San Diego, CA

Daily Business Report: June 4, 2024, San Diego Metro Magazine

Published

2 years ago

June 4, 2024

Press Room

This county is California’s harshest charging ‘desert’

for eletric cars. Local activists want to change that

By Alejandro Lazo | CalMatters

Few places in California are as unforgiving for driving an electric car as the remote and sparsely populated Imperial Valley.

Only four fast-charging public stations are spread across the valley’s vast 4,500 square miles just north of the US-Mexico border, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. That means if you’re Greg Gelman — one of only about 1,200 Imperial County residents who own an electric car — traveling almost anywhere is a maddening logistical challenge.

“It’s been, I won’t say a nightmare, but it’s been very, very, very inconvenient,” Gelman said on a recent afternoon as he charged his all-electric Mercedes-Benz at a charging station in a Bank of America parking lot in El Centro. “Would I do it again? No.”

California’s electric charging “deserts” like the Imperial Valley pose one of the biggest obstacles to the state’s efforts to combat climate change and air pollution by electrifying cars and trucks.

Experts say the slow installation of chargers in California’s remote regions could jeopardize the state’s phaseout of new gas-powered cars. Under the state’s mandate, 35 percent of sales of 2026 models must be zero-emissions, ramping up to 68 percent in 2030 and 100 percent in 2035.

Nestled in the desert in California’s far southeast corner, Imperial County ranks dead last in electric car ownership among California counties with populations of 100,000 or more, according to a CalMatters analysis of 2023 data. Only 7 out of every 1,000 cars are battery-powered there, compared with 51 out of every 1,000 statewide.

Top Photo: A map shows the electric car charging stations that the nonprofit group Comite Civico Del Valle plans to build in the Imperial Valley. (Photo by Adriana Heldiz, CalMatters)

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Cubic awarded NAVAIR contract to provide live virtual and constructive training

Cubic Defense, the world’s leading provider of advanced air combat training, is awarded a contract modification with Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) to provide engineering support services for a demonstration in Guam, Valiant Shield ‘24.

“Cubic’s SLATE technology injects synthetic entities and computer-generated forces to bring the realism of the pacing multi-domain high-end threat environment to the live cockpits and operator consoles, said Paul K. Averna, VP and GM, Advanced Training Solutions for Cubic Defense. “Tomorrow’s fight will be different, and our Joint and Coalition operators deserve a fully vetted system that ensures combat readiness today”

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The unexpected connection between brewing and understanding turbulence

Directed percolation is the process used to brew a tasty cuppa and has the same statistical properties as laminar-turbulent transitions. (cr: Aekprachaya Ayuyuen / iStock)

By Michelle Franklin | UC San Diego

In 1883 Osborne Reynolds injected ink into water in a short, clear pipe to observe its movement. His experiments showed that as the input water velocity increased, the flow went from laminar (smooth and predictable) to turbulent (unsteady and unpredictable) through the development of localized patches of turbulence, known today as “puffs.” His work helped launch the field of fluid mechanics, but, as experiments often do, it raised more questions. For example, why do these transitions between laminar and turbulent flows occur and how can the transitions be characterized quantitatively?

Although Reynolds was not able to find the answer, an international team of researchers, led by University of California San Diego Chancellor’s Distinguished Professor of Physics Nigel Goldenfeld and Björn Hof of the Institute of Science and Technology Austria have used statistical mechanics to solve this longstanding problem. Their work appears in Nature Physics.

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TrueCare and MiraCosta offer medical assistant scholarships

The Prebys Foundation has awarded a $500,000 two-year grant to TrueCare, a nonprofit healthcare provider in San Diego and Riverside counties, for an initiative to provide internships and support for students in the MiraCosta College Medical Assistant program. The new grant, which establishes an impactful partnership between MiraCosta and TrueCare, will provide paid internships and scholarships to encourage students to seek training for a career as a medical assistant. The grant funding stems from the Youth Health Career Pathways Investments initiative. This initiative empowers underserved youth by providing access to top-tier healthcare career training programs. By diversifying the healthcare workforce, we take strategic strides toward mitigating health disparities and enhancing healthcare accessibility for marginalized communities.

Rich Dicker, program director for the Medical Assistant program, said the grant will enable students who otherwise might not have been able to afford it to enroll. To be eligible, a student must be 16-26 years old, enrolled in the Medical Assistant program, and have faced issues with financial hardship.

Scripps research scientists uncover new molecular drivers of Alzheimer’s

A tiny glass tube (top left) represents the electrode recording from an excitatory human Alzheimer’s neuron, generated using modern stem cell techniques (dark blue, at tip of tube). Credit: Scripps Research

According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, at least 5.8 million Americans are currently living with Alzheimer’s disease, which is the most common form of dementia. There is no cure for Alzheimer’s, in part because scientists do not yet have a full understanding of what causes the disease. But a new study from Scripps Research is shedding light on the molecular drivers that could contribute to Alzheimer’s progression.

In the study, published in Advanced Science on May 21, 2024, the researchers used a new technique for studying single, living brain cells affected by Alzheimer’s disease. By measuring the electrical activity of single neurons and the protein levels within those neurons, the scientists discovered new molecules linked to Alzheimer’s. The hope is these molecules could be targeted by drugs to treat or slow the progression of the neurodegenerative disease in the future.

Close collaboration among Scripps Research’s professors, including clinical neurologist Stuart Lipton, MD, PhD, protein expert John Yates, III, PhD, and bioinformaticist Nicholas Schork, PhD, (who is also the deputy director and distinguished professor of quantitative medicine at The Translational Genomics Research Institute, or TGen) enabled the scientists to develop this biotechnology feat.

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Cure unveils U.S. biotech industry Benchmark Report 2024

Cure, a healthcare innovation campus in New York City, unveiled results from Ready, Set, Growth! Biotech Benchmark Report 2024 at the 2024 BIO International Convention in San Diego. Cure conducted this highly anticipated assessment of the biotech industry in partnership with the Deerfield Institute, a division of Deerfield Management Company. The stakeholders surveyed included company founders and CEOs, managing directors, investors, scientists, and more.

Intersolar & Energy Storage North America open call for abstracts for 2025 event

Intersolar & Energy Storage North America (IESNA), the industry’s premier solar, storage, and EV charging infrastructure event, is now accepting abstracts for speaking opportunities at the conference to be held Feb. 25-27, 2025, at the San Diego Convention Center in San Diego. The Intersolar & Energy Storage North America conference and expo connects installers, developers, utilities, technology providers, policy makers, and other key stakeholders through innovative programming, networking events, and exhibits that maximize learning and facilitate business.

Aethlon Medical prepares for Phase 1 Cancer Treatment studies

Aethlon Medical, Inc., a medical therapeutic company focused on developing products to treat cancer and life-threatening infectious diseases, provided the following update on its planned phase 1 safety, feasibility and dose-finding clinical trials of its Hemopurifier in patients with solid tumors who have stable or progressive disease during anti-PD-1 monotherapy treatment, such as Keytruda or Opdivo. Aethlon Medical is a medical therapeutic company focused on developing the Hemopurifier, a clinical stage immunotherapeutic device which is designed to combat cancer and life-threatening viral infections and for use in organ transplantation

Psylo announces first close on $8 million series seed financing

Psylo, a leading biotechnology company focused on the development of next-generation neuroplastogens, announced at the BIO Conference in San Diego the successful first close toward an $8 million USD Series Seed financing. This funding will accelerate the advancement of PSYLO-100X, the company’s flagship non-hallucinogenic 5-HT2A agonist, poised to revolutionize the treatment of depression and other mental health disorders.

PriceSmart releases 2023 Environmental and Social Responsibility report

PriceSmart Inc., operator of 54 warehouse clubs in 12 countries and one U.S. territory, announced the publication of its fiscal year 2023 Environmental and Social Responsibility (ESR) report. The comprehensive report provides information on PriceSmarts commitment to sustainability and positively impacting communities and the environment. Through detailed insights into the company’s programs and initiatives, the report describes PriceSmart’s dedication to fostering environmental stewardship, social responsibility, and strong corporate governance across its operations.

Neurocrine Biosciences announces publication of pediatric study

Neurocrine Biosciences, Inc. announced that the primary study results from its CAHtalyst Pediatric Phase 3 study investigating crinecerfont for the treatment of congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) due to 21-hydroxylase deficiency have been published in The New England Journal of Medicine online edition and will appear in a future print issue of the journal. The CAHtalyst Pediatric Phase 3 global registrational study was conducted in 103 participants. Over 95 percent of participants completed the 28-week double-blind, placebo-controlled treatment period of the study with minimal missing data.

Spotline to showcase innovative solutions at DIA 2024 in San Diego

Spotline, Inc., a leader in cutting-edge enterprise solutions for the life sciences industry, is excited to announce its participation in the upcoming Drug Information Association (DIA) 2024 Global Annual Meeting in San Diego. The event will take place from June 16-20, 2024, at the San Diego Convention Center. Spotline Inc. will be showcasing its latest innovative products. These groundbreaking solutions are designed to enhance efficiency and streamline processes for organizations utilizing the Veeva Vault platform.

Illumina appoints Everett Cunningham to chief commercial officer

Illumina Inc., a global leader in DNA sequencing and array-based technologies, announced the appointment of Everett Cunningham as chief commercial officer (CCO), effective June 10. Cunningham will be responsible for building, guiding, and managing the company’s global commercial organization. He brings extensive commercial experience across the healthcare tech, life sciences, and pharmaceutical industries. Most recently, Cunningham served as chief commercial oficer at Exact Sciences, where he oversaw the company’s marketing, sales, and customer service functions.

Navigate BioPharma Services announced launch of new assay

Navigate BioPharma Services, Inc., a specialty laboratory offering high-quality, innovative precision medicine solutions and bioanalytics for clinical development and diagnostic applications, launched a new assay for quantifying pharmacodynamic markers of radioligand therapies in tumors. The development of this assay was presented in a poster titled “Quantifying pharmacodynamic markers of radioligand therapies (RLTs) in tumor by multiplex immunofluorescence and automated quantitative analysis (AQUA) algorithms” at the American Association for Cancer Research 2024 Annual Meeting held in San Diego.

Shionogi expands global infectious disease and antimicrobial research operations

Shionogi & Co. Ltd. announced the company is responding to the urgent global need for additional antimicrobial research and development by establishing its first discovery laboratory in the U.S., in San Diego. The Shionogi Qpex Lab will expand the existing R&D facility for Qpex Biopharma Inc., a Shionogi Group Company, with a new state-of-the-art discovery laboratory at the SD Tech by Alexandria mega campus in San Diego. In 2023, Qpex was acquired by Shionogi Inc., a New Jersey-based subsidiary of Shionogi.

Inocras and Massive Bio forge groundbreaking alliance

Inocras, a leading AI-driven whole genome testing company, and Massive Bio, a cutting-edge AI-driven clinical trial matching platform provider, have joined forces to set a new standard for cancer patient care. This strategic collaboration leverages Inocras’s expertise in whole genome sequencing (WGS) and bioinformatics alongside Massive Bio’s advanced AI technology for clinical trial matching, with the shared mission of enhancing personalized care for cancer patients.

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San Diego, CA

San Diego Zoo Safari Park’s Elephant Valley: Get closer to elephants

Published

8 hours ago

March 2, 2026

Press Room

San Diego Zoo Safari Park’s Elephant Valley: Get closer to elephants

Todd Martens
| Los Angeles Times

San Diego — Before we see elephants at Elephant Valley in the San Diego Zoo Safari Park, we come face to face with destruction, only the wreckage is beautiful. A long, winding path takes guests around and under felled trees. Aged gray tree hunks form arches, for instance, over bridges that tower over clay-colored paths with hoof prints.

The design is meant to reorient us, to take us on a trail walked not by humans but traversed and carved by elephants, a creature still misunderstood, vilified and hunted for its cataclysmic-like ability to reshape land, and sometimes communities.

“It starts,” says Kristi Burtis, vice president of wildlife care for the Safari Park, “by telling the story that elephants are ecosystem engineers.”

Elephant Valley will open March 5 as the newest experience at the Escondido park, its aim to bring guests closer than ever to the zoo’s eight elephants, which range in age from 7 to 36, while more heavily focusing on conservation. The centerpiece of the 13-acre-plus parkland is a curved bridge overlooking a savanna, allowing elephants to walk under guests. But there are also nooks such as a cave that, while not previewed at a recent media event, will allow visitors to view elephants on their level.

In a shift from, say, the Safari Park’s popular tram tour, there are no fences and visible enclosures. Captive elephants remain a sometimes controversial topic, and the zoo’s herd is a mix of rescues and births, but the goal was to create a space where humans are at once removed and don’t impede on the relative free-roaming ability of the animals by keeping guests largely elevated. As an example of just how close people can get to the herd, there was a moment of levity at the event when one of the elephants began flinging what was believed to be a mixture of dirt and feces up onto the bridge.

“Our guests are going to be able to see the hairs on an elephant,” Burtis says. “They can see their eyes. They can see the eyelashes. They can see how muscular their trunks are. It’s really going to be a different experience.”

Elephant Valley, complete with a multistory lodge with open-air restaurants and bars, boasts a natural design that isn’t influenced by the elephant’s African home so much as it is in conversation with it. The goal isn’t to displace us, but to import communal artistry — Kenyan wood and beadwork can be found in the pathways, resting spaces and more — as a show of admiration rather than imitation.

“We’re not going to pretend that we’re taking people to Africa,” says Fri Forjindam, now a creative executive with Universal’s theme parks but previously a lead designer on Elephant Valley via her role as a chief development officer at Mycotoo, a Pasadena-based experiential design firm.

“That is a slippery slope of theming that can go wrong really fast,” she adds. “How do we recognize where we are right now, which is near San Diego? How do we populate this plane with plants that are indigenous to the region? The story of coexistence is important. We’re not extracting from Africa, we’re learning. We’re not extracting from elephants, we’re sharing information.”

But designing a space that is elephant-first yet also built for humans presented multiple challenges, especially when the collaborating teams were aiming to construct multiple narratives around the animals. Since meetings about Elephant Valley began around 2019, the staff worked to touch on themes related to migration and conservation. And there was also a desire to personalize the elephants.

“Where can we also highlight each of the elephants by name, so they aren’t just this huge herd of random gray creatures?” Forjindam says. “You see that in the lodge.”

That lodge, the Mkutano House — a phrase that means “gathering” in Swahili — should provide opportunities for guests to linger, although zoo representatives say reservations are recommended for those who wish to dine in the space (there will also be a walk-up, to-go window). Menus have yet to be released, but the ground floor of the structure, boasting hut-like roofing designed to blend into the environment, features close views of the elephant grazing pool as well as an indoor space with a centerpiece tree beneath constellation-like lighting to mimic sunrises and sunsets.

Throughout there are animal wood carvings and beadwork, the latter often hung from sculptures made of tree branches. The ceiling, outfitted with colorful, cloth tapestries designed to move with the wind, aims to create less friction between indoor and outdoor environments.

There are, of course, research and educational goals of the space as well. The Safari Park works, for instance, with the Northern Rangelands Trust and Loisaba Conservancy in Kenya, with an emphasis on studying human-elephant conflict and finding no-kill resolutions. Nonprofits and conservation groups estimate that there are today around 415,000 elephants in Africa, and the African savanna elephant is listed as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

Studies of the zoo’s young elephants is shared with the Reteti Elephant Sanctuary in the hopes of delivering care to elephant youth to prevent orphanage. Additionally, the Safari Park has done extensive examination into the endotheliotropic herpes virus. “The data that we collect from elephants here, you can’t simply get from elephants in the wild,” Burtis says.

One of the two entrances to Elephant Valley is outfitted with bee boxes; bees are known to be a natural elephant deterrent and can help in preventing the animals from disrupting crops or communities. To encourage more natural behavior, the plane is outfitted with timed feeders in an attempt to encourage movement throughout the acreage and establish a level of real-life unpredictability in hunting for resources. Water areas have been redesigned with ramps and steps to make it easier for the elephants to navigate.

With Elephant Valley, Forjindam says the goal was to allow visitors to “observe safely in luxury — whatever that is — but not from a position of power, more as a cohabitor of the Earth, with as much natural elements as possible. It’s not to impose dominance. Ultimately, it needed to feel natural. It couldn’t feel like a man-made structure, which is an antiquated approach to any sort of safari experience where animals are the product, a prize. In this experience, this is the elephant’s home.”

And the resulting feel of Elephant Valley is that we, the paying customers, are simply their house guests.

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San Diego, CA

Man fatally struck by hit-and-run vehicle in San Diego

Published

20 hours ago

March 2, 2026

Press Room

Man fatally struck by hit-and-run vehicle in San Diego

A man in the Mission Bay Park community of San Diego was fatally struck Sunday morning by a hit-and run vehicle, authorities said.

The victim was also struck by a second vehicle and that motorist stayed at the scene to cooperate with officers, the San Diego Police Department reported.

The initial crash occurred at about 2:20 a.m. Sunday in the area of West Mission Bay and Sea World drives.

The pedestrian was in the southbound lanes of the 2000 block of West Mission Bay Drive when he was struck by a silver vehicle also in the southbound lanes. That vehicle fled the scene, continuing southbound, police said.

A 28-year-old man driving his vehicle southbound ran over the downed pedestrian.

“That driver remained at the scene and is not DUI,” according to a police statement. “The pedestrian was pronounced deceased at the scene.”

Anyone with information regarding the initial crash was urged to call Crime Stoppers at 888-580-8477.

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San Diego, CA

Here are the 9 San Diego County communities that set or tied heat records

Published

1 day ago

March 1, 2026

Press Room

Here are the 9 San Diego County communities that set or tied heat records

San Diego County is known for having wet, cold weather in February. But it had numerous hot spells this year. And when the month ended on Saturday a high pressure system produced heat that broke or tied temperature records in nine communities from the desert to the sea, the National Weather Service said.

The most notable temperature occurred in Borrego Springs, which reached 99, five degrees higher than the previous record for Feb. 28, set in 1986. The 99 reading is also the highest temperature ever recorded in Borrego in February.

Escondido reached 95, tying a record set in 1901.

El Cajon reached 92, three degrees higher than the record set in 2009.

Ramona topped out at 88, five degrees higher than the record set in 2009.

Alpine hit 88, four degrees higher the record set in 1986.

Campo reached 87, four degrees higher than the record set in 1999.

Vista hit 86, four degrees higher than the record set in 2020.

Chula Vista reached 84, one degree higher than the record set in 2020.

Lake Cuyamaca rose to 76, four degrees higher than the record set in 1986.

Forecasters say the weather is not likely to broadly produce new highs on Sunday. Cooler air is moving to the coast, and on Monday, San Diego’s high will only reach 67, a degree above normal.

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