Local nonprofit gets big gift

Just Call Us Volunteers (JCUV), a local nonprofit that feeds Downtown’s homeless on every holiday of the year, received a large end-of-the-year gift from United Postal Service (UPS) Store Foundation to the tune of $10,000.

Julie Darling, Executive Chef and CEO of JCUV, said the generous donation would be used to purchase a “hot box” to make sure the meals they make for each holiday at their Kearny Mesa kitchen “gets to where it’s going nice and hot.” JCUV collaborates with many other local nonprofits and shelters, including the Alpha Project, the Neil Good Center, the Veteran’s Village, Rachel Women’s Shelter, and others, to ensure San Diego’s homeless receive fresh and nutritious meals. In addition to a number of special holidays throughout the year, JCUV recently expanded their meal service to twice monthly at selected locations. To learn more about JCUV or to volunteer, visit justcallusvolunteers.org.

2014 beach cleanup stats released by local environmental groups

In a combined effort, San Diego County’s beaches are taken care of by environmental groups San Diego Coastkeeper and the Surfrider San Diego County Chapter. The two organizations train volunteers to document the items they remove from area beach cleanups. Items that are picked up are tracked, typed, weighed and counted, and unique items are also identified. In 2014, nearly 10,500 pounds of debris was removed from San Diego’s coastal areas by more than 7,000 volunteers.  Among 207,800 pieces of trash picked up, the top three items removed included 75,000 cigarette butts, 23,500 pieces of plastic and 17,500 bits of plastic foam. “Cigarette butts move with ease through our stormwater systems, meaning they don’t need to be discarded at the beach in order for them to find their way there,” stated Haley Haggerstone, Surfrider’s San Diego County chapter manager in a press release. “As with most of the debris we remove, their miniscule size can be misleading — they are non-biodegradable and leach a powerful punch of toxins into the water.” who kept it from polluting the ocean waters.  Kristin Kuhn, Coastkeeper’s community engagement coordinator, said though the trash was picked up along the coast, it doesn’t necessarily get left there. “Its path is one of wind and rain from the far reaches of inland San Diego County,” she stated in the release. Fiesta Island had the most trash removed overall at 1,127 pounds, as well as the most trash per volunteer at 3.43 pounds. Interested volunteers can help in 2015 at one of the 40 cleanups already planned. Volunteers are requested to bring reusable bags, gloves and water bottles. For more information visit San Diego Coastkeeper’s event calendar at sdcoastkeeper.org.

California Tower reopens

On Jan. 1, the California Tower at Balboa Park’s Museum of Man officially opened to the public for the first time since 1935. Government officials and park leaders held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the tower, which is part of the 100-year-old California Building — now home to the Museum of Man — which was originally constructed for the 1915 Panama-California Exposition. The tower opens just in time to kick off the centennial celebration of the historic exposition, which put San Diego on the map as an international port city made accessible through the construction of the Panama Canal. According to the Museum of Man, the California Building has been mentioned more than any other building in the city in American architectural studies. It is included in the National Register of Historic Places as part of the California Quadrangle, while the tower is recorded in the Historic Buildings Survey in the Library of Congress. Tickets to climb the inside of the tower to the top for stunning views of the park are approximately $20, and may be purchased at museumofman.org. Park staff recommends purchasing tickets in advance, as same-day tickets many often be unavailable. Further instructions are available Museum of Man’s website.

SANDAG offers $15M in grants

SANDAG recently announced $15 million in grants to fund local smart growth and active transportation projects. Under its TransNet Growth Incentive Program and TransNet Active Transportation Grant Program, the intergovernmental planning agency will accept applications through March 20 for civic projects promoting smart growth, walking, biking and transit usage. Approximately $12 million in smart growth funds and $3 million for active transportation are available. The funding comes from the TransNet half-cent sales tax collected throughout the region. Only projects and organizations within San Diego County and the cities in the region may apply directly for funding. Nonprofits wishing to apply must do so in conjunction with a local municipality. For more information, visit sandag.org/cycle3grants.

Balboa Park centennial to be featured on season of popular KPBS show

“San Diego’s Historic Places,” one of the highest-rated local programs on KPBS-TV, returns for its seventh season in January with a special series honoring Balboa Park’s centennial celebration of the 1915 Panama-California Exposition. This season will feature several new episodes and segments devoted to the park and its history. Host Elsa Sevilla will explore how the park, once known as City Park, originated and utilize rare, historic photos and film to give viewers a look at the 1915 Panama-California Exposition. Sevilla will also take behind-the-scenes tours of the park grounds, museum vaults and historic buildings. The show will also explore Balboa Park’s architectural and landscape designs and how they have changes over the last century. “San Diego’s Historic Places” airs Thursdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 11:30 a.m. and all episodes can be viewed online at video.kpbs.com.

Topics to be covered: Jan. 8: Early Balboa Park plans, early architect plans, Museum of Man design, Saint Frances Chapel; Jan. 15: Expo planning, Spreckels Organ Pavilion, early park landscaping, California Building tower tour; Jan. 22: Rare Expo black and white film, Foreign Arts Building, San Diego History Center ephemera, Expo historic artifacts; Jan. 29: Marston House and park, Kate Sessions, Cabrillo Bridge, Grant Hotel, streetcar; Feb. 5: Overview of Balboa Park, Seventh Avenue homes and park, Spreckels Theatre, MCRD, Navy; Feb. 12: Expo “Isthmus,” architects, St. James Hotel, carousel.

Report shows large growth in California jobs over past year

The latest data released in a monthly employment report by the California Employment Development Department (EDD) shows that the San Diego region added 43,000 jobs from Nov. 2013 to Nov. 2014. This is the largest growth for the area in the past 20 months. Employment grew by 13,100 jobs in the past month alone, and unemployment remained at 5.8 percent – down 1.2 points from Nov. 2013. San Diego Regional Economic Development Corporation (EDC) also released their “Manpower Monthly Report” with analysis of the California EDD’s data. San Diego Regional EDC’s report noted sectors that drove much of the growth from Nov. 13 – Nov. 2014 included ship and boat building (grew 13.6 percent), professional, scientific and technical services (grew 6.7 percent) healthcare (grew 4.9 percent), scientific research and development (grew 4.5 percent) and tourism (grew 3.9 percent). “We figured San Diego’s numbers would be great since the U.S. reported very strong figures a few weeks ago, but we didn’t expect local growth to be this outstanding,” stated EDC research manager Mike Combs in a press release.

Visit San Diego Regional EDC’s website at sandiegobusiness.org for their full report and visit labormarketinfo.edd.ca.gov for the California EDD’s monthly release.

East Village-opoly now on sale!

The East Village Association (EVA), the nonprofit that manages the East Village Business Improvement District, has launched a creative new way to help raise funds for the East Village Landmark Sign. The new venture is a board game, “East Village-opoly,” a locally based, fun and creative spin on the classic board game “Monopoly.”

This first edition game features unique landmarks and symbols that are specific to East Village, including a token that is a likeness to the Central Library Dome, a Petco Park board square, car2go GO square, four Metropolitan Transportation System squares, and game cards featuring East Village businesses.

Friends of the Central Library and San Diego City College are among sponsors of the game, which the EVA is offering for $40 per game, and volume discounts are available.

The game is an instant collector’s item and will be offered at the following East Village businesses: Knotty Barrel (844 Market St.), the Central Library (330 Park Blvd.), MAK Cleaners (1031 Market St.), The District (1021 Market St.), The Parlour (550 Park Blvd.), EVA Offices (705 16th St. #210-B), Style Lounge and Salon (540 Sixth Ave.), The UPS Store (1041 Market St.), Robert Weichelt Real Estate (1606 G St.), City Dog (550 Park Blvd.), and online.

For more information about the landmark sign project or to purchase East Village-opoly, visit eastvillagesandiego.com.