(Foto por Cynthia Robertson)

Telecommuting reduced traffic in San Diego?

De acuerdo a an analysis by Coworking Cafe, the number of people working from home in San Diego shot up 120% from 2019 to 2023, meaning that by 2023, 17.8% of the city’s workforce had jobs that allowed telecommuting. Perhaps as a result, traffic in San Diego dropped 12%, reaching a congestion level of 23% by 2023. State-wise, California has seen the largest drop in traffic volume in the West, with traffic going down 10% between 2019 and 2023.

Real estate and construction

ESET opened new HQ in Downtown

ESET, a global leader in cybersecurity, today announced the opening of its new North American headquarters in Downtown San Diego. Representing a significant milestone in the company’s growth, the state-of-the-art facility will support over 200 North American local and remote employees. Located down the street from ESET’s former location in Little Italy, ESET’s new 655 W Broadway location was selected to allow employees to maintain their connections to the vibrant waterfront area and Little Italy. With a commitment to minimizing environmental impact, the modern 24,000-square-foot office boasts a Platinum LEED and Energy Star Gold certification as well as a 2-star Fitwel rating, which incorporates more than 55 evidence-based design and operational strategies that enhance buildings by addressing a broad range of health behaviors and risks.

Fit Athletic Club East Village unveils $1.2M renovation

Fit Athletic Club East Village, the luxury exercise destination, underwent a $1.2 million upgrade after 16 years in the neighborhood.

The extensive revamp touches every corner of the club. From a dedicated Reformer Pilates Room with eight new Allegro 2 Reformers to 42 new state-of-the-art Gym80 machines on the main gym floor, Fit provides access to sleek, cutting-edge fitness equipment for all.

In addition to exercise, recovery is a critical element of health and fitness, so the club established a new Recovery Lounge. Offering cryotherapy, stretch therapy, chiropractic therapy, PostureScreen technology and Normatec compression, members have access to world-class exercise recovery services in a single location. On the rooftop, four advanced QoolPod cold plunges have been added, perfect for post-workout recovery and rejuvenation.

$12.1M fed grant for T1 at airport

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced the Biden Administration has awarded Aeropuerto Internacional de San Diego (SAN) $12.1 million in discretionary grant funds as part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law – Airport Terminal Program (ATP). The grant will be used to fund Phase 1B construction of the New Terminal 1 (New T1) which includes the installation of two passenger boarding bridges, pilings, foundation concrete, flooring, roofing, and structural steel.

This is the third ATP grant and marks $87.1 million in discretionary funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law awarded to SAN. This is the fourth year that dollars have been granted for eligible airport projects during a five-year competitively based grant cycle.

City signed lease for new Development Services office

JLL has announced that they have secured a 43,000-square-foot office lease with the City of San Diego at the recently renovated Five50West, a 20-story, 362,822-square-foot office building located at 550 West C St. in Downtown San Diego. The city will be relocating its Development Services Department to the building with move-in planned for later this year.

The lease with the City of San Diego is the latest tenant to relocate to Five50West. In the past 12 months, JLL has seen a recent uptick in activity including additional signed leases with SmithGroup Architects, Veritext Corp and Matthes Law.

A San Diego landmark and symbol of office grandeur, Five50West is best known for its open-concept first-floor lobby that seamlessly connects to the expansive outdoor concourse. Architects Room & Board and Gensler and JLL’s PDS team recently completed a $13.4 million renovation of the building.

City news

City planted 1,000th tree in initiative

Mayor Todd Gloria and the city forester were in San Ysidro on Oct. 25 to mark the 1,000th tree planted as part of the City of San Diego’s Trees for Communities. The initiative is focused on planting trees across the city amid an effort to expand San Diego’s urban forest, with a focus on underserved communities. The first tree planted as part of Trees for Communities was in Logan Heights on Arbor Day, back in April.

Under the initiative, arborists select and plant appropriate tree species based on location and with community input. The city is responsible for watering the new trees for the next three years and will provide ongoing maintenance. The Urban Forestry Program maintains over 250,000 street trees throughout the City and 600,000 trees in parks and open spaces.

Trees for Communities aligns with the City’s goal to reach 35% tree canopy cover by 2035. Trees create livable, walkable communities by cooling and shading streets, improving air quality, providing stormwater runoff mitigation and so much more. A healthy, growing urban forest provides long-term environmental, social and economic benefits and is a key component of the City’s climate action targets.

City expands Safe Sleeping Program

Amid hundreds of shelter beds expected to go offline, the City of San Diego expanded its Safe Sleeping Program. An additional 180 tent spaces have been created at the O Lot site, and 50 more are being built at the 20th and B location. The increase will bring the total Safe Sleeping program capacity to approximately 760 tents.

Safe Sleeping, launched by Mayor Gloria and Councilmember Stephen Whitburn to address the growing number of people living in unsafe street encampments, was implemented in June 2023 and enabled outreach teams to bring entire encampments off the streets. Each tent has space for up to two people, creating a new option for those who want to stay with a partner or caretaker.

City’s new climate dashboard

A new online dashboard makes it easy for everyone to track the City of San Diego’s progress on its ambitious environmental goals. The City of San Diego has unveiled its latest Climate Action Plan (CAP) annual report, along with the new Climate Dashboard. While the reduction of greenhouse gases detailed in the annual report is modest so far, it provides a needed overview of the City’s efforts to combat climate change and transition to a sustainable future.

In order to engage San Diegans in tracking that progress, the Climate Dashboard serves as a central platform for up-to-date data collection and distribution, enabling stakeholders to monitor key metrics and track progress on individual CAP actions. The dashboard includes detailed action pages, task lists and due dates, making goals and implementation progress easy to follow and understand.

City announces arts, culture funding

The City of San Diego has released the guidelines and opened applications for two significant funding opportunities to strengthen arts and culture activities and projects across the city. The Operational Support Program (OSP) y Creative Communities San Diego (CCSD) are now accepting applications for the upcoming funding cycle. OSP and CCSD provide critical financial support to nonprofit arts and culture organizations and projects, fostering growth in San Diego’s cultural ecosystem while expanding community access to the arts.

The OSP offers operating support to nonprofit arts and culture organizations, while the CCSD funds project-based initiatives. Both opportunities are designed to make a lasting impact on San Diego residents and visitors by boosting local tourism and ensuring that arts and culture thrive in all city council districts. The funding is made possible through the Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT), a tax collected from visitors staying in hotels and similar accommodations. OSP and CCSD-funded activities and projects will occur between July 1, 2025, and June 30, 2026.

Applicants can access free online resources and in-person help by visiting the OSP y CCSD Resources webpage. Organizations without tax-exempt nonprofit status may be eligible for CCSD funding through a fiscal sponsor. Applications for both funding opportunities are available online, with a submission deadline of Monday, Nov. 25, 2024, at 8 a.m.

Museums and destinations

Explore Maritime Museum’s archives

The Maritime Museum of San Diego announces the opening of its new exhibit Celebrating the Sea: Exploring the Maritime Museum of San Diego’s Hidden Collections in the Compass Gallery on the ferryboat “Berkeley.” Entry to the new exhibit is included with general admission. Through July 2025, visitors can revel in a rare and rich tapestry of treasured maritime-themed art and admire notable artists’ work, embracing the nautical world of breathtaking coasts, artifacts and treasured ships.

Safari Park reintroduces eight native bats

San Diego Zoo Safari Park, in partnership with San Diego Humane Society’s Project Wildlife program, found and rehabilitated eight native bats, then re-released the night dwellers back to the Safari Park. Some bats were re-released earlier this year, with the most recent one reintroduced on Oct. 16, marking 2024 as the first year to re-release bats at the park. The seven big brown bats and one Yuma myotis lived in the Safari Park and staff members found they needed veterinary care. The furry fliers spent the next few days or weeks in rehabilitation, which included treatment by Project Wildlife’s veterinary staff and home care by a bat team member. For the pups that were found, part of their rehab included attending flight school to help build their flight muscles, safely exercise, practice catching insects, and build stamina and maneuverability.

The Safari Park is an excellent habitat for about 17 native bat species and currently has 17 bat houses (seven currently occupied) dispersed throughout the Park, providing bats a safe place to roost.

People to watch

Lead Balboa Park group taps Symphony executive as its next chief executive

The 3-year-old nonprofit tasked with looking after Balboa Park has hired its second chief executive, this time picking a well-connected local versed in government affairs and complex civic projects to better San Diego’s famous landmark.

Forever Balboa Park announced the hiring of 62-year-old Katy McDonald as its next president and CEO.

McDonald, who will start her new role on Nov. 13, is currently the San Diego Symphony’s chief of staff and helped the organization bring to life its lauded Rady Shell outdoor performance venue overlooking San Diego Bay. Before the symphony, McDonald was the deputy director of external affairs at The San Diego Museum of Art and ran the museum’s development, marketing and communications efforts.

McDonald is replacing past CEO Elizabeth Babcock, who left the nonprofit in June to serve as the founding director of the Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum. Forever Balboa Park fielded more than 950 inquiries and received 250 applications for the highly sought position.

Port police chief named Latino Leader of Influence

Port of San Diego Harbor Police Chief Magda Fernandez has been named one of the Top 50 Latino Leaders of Influence in 2024 by the San Diego Business Journal and the San Diego County Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.

Chief Fernandez is the first Latina police chief for the Port of San Diego Harbor Police Department and the first Latina top cop in all of San Diego County. She joined Harbor Police as a recruit in 2001, rose through the ranks to captain in February 2021, and was appointed to chief/vice president of public safety in May 2022.

Scatena Daniels founders win at 2024 Bernays Awards

Founders of San Diego-based public relations agency Scatena Daniels Communications were among the top honorees of the chapter’s Special Awards categories at the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) San Diego/Imperial Counties Chapter 2024 Bernays Awards in Balboa Park on Saturday, Oct. 19. Denise Scatena was recognized with the Eva Irving Community Service Award while Arika Daniels was named the Deborah Baker Public Relations Professional of the Year.

The Bernays Mark of Excellence Awards, hosted annually by PRSA SD/IC, recognizes the expertise and dedication of public relations and communications professionals in San Diego and Imperial Counties.