A look back at 2020

Test how closely you followed the big local business and economics stories of the year

1 What San Diego County-based chain filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy this year? a. Rubio’s b. Souplantation c. Chipotle

2 The city of San Diego has tried to expand its bayfront convention center for years. What key event occurred this year as part of that effort? a. The City Council hired a contractor to begin construction in 2021. b. The California Coastal Commission unanimously approved the project. c. A ballot measure to raise hotel room taxes to pay for the project fell short of the twothirds majority vote needed to pass it.

3 Short-term rentals continue to be a hot topic in San Diego. What did the city do this year to address vacation rentals? a. Nothing, the city still has no firm plan for regulating vacation rentals. b. A plan to cap the number of short-term rentals citywide was approved by the San Diego Planning Commission. c. The City Attorney’s office ruled that short-term rentals are legal in the city of San Diego and no further action is needed.

4 What was the median home price in San Diego County in November? This includes single-family homes, townhouses and condos. a. $650,000 b. $725,000 c. $605,000

5 COVID-19 led to a big surge in unemployment in 2020. What was the highest it reached? a. 25.4 percent b. 7.5 percent c. 15.2 percent

6 As of October, the San Diego Association of Governments estimated the county would lose how much in gross regional product this year because of COVID-19? a. $20 million b. $2.2 billion c. $12.4 billion

7 When the pandemic lockdown went into effect in March, many employees started working from home instead of commuting to work. That led to a dramatic drop in gasoline prices. According to Gasbuddy.com, the lowest average price in San Diego came on May 6. What was the price? a. $3.01 per gallon b. $2.72 per gallon c. $2.25 per gallon

8 Home prices in the San Diego metropolitan area experienced some of the fastest annual gains in the nation this year. As of September, how did San Diego rank out of 19 cities, according to the S&P Corelogic Case-shiller home price index? a. 5th b. 3rd c. 2nd

9 Work to dismantle the now-shuttered San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station began in early 2020. The plant’s operator, Southern California Edison, expects the project to take eight years to complete.

The plant’s iconic 200-foot twin domes are set to come down in what year? a. 2026 b. 2024 c. 2028

10 Which biotech company used its San Diego lab to develop the world’s second COVID-19 vaccine to enter clinical trials? a. Inovio Pharmaceuticals b. Arcturus Therapeutics c. Sorrento Therapeutics

11 Sequencing giant Illumina acquired Bay Area biotech Grail Therapeutics in one of San Diego’s largest-ever life science deals. How big was the acquisition? a. $12 billion b. $4 billion c. $8 billion

12 Carlsbad’s Callaway Golf announced a surprise acquisition late in 2020. What company did it agree to buy? a. Ping b. Topgolf c. North Face

13 The U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals issued a ruling in August in Qualcomm’s long-running dispute with the Federal Trade Commission. What did the court decide? a. Qualcomm’s business practices do not violate anti-monopoly laws. b. Qualcomm partially violated antitrust laws with the way it licenses patents. c. Upheld a lower court’s ruling that Qualcomm violated anti-monopoly laws.

14 Approximately how many

San Diego County businesses received Paycheck Protection Program loans between $150,000 and $10 million as part of the federal COVID-19 relief package this spring? a. 10,300 b. 2,700 c. 7,600

15 The City of San Diego selected a development team led by the San Diego Padres to redevelop Tailgate Park near Petco Park. The project proposes what type of primary use? a. Residential b. Retail c. Office

16 Real estate investment trust IQHQ paid how much for the Manchester Pacific Gateway site where it plans to build a life science campus? a. $170 million b. $230 million c. $290 million

17 At build-out, which recently approved Mission Valley project will introduce 4,300 homes, 1 million square feet of office space and a new transit station? a. Riverwalk b. SDSU Mission Valley c. Civita

U-T reporters Mike Freeman, Phillip Molnar, Rob Nikolewski, Jennifer Van Grove, Lori Weisberg and Jonathan Wosen contributed.

RENDERING COURTESY OF HINES A new Mission Valley project will include housing, office space and retail.

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA EDISON Work to dismantle the San Onofre nuclear plant began early this year.

K.C. ALFRED U-T Home prices experienced some of the fastest annual gains in the nation.

GREGORY BULL AP COVID-19 led to a big hit to the local economy and a surge in unemployment.