Daily Business Report: Friday, Jan. 13, 2023
UC San Diego students can now add Native
American and Indigenous Studies to their degrees
By Phoebe Skok
Students at UC San Diego can now study Indigenous communities in the United States and abroad by adding a concentration in Native American and Indigenous Studies (NAIS) to their degrees. Undergraduate students can pursue a minor. And, unusually, graduate students in any department at UC San Diego can complete a certificate in NAIS.
The new doctoral certificate program draws on disciplines ranging from anthropology to physics to environmental studies. Andrew Jolivétte, chair of UC San Diego’s Department of Ethnic Studies and director of the NAIS program, explained that students will build strong foundations in NAIS. As a part of the certificate, they will analyze the historical and contemporary situations of Indigenous communities and understand the intellectual and methodological contributions of NAIS to academia, higher education and the general population.
Jolivétte said the certificate will prepare students for careers in public policy, law, medicine, the arts, Native science and cultural ecology and 21st century leadership for issues of importance related to Native American and Indigenous communities.
UC San Diego Powwow 2022. (Photo by Erik Jepsen, University Communications)
San Diegans are about to get a new dumpster
Voice of San Diego
The first green bins devoted to collecting food waste hit city of San Diego streets Wednesday in Barrio Logan and Logan Heights. By August, the city anticipates everyone receiving public trash and recycling collection will be separating and placing all organic matter in these new carts. The city will empty these particular green bins up weekly.
All Californians are expected to do this under a new state law aimed at eliminating food waste from landfills, a huge source of methane gas which contributes to the rapid warming of the planet.
The roll out will happen first for homes with Wednesday trash days. Once the city has completed those homes, expected to take a few months, San Diego will move onto Thursday homes followed by Friday.
Board of Supervisors approves plan
to revitalize Campo Road Corridor
The County Board of Supervisors approved a plan that will revitalize the main commercial strip and adjacent residential area along Campo Road in Casa de Oro.
The Campo Road Corridor Revitalization Specific Plan outlines a new vision for the 60-acre area centered on Campo Road between Rogers Road and Granada Avenue. The goal of the plan is to turn the area from a drive-through commercial corridor into a drive-to destination with a “Main Street” vibe.
The proposed changes will allow better access by public transit, walking and bicycles and turn the corridor into a welcoming destination for area residents and visitors alike.
The plan includes updated traffic management options, like roundabouts and enhanced left turn lanes, wider sidewalks, on-street parking and protected bike lanes.
It also outlines plans to change the zoning laws to allow for additional mixed-use housing development along the corridor. Current zoning only allows for two-story mixed-use developments with commercial businesses on the ground floor and residential units above.
Comic Con Museum opens two new exhibits on Feb. 4
The Comic Con Museum in Balboa Park invites visitors to two new exhibits opening on Saturday, Feb. 4 — “The Animation Academy: From Pencils to Pixels,” and “Cover Story.”
“The Animation Academy” invites visitors to transport themselves behind the scenes where imagination becomes reality. The many interactive stations in the exhibition provide opportunities for visitors to experiment and create their own stop-motion animated short, learn about the art of storyboarding, go behind the scenes with artists and animators, snap photos in the sets of their favorite TV shows and see the world’s largest traveling 3D zoetrope.
“Cover Story” will display program covers and art, including pen-and-ink originals, for San Diego Comic-Con International and WonderCon over the past 50-plus years (back to its origins in the 1970s) from notable comic artists such as Will Eisner, Jack Kirby and Jim Lee.
San Diego Tourism Authority chief named
to U.S. Travel and Tourism Advisory Board
Julie Coker, president and CEO of the San Diego Tourism Authority, has been named to the U.S. Travel and Tourism Advisory Board by Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo.
She is one of 32 leaders from businesses and organizations in the domestic travel and tourism industry appointed to the board.
“Travel and tourism returned with force in 2022 as we opened up our country once again to visitors from around the globe,” said Secretary Raimondo. “Since day one of the Biden Administration, the Commerce Department has taken decisive actions to support this industry’s recovery.
The U.S. Travel and Tourism Advisory Board plays a vital role in providing expert recommendations and industry insight to optimize the American travel experience. I look forward to working with new and returning members.”
Coker has more than 25 years of experience in the hospitality industry. She became president and CEO of the San Diego Tourism Authority in June 2020 after serving as executive vice president, and previousl spent nine years as president and CEO of the Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau.
Joaquin Luken appointed executive director
of San Diego-Tijuana Smart Border Coalition
The Board of Directors of the San Diego-Tijuana Smart Border Coalition (SBC) has named Joaquin Luken the organization’s next executive director.
Luken has a B.A. in Business Administration from the Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey and a Certificate in Global Strategy & Management from the University of San Diego.
He has extensive experience in business development and management, real estate, publishing, trade organizations, marketing, communications, sales, and program development on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico Border.
The San Diego-Tijuana Smart Border Coalition (SBC) is a catalyst that brings together leaders of the San Diego and Tijuana private and public sectors to find ways to make border crossings between California and Baja California not only secure, but efficient and welcoming for people and cargo.
Patrick Klingborg and Deborah Yates promoted to
partner at Solomon Ward Seidenwurm & Smith
Solomon Ward Seidenwurm & Smith LLP has promoted Patrick Klingborg and Deborah Yates to partners of the firm.
A seasoned business attorney, Patrick Klingborg’s practice focuses on matters related to mergers and acquisitions, equity financings, commercial transactions, and business formation. He represents clients in a wide variety of industries, including technology, hotels & hospitality, health care and others.
Active in the community, Klingborg recently created a scholarship with his wife, Amy, to assist local high school students in need.
An experienced litigator, Deborah Yates focuses her practice on family law matters and business disputes.
She represents a wide range of clients in both state and federal courts, including businesses large and small and individuals in family law cases.
Yates joined Solomon Ward in 2017 after several years practicing in “Big Law” in Washington, D.C. Yates is a member of the San Diego Family Law Bar Association.
Araceli Mohamed reappointed to
California Volunteers Commission
Araceli “Cheli” Mohamed, 55, of San Diego, has been reappointed to the California Volunteers Commission by Gov. Gavin Newsom. She has served since 2021. Mohamed has been account manager at National University since 2019 and has been founder of Volunteer with Cheli since 2014.
She was director of volunteer services and community leadership development at the San Diego LGBT Community Center from 2017 to 2019.
Mohamed was Chief of Operations Officer at the United States Police and Fire Championship from 2013 to 2017. The position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no compensation.
Mohamed is a Democrat.
SOCi to support multi-location enterprise businesses
SOCi Inc., the marketing platform for multi-location brands, announced an integration with Apple Business Connect to provide up-to-date, local business information and special offers and promotions to consumers across Apple Maps and other Apple apps. Mapping and navigation applications are essential tools for consumers seeking information and even discovering new local businesses throughout their purchase journey. With nearly 7 of 10 consumers accessing these tools monthly, it is imperative that multi-location businesses maintain accurate and up-to-date information for all of their locations across these platforms.
Parental control app to empower
parents to protect their children online
Linewize, a division of Family Zone, a rapidly growing education technology company, announced that Qustodio, its new parental control app, is now available for all School Manager and Classwize customers. As part of Linewize’s broader Community platform, Qustodio extends visibility, reporting and controls to parents and guardians into how their children are using school-issued devices, both at school and at home. Qustodio provides parents with access to a variety of tools and resources, including a CIPA-compliant content filter enabled for school-issued devices at home.
Evofem’s Phexxi contraceptive gel to be
offered by female telehealth leader Favor
Evofem Biosciences Inc. announced that female telehealth leader Favor is now a specialty pharmacy provider of Phexxi (lactic acid, citric acid and potassium bitartrate). Favor (formerly called The Pill Club) has added Phexxi to its product portfolio and will counsel patients on this hormone-free prescription contraceptive gel alongside the more than 120 hormonal options they currently offer. Evofem expects the collaboration will begin contributing to retail channel growth in 2023. Favor’s expert medical providers have prescribed contraception to more than three million patients since 2016.
U.S. Department of Energy
awards South 8 $3.1 million grant
South 8 Technologies, developers of a novel liquefied gas electrolyte for the next generation of safe and high-performing lithium-ion batteries, has been selected by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy to participate in its American Low-Carbon Living program. The $3.125 million grant allows South 8 to develop high-power, rapid-charge Li-ion battery cells using its LiGas electrolyte. These will be developed and evaluated over the next three years in collaboration with a global automotive manufacturer.
Rio SECO announces integration
with new Apple Business Connect
Rio SECO, the leading all-in-one local marketing platform proven to increase online visibility for enterprise brands, announced an integration with Apple Business Connect API. This new integration enables Rio SEO to streamline local listings management for its multi-location clients by maintaining and quickly publishing critical business information and updates to the Apple Maps place cards and across Apple apps. Businesses can now seamlessly manage listing information at scale any time a change or update is needed.
Dalrada Health unveils
new operating structure
Dalrada Financial Corporation, a problem-solving innovator that takes on complex, multi-disciplinary challenges in health care, clean energy, precision manufacturing, and technology, announced a new operating structure in response to accelerated company growth and a renewal to its corporate vision. At the heart of this new operating model is a change of the company’s health division name from Dalrada Health to Genefic. Dalrada Health experienced strong revenue growth of $13.6 million, representing a 683 percent year-over-year increase.