based on ratings and reviews from his peers, which means that he was deemed to have unsurpassed professional ethics and preeminent legal ability.
Persephone Biosciences and Ginkgo
Biowork complete engineering toolkit
Persephone Biosciences Inc., a synthetic biology company reimagining patient health through the microbiome, and Ginkgo Bioworks, which is building the leading platform for cell programming and biosecurity, announced the completion of their first collaboration together, a Bacteroides engineering toolkit. Under the collaboration, both Persephone and Ginkgo have access to this reusable toolkit. Persephone will utilize the technology to develop a pipeline of microbiome therapeutics, and Ginkgo can use the technology as part of its broader platform offering for future customers.
ProSciento Inc. receives 2023 Innovation Award
ProSciento Inc. announced that it is a recipient of the 2023 Innovation Award from The Liver Coalition of San Diego, champions for liver health and patient support in the region. The Coalition’s Annual Liver Excellence Gala, which has celebrated liver disease pioneers since 2011, takes place at the Don Room El Cortez San Diego on Sunday, Oct. 29, 2023. Since its inception in 2017 by the Coalition’s Medical Advisory Council, the Innovation Award has recognized leading companies and organizations advancing liver disease treatments.
Dr. Henrik Christensen joins AlphaTrAI board of directors
AlphaTrAI, a technology-enabled solutions firm that delivers results through transformative artificial intelligence, announced the addition of Dr. Henrik Christensen to its board of directors. An eminent scholar in the fields of robotics and artificial intelligence, Christensen is an academic, entrepreneur and visionary with profound insights and experience surrounding the intersection of artificial intelligence and robotics. A native of Denmark, Christensen currently serves as the Qualcomm Chancellor’s Chair of Robot Systems.
Gillian Channer joins Mitek as vice
president of identity product management
Mitek announced the appointment of Gillian Channer as the vice president of identity product management. With a distinguished career spanning product management, business operations, and technology thought leadership, Gillian brings a wealth of experience and industry insight to her new role. Prior to joining Mitek, Gillian served as the chief product officer for Capita, a leading United Kingdom-based consulting, transformation and digital services business. She led a customer-centric approach to product management across multiple business lines.
Powur PBC expands its solar sales to Hawaii market
Powur PBC, a platform-based company simplifying the path to clean energy, is expanding into Hawaii. With the state having an advanced residential solar and storage market, Powur’s solar sales enablement and project fulfillment platform, which provides diverse clean energy solutions, is ideally positioned to help people on the islands upgrade to customized smart energy homes and achieve energy independence. Powur is now active in 22 states, plus Puerto Rico.
VedaBio launches with over $40 million in funding
VedaBio, the biotechnology company leading a paradigm-shift in molecular detection, has launched with initial funding of over $40 million backed by lead investor OMX Ventures along with a select group of family offices, including Kleinmuntz Associates. VedaBio has unlocked the true power of CRISPR for molecular detection by developing the CRISPR Cascade, a revolutionary platform born from the intersection of engineering and biology.
