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*** Michael Kelly, CEO of the innovative First Commercial Corp., has done Downtown another favor, this time by spending $8 million to buy the 135,000-square-foot Maryland Hotel on 20,000 square feet at 630 F St. The seller to a First Commercial entity was Golden West Hotel LP. The 271-room inn includes 45,000 square feet of retail space on the ground floor and in the basement. It was constructed in 1915 by the Sefton Investment Co. (the old San Diego Trust & Savings) for the Panama-Pacific Expo. Kelly’s company, which also created the Bitter End, will renovate the ground floor and basement to complement similar uses in the Gaslamp Quarter. The hotel operation will remain the same. “The revamped hotel will be a major draw eastward from the Gaslamp and northward from the new ballpark,” says Kelly. “The new restaurant and lounge will be unlike anything San Diego has ever seen.” *** Interviews with Barbara Warden, Dr. Walter Munk, Pat Hyndman, Fred Ashman and Douglas Wilson are featured this month on the “Heart of San Diego,” San Diego Metropolitan’s Fred Lewis-hosted television show that airs in prime time on ITV. *** The deadline is nearing for nominations in the annual 40 Under Forty luncheon celebration. Winners are feted at an affordable and fun event on Sept. 9 at the San Diego Convention Center. In addition, each of the 40 is profiled in the September edition of San Diego Metropolitan. The independent judges use criteria that combine both professional and civic accomplishments. High-powered attorneys, surgeons, scout leaders, elected officials and teachers all have been honored. To nominate someone, turn to page 23, or click on www.sandiegometro.com for an online application and a link to prior years’ winners. Proceeds benefit Becky’s House. ***
*** Want to better understand this urban housing explosion? Then attend the June 12 Downtown San Diego Partnership luncheon. Housing is the topic of the day. Sherm Harmer, principal of Urban Development Group, moderates. Panelists will include Eric Martin from Bosa Development (he knows big); Kevin de Freitas from Sebastian & de Freitas (he knows small); and Janice Weinrick from CCDC (she knows affordable). Tickets are $35 for members, $45 for others. Buy a $500 sponsor’s table and make Fred Baranowski’s day. Call (619) 234-0201 for details. *** Is the decision by the Marines not to leave MCRD for El Toro the end of the Lindbergh Field expansion talk, or just a pause? Mayor Murphy sees something in between. “I am happy the MCRD will remain in San Diego,” he says. “I think it is good for the city and good for the Marines. But we have to face the reality of another round of BRAC.” The actions of the 1988, 1991, 1993 and 1995 Base Closure and Realignment Commissions shuttered 451 bases saving about $5.7 billion a year. The Pentagon expects to save $3 billion annually with two more rounds starting in 2005. San Diego County residents will vote in November of 2004, 2005 or 2006 on the location of the region’s airport. *** Landmark Community Bank is looking to raise $10 million to $12 million by July 5 in an initial offering of up to 1.2 million shares priced at $10 each. The minimum subscription is 500 shares. Headed by Ron Carlson, chair and CEO, the Solana Beach start-up lender expects to open about July 15. The organizational office is at 140 Marine View Ave., Suite 202. *** Bosa Development Corp. has won CCDC design review approval for a twin-towered condo project planned for the block bounded by Pacific Highway, E and F streets and the trolley tracks. That’s where The Office Depot now sits. The 271-unit project consists of two towers, the north tower at 37 stories and the south at 24 stories, surrounded by 16 three-story townhomes. Designed by Dikeakos & Cotter architects, the project includes 450 parking spaces. Construction could begin in spring 2004. Also winning CCDC design approval was Intergulf Development for its La Vita Condominiums, a 304-unit condominium project on the full block bounded by Beech, State, Cedar and Union streets in Little Italy. The three- to 24-story project, designed by Perkins and Co., includes 522 underground parking spaces. Units are expected to be priced starting in the mid-$180,000 range. Construction should begin in December. Finally, Intracorp Development won design OK for its Diamond Terrace Condominiums, a 96-unit development to be built on a 20,000 square foot site at the northeast corner of J Street and Ninth Avenue. The two- to 14-story East Village project, designed by Fehlman LaBarre, includes 168 parking spaces. *** San Diego County Water Authority could save as much as $220,000 annually following a bond upgrade by Standard & Poor’s from AA- to AA. Moody’s and Fitch rating agencies affirmed their ratings regarding water revenue certificates of participation at Aa3 and AA-, respectively. ***
*** As part of its 16th annual media awards, the County Bar Association recognized San Diego Metropolitan writer Frank Nelson with a first place in the magazine category. Nelson won for his article “Meet the Verdict Busters,” part of the publication’s ongoing The Litigators series. *** A grand opening for Gateway Chula Vista will dedicate the city’s long-anticipated new landmark June 8, beginning with a cocktail reception at 6:30 p.m., followed by dinner and a program. Larry Himmel will be master of ceremonies, music will be by Atomic Groove and Peartree’s will cater. A high-tech equipped building, Gateway is considered the center of an urban renaissance in South County. Those interested in attending the black-tie optional affair may call James Pieri Jr. at (619) 422-1493. *** On June 9, runners and walkers lace up their shoes for the Liberty Run/Walk across the Coronado Bridge to benefit victims of domestic violence. The four-mile run/walk begins at 8:05 a.m. in the Gaslamp Quarter and finishes at Coronado’s Tidelands Park, followed by a health and wellness expo with exhibits, information and a children’s area. Racers receive a commemorative T-shirt, post-race refreshments and return shuttle service to Downtown. Last year, Liberty Run/Walk proceeds provided services to 59,841 individuals and sheltered 52,468 women and children through programs that benefit from the race, such as the Center for Community Solutions, South Bay Community Services, YWCA Women’s Resource Center, St. Clare’s Home and others. For further details, or to register online, go to www.kinaneevents.com or call Kinane Events at (760) 434-1601. *** Kontron, a Munich-based supplier of embedded computer technology, has opened its North American headquarters at 6260 Sequence Drive in San Diego. At 10 a.m. on June 14 the firm will hold an open house. Call (800) 523-2320 to RSVP by June 5. *** Standard Pacific Homes will open five new San Diego neighborhoods by the end of this year. Bella Sol will be constructed in the master-planned community of Sunbow in Chula Vista. Comprised of 105 single-family homes, Bella Sol home sales will start in the $200,000s. Morgan’s Corner at San Elijo Hills in North County is comprised of 162 urban-style townhomes with prices starting in the mid $200,000s. Olive Hills Estates will be built in rural San Marcos and include 95 homes on minimum 11,250-square-foot lots. Prices will be in the $300,000s. Surfpointe, located in the hills of Carlsbad, will be a single-family neighborhood of 21 Nantucket-style homes that start in the high $500,000s. The fifth neighborhood, still unnamed, will be developed on one of two new properties in Oceanside. Single-family homes will be constructed on these sites with the second neighborhood due to open in 2003. ***
*** Roel Construction has completed tenant improvements for Leap Wireless that consisted of expanding the computer room and installing a generator. The diesel generator, Olympian 100KW/-125KVA, will ensure uninterrupted power to the computer room for eight hours in the event of an outage. *** EdUCate!, the University City Foundation for Public Schools, presented 28 grants totaling $47,801 to educators of its five public schools at an Allocations Ceremony at Curie Elementary School. The funding came from the foundation’s fall Taste of the Triangle event and from donor and supplier support. *** Three County Bar Association v.p.s are running to be the organization’s president. They are Christopher Todd, a civil litigator with Wingert Grebing Brubaker & Ryan; Anita Margolis, a civil litigator and family law solo practitioner; and Lisa Weinreb, a deputy district attorney. The full 16-member board will vote at its June 11 meeting, and the president’s one-year term will begin Dec. 6. The retiring president is Monty McIntyre of Seltzer Caplan McMahon Vitek. *** Public workshops to plan the future of San Diego’s urban core are set for June 10, 5-7 p.m., the NewSchool of Architecture, 1249 F St.; and June 11, 5-7 p.m., Our Lady of the Rosary, corner of State and Date streets in Little Italy. For more more information click on www.ccdc.com/planupdate. *** When fire disabled the USS Dolphin submarine, the Navy’s public affairs office in San Diego stayed out front with updates. Along with a phone number and briefings at the sub base, regular e-mail updates were sent to more than 50 reporters and media organizations. *** Reachable through sandiegometro.com, San Diego-based houserebate.com, a 2-year-old full-service discount real estate company founded by Brian Yui and headquartered in San Diego, has re-launched itself with services throughout all 50 states. The company and its affiliates provide home buyers rebates up to 1 percent of the purchase price, and•represents home sellers for as low as 4.5 percent commission. “What most consumers have been led to believe all these years is that the prevailing 6 percent real estate commission — 7 percent in some areas of the country — is dictated by law,” says Yui. “In truth it is simply custom. All commissions are negotiable.” Yui says houserebate.com should hit $1 million of revenue this year, based on first-quarter performance. He says revenue rose 91 percent in the first period, compared with last year’s fourth, while the number of transactions increased 81 percent. Most impressive for San Diego’s real estate junkies is houserebate.com’s access to the information in the Multiple Listing Service. ***
*** Assisting Presiding Judge John S. Einhorn is one of three judges named to a 17-member judicial council task force to consider the nature of court reporting in California. *** Newly under construction is Waters End, two neighborhoods of luxury two-story homes in what Carlsbad is calling a model transit community. In a pedestrian-friendly part of the city at the northwest corner of Poinsettia Lane and Avenida Encinas, Waters End is an eighth of a mile from the beach. Other services are within easy walking distance, and the Coaster has a Poinsettia Station stop. Easily accessible commuter bus service and an adjacent 43-mile bicycle trail will enhance the 219 homes with six floor plans ranging from 1,987 to 2,736 square feet. Prices are expected to start in the $500,000s. *** The La Jolla Golden Triangle Rotary is hosting a beer and wine tasting at the San Diego Hall of Champions in Balboa Park from 7 to 11 p.m. June 1. Food and entertainment will be provided by the French Gourmet. Silent and live auctions will take place throughout the night on items such as dinner packages, theater tickets, weeklong getaways and sailing trips. Tickets are $50 per person. Proceeds from the evening go to charities in San Diego and Mexico, including the San Diego Rescue Mission and Navidad de Noviembre. Call (858) 792-1050. *** The Art Institute of California-San Diego in October moves from its Mesa Rim Road campus to a new 70,000-square-foot campus being built by H.G Fenton in Mission Valley Heights. With the additional space, the institute, which already offers media arts and animation, graphic design and multimedia Web design, will add culinary arts to its curriculum. AIC-San Diego President Daniel Levinson says when enrollment hit 600, the school ran out of space. *** Drew Burks and Joe Purvis have joined HomeBuyer Agents Inc. as exclusive buyer agents in Downtown San Diego. *** A new headquarters for California Coast Credit Union is under construction on Kearny Spectrum Boulevard. General contractor Swinerton Builders expects the four-story, steel framed building to be completed in early spring 2003. The project team includes developer Lennar Partners, architect Brian Paul & Associates and construction manager B&G Consultants. *** The 19th annual Wine & Roses Charity Wine Tasting is June 8 at The Aventine La Jolla, benefiting Camp Oliver, a summer camp for needy children, and San Diego’s California Nurserymen’s Scholarship Fund. Tickets are $55 in advance, $65 at the door. Call (619) 583-9463 or visit www.wineandroses.net. *** Nearly 8,000 San Diego area youth are wards of the county. To increase awareness of the issues facing foster youth as they age out of the care system, KGTV-Channel 10, in conjunction with Alliance Healthcare Foundation, will air a one-hour news special, Kids in Crisis: the Foster Care Gap on June 20 at 8 p.m. ***
*** The Parisi Sculpture Garden and Gallery in Del Mar, tucked away down a long driveway at 2002 Jimmy Durante Blvd., is sponsoring a haiku competition for regional poets in conjunction with the Full Moon Poets Society in Encinitas. The submission deadline is June 20. Click on www.parisiportfolio.com or call (858) 259-0031 for more. *** City Council budget hearings are being broadcast live at 2 p.m. on City TV 24. On June 3, the council will hear the agenda for police, fire and life safety services, city attorney’s office and transportation. June 10 will focus on special promotions funded by hotel room taxes, San Diego Data Processing, San Diego Convention Center, Environmental Services and other departments, maintenance assessment districts, programs, issues and policies. The city charter requires a final budget by June 30. *** The Academic Connections Web site was incorrectly listed in a story on education last month. The correct address is www.academicconnections.ucsd.edu. San Diego Metropolitan regrets the error. *** Alternative Strategies, the growing marketing firm headed by William Lopez, has added three new employees and moved to larger offices at 3911 Fifth Ave., Suite 212. The phone number is (619) 858-0322. *** “Cats,” the musical with way more than nine lives, will play the California Center for Arts Escondido June 28-30. Now that 8.25 million other people have seen it, it’s probably your turn. Or not. ***
*** San Diego has been chosen by Steiner, the world’s largest spa operator, for its Day Spa Group headquarters and its U.S. Day Spa Mastery Certification and Training Center. Headquarters will be in Miramar. As part of the changes, the San Diego C Spa in Banker’s Hill is now The Greenhouse Spa and Salon Mastery Center. This spa, open to the public, will be an educational resource for 18 of the company’s spas. Steiner operates more than 100 spas-at-sea, and 80 resorts and day spas worldwide. *** A delegation of Russian businesses and policy leaders, hosted by the Foundation for Enterprise Development and the United States Agency for International Development, heard Patricia Mason, Accion San Diego president and CEO, speak on essential elements of funding micro-enterprise. The delegation was seeking ways to institute a lending strategy program in their homeland. Accion extends loans between $300 and $25,000 to small business that do not have access to traditional forms of credit. *** Whimsical children’s playhouses or dog houses will be built by seven homebuilders to be auctioned as a fund-raising cooperative effort of the Toby Wells Foundation with the Building Industry Association of San Diego County and Voices for Children, a nonprofit organization that screens volunteers for advocates of the juvenile justice system. Creations by Brehm Homes, Greystone/Lennar, KB Home, Rilington Communities, Shea Homes, Standard Pacific Homes and William Lyon Homes will be exhibited at Fashion Valley mall. One playhouse will go to the winner of a drawing, with tickets available at $5 each or five for $20. The rest will go to the highest bidders at an Oct. 26 gala at Sak’s Fifth Avenue. For more information, call Lora Heramb, life director of BIA Cares for Kids, at (619) 464-1863. *** Speaking of dogs: two San Diegans have teamed to write “Janes Dog Guide to San Diego,” a 184-page guide. It was compiled by Frank Stollenwerk, a San Diego city civil engineer, and Paul Burke, a computer consultant who has worked with animal organizations. Photos were taken from the dog’s view by Casey Orr. Impetus for the book was Jane, a briard-chow mix rescued from Tijuana three years ago, ill and malnourished, and restored to health. The book’s 14 chapters cover tips for traveling, places to play, grooming and veterinary services, breed rescues and organizations for dog lovers. It is available for $14.95 at many pet stores or online at www.janesdogguide.com. ***
*** As its inaugural Summer Series, Carlsbad’s Museum of Making Music presents “Drum Roll, Please ... A Hands-On History of the Drum,” with percussion-based activities, workshops hosted by professional clinicians, exhibits and lectures. The June 21 to Aug. 31 series also will feature drum circles and panel discussions with drum innovators and performers. The museum is at 5790 Armada Drive; call (760) 438-5996 or see www.museumofmakingmusic.org for information. *** The Downtown Partnership and CCDC are inviting Downtown residents to a June 12 Mainly Mozart concert at the Spreckels Theatre. Free tickets for the 7 p.m. show can be obtained through resident community representatives — home owners associations and apartment managers — no later than June 5. *** Residential construction will begin in July at Liberty Station in Point Loma. Model homes are expected to open in October. Phase one office construction begins in October. Work is being done by The Corky McMillin Cos. *** Foundation College San Diego has received a $3 million contract from the State of California Employment Training Panel to offer computer training to 1,700 workers in San Diego. *** The culmination of a year-long celebration of the 25th anniversary of the Holiday Bowl will be played Dec. 27 at Qualcomm Stadium. The Holiday Bowl will air for the 16th time nationally on ESPN at 5 p.m. The game features the Pacific-10 Conference runner-up against the third selection from the Big 12 Conference. The Holiday Bowl guarantees a minimum payout of $2 million to each participating university. To buy tickets, call (619) 283-5808 or visit www.holidaybowl.com. *** Jerry Westenhaver, a long-time San Diego hotelier known for his stewardship of the Hyatt Islandia and serving as president of the Hotel-Motel Association, got himself some unwanted national exposure in late May. Westenhaver is now g.m. of the Sacramento Hyatt that made news when its late-night room service allegedly caused food poisoning in Los Angeles Lakers’ star Kobe Bryant the night before game two in the NBA’s Western Conference Finals. ***
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All didn’t quite go right for Anthony S. Thornley, Qualcomm’s president and COO, after he landed a live spot May 21 on CNN Headline News. He was interviewed at 8:07 a.m. by Carrie Lee, morning business anchor. The fun started when Lee introduced Thornley as from Worldcom, a seriously struggling telecom service provider. Thornley, seated in front of a backdrop riddled with his company’s name, started visibly chuckling. Visibly, because you couldn’t hear him well; his lapel microphone failed. When he did speak, his words were grabbed by a distant microphone, so while Lee sounded anchor clear, Thornley sounded like he was calling in on a 1980s analog cell phone. At the segment’s end, Lee, a veteran business reporter — 
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