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 ascend the tower cost 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.

Digital Gym screens ‘The Interview’

Following a hack on Sony’s digital infrastructure, cancellation of a major studio film release, a statement by President Barack Obama, a possible cyberbattle with North Korea and the inevitable media frenzy, the latest Judd Apatow film, “The Interview,” will go on. Among the couple hundred theaters screening the film in the U.S. is North Park’s very own Digital Gym.

Digital Gym is part of the nonprofit Media Arts Center San Diego, which runs educational and arts initiatives for underserved children, as well as hosting the annual Latin Film Festival.

“The Interview” stars Seth Rogen and James Franco as they play two boneheaded journalists who find themselves in a plot to assassinate North Korea dictator Kim Jong Un. While the film has received poor reviews and criticisms for its inaccuracies, it has become a rallying point for proponents of free speech in the US following Sony’s short-lived decision to withhold the film’s release in all U.S. theaters.

“The Interview” was released on Christmas Day, Dec. 25, and will run at the Digital Gym until Jan. 9.

The Digital Gym is located at 2921 El Cajon Blvd. For tickets and showtimes, visit digitalgym.org.

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 or 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.

Escaped cobra now on display at San Diego Zoo

Some may recall the White Monocled Cobra that for a roamed free in Thousand Oaks for a few days last September before capture. Now, this rare, venomous snake has made her home in the San Diego Zoo’s Klauber-Shaw Reptile House.

“This morning was the first time the cobra was placed in her new home at the Reptile House,” said Rachael Walton, a keeper at San Diego Zoo in a statement released Dec. 23. “We expect it may take her a few weeks to get used to her new surroundings. Being a cobra, she likes to hide, so visitors to the Zoo may want to look closely under the rock ledge or in the planter bank in her enclosure to get a good glimpse of her.”

This breed of cobra is illegal to own in California, and its origins likely lie in Southeast Asia. The snake, estimated to be two years old, was moved to San Diego Zoo shortly after its capture, where it then spent a mandatory 90 days in quarantine.

‘San Diego’s Historic Places’ to focus on Balboa Park centennial in seventh season

One of the highest-rated local programs on KPBS-TV, “San Diego’s Historic Places,” will return for its seventh season in January with a special series in honor of the Balboa Park’s centennial celebration of the 1915 Panama-California Exposition.

This season of the show 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 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. See below for a schedule of topics to be covered this season:

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

California EDD report shows large growth in 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 its “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.