San Diego Business Journal articles from April 2005

San Diego Business Journal archives from April 2005

Large firms push for unified voice on energy issues: topic is as crucial to business as workers' comp, some contend.(Energy)
April 4, 2005... San Diego's big energy users may get a reprieve this summer from higher electricity rates they've been dreading, yet some of them, still steaming over a system they believe isn't always fair to business, are calling for local companies to unite...

Redevelopment in ballpark district produces some small-biz winners, losers.(Petco's Double Play)
April 4, 2005... As the San Diego Padres prepare to open their second season at their new home in East Village on April 7, residents and businesses in the ballpark district are beginning to feel the effects. Once a part of town that was considered a...

Construction is booming, land prices soaring near Downtown's Petco Park.(Petco's Double Play)
April 4, 2005... Cast your eyes toward the northeast from the balcony of a penthouse at Douglas Wilson Cos.' Parkloft--the first residential project completed in 2002 in the ballpark district of Downtown's East Village--and peer out upon a seemingly endless sea...

Real Estate group seeks political stage: National Association looks to increase Hispanic homeownership.(Real Estate)(National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals)
April 4, 2005... The time has arrived for the San Diego-based National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals to enter the political beltway. The organization is planning to launch its lobbying efforts in support of Hispanic homeownership from...

Location helps make city a concert destination: some big-name artists get their groove on in San Diego before heading to Los Angeles.(Media)(ipayOne Center)
April 4, 2005... When it comes to launching a world concert tour, it's mainly about location, and San Diego's proximity to Los Angeles has helped make the ipayOne Center a starting point for two of the biggest names in music in the last 13 months. U2...

Former AMS executive pleads guilty to wire fraud: prosecutors continue fraud probe of S.D. book distributor.(Finance)(Advanced Marketing Services Inc.)
April 4, 2005... It's been nearly two years since a team of FBI agents raided the Sorrento Mesa offices of Advanced Marketing Services, carting off dozens of files, but federal prosecutors still haven't finished up their probe. A second executive of the...

Airport panel delays vote on shuttle fee.(Finance)(Brief Article)
April 4, 2005... Bowing to protests against a proposed $2 fee on cabs and shuttles each time they pick up passengers at Lindbergh Field, a committee of the agency overseeing the airport's finances and operations tabled the matter for at least 18 months. ...

Intuit signs 10-year lease in proposed office park.(High-Tech)(Brief Article)
April 4, 2005... Software-maker Intuit Inc. has signed a 10-year lease for space in a yet-to-be-built office park in Carmel Valley. Last week, the company struck a deal for 365,000 square feet at Kilroy Realty Corp.'s Santa Fe Summit development, a...

Restaurant chain cooks up plan for San Diego: Houlihan's Restaurants seeks local franchise agreements.(Hospitality)
April 4, 2005... Houlihan's Restaurants Inc., a fast-growing chain of casual, full-service eateries, is targeting San Diego for a push into California. The 32-year-old Leawood, Kan.-based company plans to open nine franchised locations throughout the...

Tech Wreck sends Iomega in a new direction: company's shift from outdated Zip drives slowly changes outlook.(High-Tech)
April 4, 2005... When the market for Zip drives lost its zip, causing revenues at San Diego-based Iomega Corp. to go into a free-fall, CEO Werner Heid didn't panic. Instead, he devised a strategy of creating new products aimed at helping businesses back up...

Lawyering and ethics? Author says it's possible: Pillsbury Winthrop merger is finalized.(LAW)
April 4, 2005... Therapeutic jurisprudence. What's that all about? Chicken soup for the bar? David Wexler, author of "Judging in a Therapeutic Key: Therapeutic Jurisprudence and the Courts" and a pioneer in the discipline, will be sharing his thoughts at...

Merger approved.(LAW)
April 4, 2005... Merger Approved: Partners at the law firm of Pillsbury Winthrop LLP, with offices in San Diego, and Shaw Pittman LLP, based in Washington, D.C., voted to approve a merger announced in mid-February. Once they clear up a few loose ends, the new...

Big Fish.(LAW)(real estate executive)(Brief Article)
April 4, 2005... Big Fish: Brian C. Fish, partner and member of the real estate practice group of Luce, Forward, Hamilton & Scripps LLP, has been recognized by Real Estate Southern California magazine as one of the region's "40 under 40" rising commercial real...

Jolly good fellow.(LAW)(Brief Article)
April 4, 2005... Jolly Good Fellow: Alec L. Cory, who founded the San Diego law firm Procopio, Cory, Hargreaves & Savitch LLP in 1946, has been installed by the San Diego County Bar Foundation as its inaugural fellow. The installation was celebrated at...

Tax collected, not disbursed for e-recycling: State Waste Agency secures $10m loan from general fund to begin payments.(Technology)(California Integrated Waste Management Board)
April 4, 2005... Since January, California electronics retailers have been charging consumers an added tax of up to $10 on televisions, computer monitors and laptops. The money, called an Electronic Waste Recycling Fee, is supposed to be passed on to...

The cost of being public takes its toll: Maxwell spends an additional $1.9 million to restate '02 figures.(PUBLIC COMPANIES)
April 4, 2005... Yet another small, publicly traded company decided it can't afford to stay public any longer. Nexprise Inc., a Carlsbad-based maker of software that helps large manufacturers automate and manage their business process more effectively,...

Making a restatement: taking no chances with regulators, Maxwell Technologies Inc. opted to restate its fiscal 2002 results.(PUBLIC COMPANIES)
April 4, 2005... Making A Restatement: Taking no chances with regulators, Maxwell Technologies Inc. opted to restate its fiscal 2002 results, increasing its expenses by $1.9 million due to a change in the way it books stock compensation paid to employees at two...

More losses: NTN Communications, Inc.(PUBLIC COMPANIES)(Brief Article)
April 4, 2005... More Losses: NTN Communications, Inc., a Carlsbad-based maker of interactive communications and entertainment products for the home and hospitality industry, is another small public company reporting greater net losses this year, but higher...

Urchin is acquired by Google in pricey deal: Irwin Jacobs to receive the first connect award for entrepreneurship.(HIGH-TECH)
April 4, 2005... Urchin Software Corp., a Web analytics company that began life as a Web development house in a small room in Solana Beach, announced last week that it has agreed to be acquired by Google Inc. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed....

Building owners, farmers may feel energy pinch: predictions are for steady supply, unless summer temps soar.(Technology)
April 4, 2005... Blackouts aren't expected this summer, but some big energy users are preparing just in case. "We're working hard to inform growers that reserves don't look too good for the summer," said Eric Larson, the executive director of the San Diego...

City, hotel industry partner, keep tourism strong.(Business in the North County)(U.S. Circuits)
April 4, 2005... Tourism remains one of the most stable industries in the region. Through thick and thin it has continued to improve over the last decade. In Carlsbad, the industry and city have teamed up to even do better than just improve. On March 22,...

Expanding their services: area hotels look to attract San Diegans to boost bottom line.(Special Report: TOURISM)
April 4, 2005... While the common perception is that restaurants and bars in chain hotels are more a convenience for guests than a place for locals to party and hang out, some full-service San Diego establishments are working to change that impression. The...

Hotels: ranked by number of guest rooms as of March 1, 2005.(Special Report: TOURISM)(Illustration)
April 4, 2005... HOTELS Ranked by number of guest rooms as of March 1, 2005 Guest Telephone rooms Rank Company ...

San Diego tourism meeting postponed until fall: ConVis leader hopes conference will include local politicians and officials from city hall.(Special Report: TOURISM)
April 4, 2005... Joyce Gattas, the chairwoman of the San Diego Convention & Visitors Bureau, is convinced that a summit of tourism industry executives would result in finding ways to put more muscle in marketing the destination. But Gattas, who is also...

Looking back at 50 years of the Disneyland effect: Disney has spurred decades of development, a 2nd theme park, hotels and convention center.(Special Report: TOURISM)
April 4, 2005... Urban myths abound about how Walt Disney picked Anaheim as the home for Disneyland. The most likely determinant: an economic study he commissioned in the early 1950s. Disney tapped Stanford Research Institute, then part of Stanford...

Private championship golf courses: ranked by number of local golf members as of Jan. 31, 2005.(Special Report: TOURISM)(Illustration)
April 4, 2005... PRIVATE CHAMPIONSHIP GOLF COURSES Ranked by number of local golf members as of Jan. 31, 2005. Golf members: ...

Walt Disney's park almost landed in Burbank: city, county and state officials worked together to bring Disneyland to Anaheim.(Special Report: TOURISM)
April 4, 2005... Walt Disney wanted to put his amusement park in Burbank. But city officials there turned him down. His first try at buying land in Anaheim hit a snag when a key property owner didn't want to sell. That's when Earne Moeller, former...

Public and semiprivate golf courses: ranked by number of rounds played in 2004.(Special Report: TOURISM)(Illustration)
April 4, 2005... PUBLIC AND SEMIPRIVATE GOLF COURSES Ranked by number of rounds played in 2004 Number of rounds ...

Locking horns: PriceSmart.(PUBLIC COMPANIES)(Pricesmart Inc.)(Brief Article)
April 4, 2005... Locking Horns: PriceSmart and its 34 percent partner in its Guatemalan subsidiary have been engaged in a legal dispute in Guatemalan courts, the company revealed. The company said it was able to thwart an effort by the partner to terminate...

Open for business.(PUBLIC COMPANIES)(Sony Electronics opens a retail outlet)(Brief Article)
April 4, 2005... Open For Business: Sony Electronics opened a retail outlet for its products last month in Fashion Valley, bringing the number of Sony Style stores to 15. The stores provide customers with a chance to try a range of products, including digital...

Growing sales--and losses.(PUBLIC COMPANIES)(Brief Article)
April 4, 2005... Growing Sales--And Losses: SpaceDev, the Poway-based designer and maker of space satellites and other space equipment, reported a net loss of $3 million on revenues of $4.9 million for 2004, compared with a net loss of $1.3 million on sales of...

Inaugural honor: Irwin Mark Jacobs, cofounder of Qualcomm Inc., is the inaugural member of the Connect Hall of Fame.(HIGH-TECH)(Brief Article)
April 4, 2005... Inaugural Honor: Irwin Mark Jacobs, cofounder of Qualcomm Inc., is the inaugural member of the Connect Hall of Fame. Connect is the UC San Diego organization that for decades has helped young technology companies get on their feet. Jacobs will...

Hurd to lead HP.(TOP BUSINESS NEWS: MARCH 25-31, 2005)(Mark Hurd)(Hewlett-Packard Co.)(Brief Article)
April 4, 2005... Hurd To Lead HP: Hewlett-Packard Co. named NCR chief Mark Hurd as its chief executive seven weeks after the board ousted Carly Fiorina. The move, announced March 29, ended speculation that HP would name one of its San Diego-based executives,...

Trying times for Biogen.(TOP BUSINESS NEWS: MARCH 25-31, 2005)(Biogen Idec Inc.)(Brief Article)
April 4, 2005... Trying Times For Biogen: Shares of Biogen Idec Inc. closed down $3.84 to $34.51, or 10 percent, March 31 following news that another patient using Tysabri, a drug the company developed with Elan Corp., died in December 2003 after taking eight...

Layoffs at La Jolla.(TOP BUSINESS NEWS: MARCH 25-31, 2005)
April 4, 2005... Layoffs At La Jolla: La Jolla Pharmaceutical Co. said it will cut its work force by about 60 positions, or 39 percent, after the Food and Drug Administration said the company's lupus treatment drug was not likely to receive accelerated...

Pentagon tinkers with Predator.(TOP BUSINESS NEWS: MARCH 25-31, 2005)(defense contracts)(Brief Article)
April 4, 2005... Pentagon Tinkers With Predator: The Air Force has signed a $68.2 million contract with General Atomies Aeronautical Systems, Inc. to further develop the Predator B variant of its radio-controlled aircraft, the Defense Department announced last...

Markstein monument.(TOP BUSINESS NEWS: MARCH 25-31, 2005)(Markstein Hall)(Brief Article)
April 4, 2005... Markstein Monument: The business college under construction at Cal State San Marcos will be named Markstein Hall, in recognition of the $5 million that Ken and Carole Markstein committed to the project. The Marksteins, who live in Rancho Santa...

Novel chip called a success.(TOP BUSINESS NEWS: MARCH 25-31, 2005)(Luxtera Inc.)(novel prototype microchip)(Brief Article)
April 4, 2005... Novel Chip Called A Success: Luxtera Inc., a small Carlsbad company with $24 million in venture capital, announced last week it has produced a novel prototype microchip that is able to convert electrical impulses to light waves, and vice versa....

New Biocom chairman.(TOP BUSINESS NEWS: MARCH 25-31, 2005)(biotechnology industry association)(Brief Article)
April 4, 2005... New Biocom Chairman: Biocom, the local biotechnology industry association, has named Jack Leif the chairman of its board. Leif is chief executive of Arena Pharmaceuticals Inc. M. Wainwright Fishburn Jr., a partner at Cooley Godward, LLP, will...

Aguirre wants audits.(TOP BUSINESS NEWS: MARCH 25-31, 2005)(Attorney Michael Aguirre pension plan audit services)(Brief Article)
April 4, 2005... Aguirre Wants Audits: San Diego City Attorney Michael Aguirre has called for a unified audit of the 2003 and 2004 financial statements of both the city and city pension plan. Currently, he said, city and pension officials have used...

San Diego public stocks.(Marketplace)(Illustration)
April 4, 2005... SAN DIEGO PUBLIC STOCKS TICKER PRICE EXCHANGE SYMBOL COMPANY NAME 3/29/2005 NASD ACAD Acadia Pharmaceuticals, Inc. 7.00 NASD ACCL Accelrys,...

Biosite Inc.(Proxy)(Company Profile)(Company Profile)
April 4, 2005... NASDAQ--BSTE Biosite Inc. is a provider of medical diagnostics that help a physician diagnose diseases and health conditions. Biosite offers tests for drug screening, heart attack, congestive heart failure, acute coronary syndromes and...

Groups seek to add work-force housing: California Association of Realtors unveils agenda.(REAL ESTATE)
April 4, 2005... The Hahn Center at the University of San Diego was abuzz with an electric exchange of ideas. Six working groups of five to eight people crowded around an arrangement of circular tables. Their goal: to devise new solutions to deal with what has...

The unveiling.(REAL ESTATE)(California Association of Realtors legislative agenda)(Brief Article)
April 4, 2005... The Unveiling: The California Association of Realtors has quietly unveiled its legislative agenda for 2005, stressing the issues of housing affordability and residential supply constraints currently weighing on local real estate markets....

A major achievement.(REAL ESTATE)(Barratt American Inc. awards)(Brief Article)
April 4, 2005... A Major Achievement: Barratt American was named a finalist in five categories for the Major Achievement in Marketing Excellence Awards, presented by the Building Industry Association of Southern California. The award was to be presented on...

Rising prices.(REAL ESTATE)(existing homes sales percentage)(Brief Article)
April 4, 2005... Rising Prices: The median price of a home in the San Diego region rose 21.1 percent in February from the same month the previous year, according to the California Association of Realtors. Also in February, the median price of an existing home...

Sales.(PROGRESS REPORT)(Brief Article)
April 4, 2005... Property: 3001 University Ave., San Diego. Seller: Essel Enterprises, LLC. Selling agents: Dan Malcolm of Retail Properties Group, Inc. represented the buyer and seller. Buyer/square footage: SEC North Park, LLC purchased a...

Leases.(PROGRESS REPORT)(Brief Article)
April 4, 2005... Property: 523 Encinitas Blvd., Suite 100, Encinitas. Lessor: North Coast Business Park. Leasing agents: Stephanie Schaefer, Dan Tate and Michael Dyer of Burnham Real Estate/Oncor International represented the lessor and Joe Yetter of...

McCarthy Building Cos., Inc.(CONSTRUCTION JOURNAL)(Rebecca and John Moores UCSD Cancer Center)(Brief Article)
April 4, 2005... McCarthy Building Cos., Inc. completed construction for the Rebecca and John Moores UCSD Cancer Center, a 270,000-square-foot clinic, administration building and laboratory facility at UC San Diego in La Jolla. The five-level cancer center...

Peterbuilt Corp.(CONSTRUCTION JOURNAL)(Financial 21 Community Credit Union expansion project)(Brief Article)
April 4, 2005... Peterbuilt Corp. began tenant improvement work for Financial 21 Community Credit Union at 358 E. H St. in Chula Vista. The expansion will take place on an existing credit union branch. Cost: unavailable. Project manager: Joe Weaver....

Barnhart Inc.(CONSTRUCTION JOURNAL)(renovation project)(Canyon College Orange Education Center)(Brief Article)
April 4, 2005... Barnhart Inc. completed construction and renovation of Santiago Canyon College Orange Education Center in Orange County, which included the addition of 21 classrooms, two high-tech computer labs, an older adult/parenting classroom, a meeting...

Peterbuilt Corp.(CONSTRUCTION JOURNAL)(construction projects)(Brief Article)
April 4, 2005... Peterbuilt Corp. began work on a new branch location for Wells Fargo Bank in Mira Mesa. Peterbuilt will convert an existing dental facility on the corner of Black Mountain Road and Mira Mesa Boulevard. The improvements will take place on the...

Taylor Frager, Inc.(CONSTRUCTION JOURNAL)(Aquatic Center construction project)(Brief Article)
April 4, 2005... Taylor Frager, Inc. began excavating an existing parking lot, which will become a 50-meter pool as part of the reconstruction and expansion project at UCSD. The entire project involving UCSD's Canyonview Aquatic Center will, upon completion,...

Taylor Frager, Inc.(CONSTRUCTION JOURNAL)(Brief Article)
April 4, 2005... Taylor Frager, Inc.'s Temecula branch is past the midway point of construction on La Quinta Municipal Library. Sixty concrete, tilt-up panels have been installed, creating a 20,000-square-foot shell for the library. The project is scheduled for...

Christmas film inspires business owner: women in leadership conference slated.(TRENDS)(Red Rider Leg Lamps)(Brief Article)
April 4, 2005... Anyone who has seen the 1983 movie "A Christmas Story," starting Peter Billingsley as Ralphie Parker, a 9-year-old boy who tries to convince his parents, teachers and Santa that a Red Ryder BB gun is the perfect gift, is likely to remember the...

Spotlight: Fuscoe Engineering-San Diego Inc.(Small Business)
April 4, 2005... Fuscoe Engineering-San Diego Inc. has worked to form a seamless blend between the environment and development. The San Diego-based company, which provides engineering and surveying services to development companies, has worked on many...

Self-evaluation is tough task for CEOs.(Small Business Help Line)(Chief executive officers)
April 4, 2005... Question: Am I the right chief executive officer for my company? Answer: This question is probably the most difficult one for a CEO to answer. There are many CEOs who have successfully taken their company to a certain point, but may not be...

Sheila Fox.(Executive Profile)(Advertising consultants)(Biography)
April 4, 2005... For the last 25 years, Sheila Fox has been a prominent professional in San Diego's advertising industry. Fox, who now operates an advertising consulting agency, Fox Marketing Network, has worked with several local and national clients,...

Leading the pack.(TRENDS)(San Diego School of Business Administration conference)(Brief Article)
April 4, 2005... Leading The Pack: The University of San Diego's School of Business Administration is presenting its second annual Women in Leadership Conference, from 7:30 a.m. to noon on April 8 at the Joan Kroc Center for Peace and Justice, 5998 Alcala Park...

Calendar.(BUSINESS EVENTS)(Business Network International meetings)(Calendar)
April 4, 2005... If you would like your business event that costs less than $75 to attend included in the calendar section, make sure your press release arrives at our offices at least 15 working days before the event. Send requests to: Stacey Bengtson...

Four-day workweek.(TRENDS)(Fair Labor Standards Act)(Brief Article)
April 4, 2005... Four-Day Workweek: The California Chamber of Commerce is sponsoring legislation to permit individual workers and their employers to mutually agree to a four-day workweek. Assembly Bill 640 would help employees achieve greater flexibility...

Awards & recognition.(KEY HIRES AND PROMOTIONS)(Building Industry Association awards)(Brief Article)
April 4, 2005... The San Diego chapter of the Building Industry Association recently presented Centre City Development Corp. President Peter Hall with the Lee Hubbard Award, honoring Hall for his commitment to San Diego's construction industry. Hall recently...

Banking and finance.(KEY HIRES AND PROMOTIONS)(Lavine, Lofgren, Morris and Engelberg L.L.P. tax manager)(Brief Article)
April 4, 2005... William Schairer has rejoined Lavine, Lofgren, Morris & Engelberg, LLP as a tax manager, having previously served with LLME for three and a half years. Schairer focuses on high net worth industries and closely held businesses. Martha Abarca has...

Construction and design.(KEY HIRES AND PROMOTIONS)(construction industry)(superintendent)(Brief Article)
April 4, 2005... KMA Architecture & Engineering recently hired Monica B. Fejer as a project architect. Fejer brings 18 years of national and international design experience to KMA, including numerous projects in San Diego. Bilbro Construction Co. has hired...

Government.(KEY HIRES AND PROMOTIONS)(Oceanside Police Department interim chief)(Brief Article)
April 4, 2005... The city of Oceanside has chosen Jerome Lance to serve as interim chief for the Oceanside Police Department, pending a search for a full-time police chief. Lance recently retired as the chief of police for the city of Long Beach and spent 38...

Biotech and health care.(KEY HIRES AND PROMOTIONS)(Biocom science association new board officers)(Brief Article)
April 4, 2005... Biocom recently announced its new board officers, as well as the addition of five new members to its board. Jack Lief of Arena Pharmaceuticals Inc. will become the new chairman of Biocom's board. M. Wainwright Fishburn Jr., a partner at Cooley...

High-tech.(KEY HIRES AND PROMOTIONS)(Colizer Inc. peoples)(Brief Article)
April 4, 2005... Colizer, Inc. has hired Keith McCann as executive vice president and chief financial officer and Leslie B. Overman as general counsel and corporate secretary. McCann has held CFO roles with software and Internet companies for more than 10 years...

Law.(KEY HIRES AND PROMOTIONS)(Allen Matkins Leek Gamble & Mallory LLP associate)(Brief Article)
April 4, 2005... Michael P. Wallock has joined the San Diego office of Allen Matkins Leek Gamble & Mallory LLP as an associate in the firm's employment group. Wallock is an employment litigator, defending public and private employers in all manner of labor and...

Insurance.(KEY HIRES AND PROMOTIONS)(CSA Travel Protection peoples)(Brief Article)
April 4, 2005... CSA Travel Protection has promoted David Craychee to director of sales and customer service. Formerly director of sales and direct marketing, Craychee has served with CSA since 1999. In addition, Scott Turner was hired by CSA to serve as sales...

Media and marketing.(KEY HIRES AND PROMOTIONS)(Anderson Direct Marketing)(Brief Article)
April 4, 2005... Lindsey Ashjian has been promoted to account executive at Julia Simms Public Relations. Ashjian served as an account coordinator at JSPR since joining the company a year ago. In her new role, Ashjian is responsible for managing public relations...

Resorts and hotels.(KEY HIRES AND PROMOTIONS)(Hilton San Diego Gaslamp Quarter)(Brief Article)
April 4, 2005... James Gross has been hired as the general manager for the Hilton San Diego Gaslamp Quarter. Gross brings more than 20 years of management and leadership experience to the hotel.

Miscellaneous.(KEY HIRES AND PROMOTIONS)(Brief Article)
April 4, 2005... Linda Bloms has joined the Eastridge Group of Staffing Cos. as a business development representative. Bloms has more than 12 years of staffing industry experience and will be responsible for business development and client relations in the San...

Real estate.(KEY HIRES AND PROMOTIONS)(Brief Article)
April 4, 2005... Chris Heller of Keller Williams Realty received an award at the Keller Williams Realty international conference for being ranked seventh out of more than 38,000 employees nationwide. Heller has more than 17 years of industry experience and has...

Raymond Huggenberger.(EXECUTIVE SPOTLIGHT)(McDermott & Bull)(appointment)(Brief Article)
April 4, 2005... McDermott & Bull Executive Search has named Raymond Huggenberger as principal consultant in the firm's San Diego office. Huggenberger will focus on further building McDermott & Bull's medical technology, global business, and manufacturing...

All the more reason to salute S.D.(Editor's NOTEBOOK)(San Diego)(Editorial)
April 4, 2005... Like it or not, most of the country--and the world, for that matter--still thinks of San Diego as a sleepy little Navy town perched next to the Pacific Ocean and just north of the Mexico border. You might be able to argue the "sleepy...

Of conspiracy theories and North Korea.(Pacific Perspectives)(Column)
April 4, 2005... Do you like conspiracy theories? I know I do. I rarely believe them but I almost always enjoy them. The other day I was handed a true conspiratorial beauty in this cosmopolitan cauldron of conspiracies--Japan's intellectually throbbing...

Don't saddle oil companies for high price of gas.(Opinion)
April 4, 2005... Gas prices are at record highs again. Many think oil companies are to blame. In fact, a May 2004 poll showed that 77 percent of Californians believed this to be true. However, this just shows the media has failed to properly inform people...

Anatomy of a banking merger: Landmark, Legacy executives put deal together over lunches at La Valencia.(Technology/Finance)(Landmark National Bank)(Legacy Bank)
April 11, 2005... When Landmark National Bank and Legacy Bank opened their doors in late 2002, their financial futures seemed bright. Landmark, based in Solana Beach, and Legacy, based in La Jolla, both hoped to succeed by making loans to small businesses...

KNSD speaks a new language: crowded Hispanic TV market gets new entry.(KNSD 7/39 television broadcasting industry)
April 11, 2005... Spanish-speaking residents of San Diego County have plenty of options when they plop down on the sofa to watch a little television. The market's Big Three--Univision, Telemundo and Televisa--have maintained a presence on San Diego's...

Billy Goat Tavern eyes Petco Park area.
April 11, 2005... The owners of Chicago's legendary downtown haunt, the Billy Goat Tavern, have been considering expanding to San Diego's ballpark district. The tavern, duly famous for its association with the six-decade curse of the Chicago Cubs and for...

Large REITs buy Sorrento Mesa parcels.(real estate investment firms)
April 11, 2005... Two of the largest real estate investment firms in Southern California--Arden Realty, Inc. and Maguire Properties, Inc., both based in Los Angeles--have shelled out $185 million each on two separate and unrelated transactions in the Sorrento...

2 discount airlines launch S.D. flights.
April 11, 2005... Two new discount-fare airlines, Independence Air and WestJet, will soon line up on Lindbergh Field's runway to get their share of the airport's fast-growing passenger market. Dulles, Va.-based Independence Air is scheduled to make its...

Visitor count flowers after winter showers: numbers are up slightly as students help to fill local hotels.(Tourism)(events and tourism influence business in San Diego)
April 11, 2005... After feeling the pinch from the anti-carb phenomena, Carol Blomestrom said she prayed to the restaurant gods to help restore her business. Apparently her prayers were answered, because patronage at Lotsa Pasta, her Pacific Beach eatery,...

CSU schools may confer doctorate degrees: certain fields call for much stricter entry-level requirements.(Education)(San Diego State University)
April 11, 2005... Proposed legislation that would allow San Diego State University, Cal State San Marcos and 21 other campuses throughout the CSU system to independently offer doctorate degrees has prompted a turf war with the University of California system....