Working from home has become a part of daily life in the early 21st century here in Southern California. Now comes proof of that phenomenon in North San Diego County.
Carlsbad ranks as the 10th most affordable city for remote workers among nearly 200 cities, according to a recent study conducted by CoworkingCafe, a listing service for flexible workspaces.
Despite working from home, many remote workers find they occasionally need the amenities of the office, such as a meeting room.
The study found that the city excels in various metrics, placing fifth in coworking space density with nearly 15 spaces per 100,000 residents.
Carlsbad has the eighth-largest share of remote workers of cities in the study, with 34% of its workforce laboring away from the office. (Which may explain why traffic is so crazy middays around town.)
The city also boasts the seventh-highest median income reported in the study at $81,755 annually.
Nationally, Atlanta tops the list for affordability and quality of life for remote workers, followed by Cary, NC, and Seattle.
The study found that coworking spaces in and around Carlsbad are more affordable than in other areas. Carlsbad came in 15th for coworking prices, the highest ranking of all of the cities in the top 10.
The North Coast city also ranks high in accessibility in terms of travel. Two airports within 70 miles contribute to its fifth-place ranking for accessibility to other markets.
To determine the most affordable hotpots for remote workers, Coworking Cafe analyzed 200 U.S. cities using various measurements related to remote work, such as the share of teleworkers within a city, the number of coworking spaces available and internet availability.
The site then paired them with each city’s economy and affordability, to which it assigned a higher score in the overall index.
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San Diego commercial real estate developer Sudberry Properties says it has completed a second phase of its 50-acre Otay River Business Park in Chula Vista.
This phase includes two manufacturing and warehouse buildings totaling 205,335 square feet, located at 2995 and 2855 Faivre Street. PGW Auto Glass has leased 23,500 square feet of warehouse space at 2995 Faivre.
The 137,500-square-foot first phase has been leased to various retailers, manufacturers, and warehouses.
Tenants include Starbucks, SuperStar Car Wash, Jamba Juice, Menuderia Guadalajara, Knockaround Sunglasses, Colonna’s Shipyard, Sunbelt Rentals, Luv Sola Wood Flowers, Shore Total Office and Boochcraft hard kombucha.
Sudberry has developed 5.5 million square feet of residential and more than 5 million square feet of office and industrial space.
The developer said it has completed or is in the process of building approximately 3,000 apartment units.
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San Diego wealth manager Cetera Financial Group said that Mike McCormick, operating as Southshore Wealth Management on the East Coast, has joined the Cetera Advisor Networks.
McCormick, who manages over $151 million in assets, provides financial planning and investment advice to his clients.
Cetera operates an online financial advisor Wealth Hub where financial advisors and institutions optimize their control and value creation,
The wealth manager said it serves more than 12,000 financial professionals and oversees more than $505 billion in assets under administration and $213 billion in assets under management.
Southshore Wealth Management is based in Florida.
Cetera also announced separately that it is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year.
Cetera Investment is comprised of two units: Cetera Financial Institutions, which supports the investment programs of over 400 banks and credit unions, and Cetera Investors, which serves finance professionals.
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San Diego law firm The Lawyer in Blue Jeans said it has been named best estate planner by the San Diego Union-Tribune and San Diego Magazine.
Principal attorney Justin Isaac said he was grateful for the award, and said the recognition underscored “the firm’s dedication to meaningful work for their clients”
The law firm, known for its estate planning expertise and appearance on local television station KUSI, was founded by Justin’s father, Jeff Isaac.
It is located in Old Town San Diego “where attorneys proudly wear blue jeans to ease client anxiety.”
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San Diego-based residential developer and builder Atlas West Group, founded less than four years ago, said it has emerged as one the city’s largest multi-family builders.
The company said in a news release that has 22 projects in various stages of development and a portfolio exceeding $90 million, with roughly 40% of its units designated as affordable housing for working families.
Atlas West also said it was among the first developers to build deed-restricted units without public subsidy and utilizing San Diego’s ADU Bonus Program.
Projects range from 400 to 1,000 square feet and are located in such areas as College, Clairemont and Linda Vista, to address the city’s housing affordability crisis.
San Diego’s housing crisis, and the impact it has on working families, created the spark for Atlas West Group, said firm CEO Daniel Shkolnik.
“We’re focused on urban infill, workforce housing, and transforming underutilized lots,” Shkolnik said. “We’re building affordable homes for the people who make up the fabric of San Diego — nurses, teachers, military personnel, first responders, tradesmen, and others.”
Sometime next month, Atlas West will surpass 170 units, and the company is on track to break $100 million in development in 2024.
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The San Diego region of Bank of America says it has awarded more than $685,000 in grants to 24 nonprofit organizations in San Diego, including the San Diego Regional Economic Development Corp. and Goodwill Industries.
The bank said in a news release that the funds aim to enhance job readiness, education, housing, and health in underserved communities.
The San Diego EDC will use its grant to tackle the area’s talent shortage by doubling the qualified workforce by 2030.
Goodwill will support its summer youth program with the grant, providing employment and skills training for young adults.
Other recipients include the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater San Diego, Alpha Project for the Homeless and Junior Achievement of San Diego County.
The bank said it has awarded close to $12 million to various San Diego nonprofits since 2019.
Meanwhile. San Diego bank employees have volunteered more than 80,000 hours with local nonprofits in that same period.
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Is AI about to invade the world of biotech?
San Diego-based Scientist.com, a biopharma research platform, said it will launch a webinar series featuring a panel of experts to discuss the application of artificial intelligence in the life sciences.
In a news release, the platform said the series will feature presentations from Chris Petersen, founder and CTO, along with expert presenters from several other companies.
The platform said in a news release that the first four parts of the series will offer “an educational exploration of large language models.”
Future episodes will examine how biopharma companies are leveraging language models to transform the industry and achieve enhanced outcomes.
Tom York is a Carlsbad-based independent journalist who specializes in writing about business and the economy. If you have news tips you’d like to share, send them to tom.york@gmail.com.
