DOWNTOWN NEWS CONTRIBUTOR RECEIVES AWARD
Taylor Schulte, founder and CEO of Define Financial and a regular finance contributor for San Diego Downtown News, has received SD Metro’s 2015 “Metro Movers Award” for his contributions to the financial planning profession. “I am honored to receive the Metro Movers award and be part of this select group of San Diegans making a difference in their professions and in the community,” Schulte stated in a press release. “I started this company to provide objective financial advice and help clients build a successful financial future, and I am thrilled to be recognized for my work.” The award is given to those in the local community who have made outstanding contributions to their fields and are poised to add to their achievements in 2015. Schulte, a resident of Normal Heights, founded Define Financial in June 2014. His firm specializes in financial planning and wealth management for people and small businesses. Prior to that, Schulte worked as a financial advisor at Morgan Stanley and had previously launched the San Diego operations for Beverly Hills Wealth Management. Schulte can be reached at [email protected].
VET HEALTH AND WELLNESS FAIR ANNOUNCED
The San Diego Health & Wellness Fair for Veterans is being held April 25 at Liberty Station in Point Loma, the former site of the Naval Training Center and Navy Recruit Training Command. Hosted by KAPN Consulting, the event is free for all veterans and active duty military attendees and their families, with free, on-site childcare offered. The event will provide information about automobiles, education, finances, law enforcement/security, nonprofit organizations, promotional products, real estate, and aid for at-risk veterans. Created to provide information and services for both male and female veterans, the fair will also cover emotional, physical, spiritual, social, environmental and medical services. Other health and wellness-related organizations that wish to participate can rent booth space for $105. The event will be held at the Liberty Station Conference Center, 2600 Laning Road from 9 a.m. to noon. For more information, visit kapnconsulting.com/Events.
VOLUNTEERS SOUGHT FOR STEM FESTIVAL
The San Diego Festival of Science & Engineering needs science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) professionals to volunteer for some events. The festival is a weeklong event that encourages children to engage in STEM-related fields. It begins on March 14 and runs through March 21, when the festival culminates with its Expo Day at Petco Park. There are still volunteer positions open for the “Ask Me Booth” on Expo Day. The volunteers are given buttons labeled “Ask Me, I’m A Scientist (or Engineer).” While there, they answer questions in order to inspire kids and adults who hope to become future scientists or engineers. Various times for shifts are available and the booth is located in a lounge setting. The festival also needs help with its Fireside Chats on Expo Day. Industry experts host something similar to TED Talks that give attendees the opportunity to listen and ask questions. The Fireside Chats are held in the Mercado areas. There are also spots open for the Nifty 50 Speaker Series. Volunteers will partner with teachers and college students studying STEM topics to hold exciting classroom presentations. More than 80,000 people are planned to participate in festival week and Expo Day. For more information and program applications, visit lovestemsd.org.
WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH TO BE CELEBRATED
San Diego Continuing Education and the San Diego Community College District, which includes City College, Mesa College and Miramar College, are planning multiple events in honor of this year’s Women’s History Month. Held throughout March, the events explore the experiences and impact of women throughout history, going all the way back to the Bible’s book of Genesis. “No Roosters in the Desert” is a play about four Latina women pursuing the American dream. It will take place at 7 p.m. from March 6 – 8 and 13 – 15 at Mesa College. March 9 will showcase the film “Betrayed,” which explores the social and economic forces driving sex trafficking. The film will begin at 6 p.m. at Miramar College. “The Other Side of Birth” is Helen Redman’s art exhibit on motherhood. The exhibit is scheduled to start on March 12 from 4 – 7 p.m. and run through April 14 at Mesa College. San Diego-based authors of “The Chamber and the Cross,” Deborah K. Reed and Lisa K. Shapiro, are holding a lecture titled “Real Heroes Don’t Tell Heroines What to Do” at Mesa College on March 17 at 6 p.m. Professor Sondra Frisch is leading an examination on the positive role Eve plays in the book of Genesis and compares it to the negative image of Eve, found in popular culture. This event is on March 19 at Mesa College. A panel will be held on March 24 at Mesa College about sex trafficking and violence against women. The panelists will be from Survivors of Torture, Project Concern, and San Diego Youth and Community Services. A collection of speeches from notable women in history will be performed at Mesa College on March 26 from 11 a.m. – noon.
CITY TO RECONSIDER PLASTIC BAG BAN
The city of San Diego will once again consider its own plastic bag ban now that the statewide ban has been put on hold until a referendum vote decides the law’s fate in 2016. California Secretary of State Alex Padilla certified the signatures gathered to put a referendum on the November 2016 ballet to repeal the state’s plastic bag ban (SB 270) that Gov. Jerry Brown signed into law last year. According to the American Progressive Bag Alliance, more than 800,000 signatures were submitted by Dec. 29, which is the deadline to qualify the referendum. Mayor Kevin Faulconer instructed the city staff to restart the environmental review process needed to bring a plastic bag ban to the City Council for a vote. Council President Sherri Lightner reaffirmed her support for the measure. “The citizens of San Diego treasure our vibrant communities and beautiful coastline, as well as a healthy ocean, and that’s why the pollution caused by billions of these single-use plastic bags simply can’t continue,” Lightner stated in a press release. To date, 138 California municipalities have enacted a plastic bag ban.
