San Diego Union-Tribune (Sunday)
A look back at 2021
How closely did you follow the big local business stories? Test your knowledge.
1 San Diego County hit its highest-ever median home price in November. What was it? a. $740,500 b. $800,700 c. $750,000
2 San Diego County’s labor force has shrunk by how much since the start of the pandemic? a. 32,000 people b. 54,000 people c. 12,000 people
3 What city did San Diego/Tijuana defeat to become the World Design Capital in 2024? a. Montreal b. Moscow c. Cape Town
4 What additional requirements has the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention imposed on cruise lines since the rise of the Omicron variant? a. Required 95 percent of crew members and passengers to be fully vaccinated b. Required daily COVID-19 testing for all passengers and crew while on board c. There are no new requirements just for cruise lines.
5
San Diego International Airport’s Terminal 1 expansion project is under way. What does it call for? a. Demolition of the existing terminal and construction of a new facility with 11 more gates b. An underground people mover that will run from the Santa Fe train station to the airport, financed with a new passenger surcharge c. A second runway that will be positioned parallel to the airport’s existing runway
6
Early on in the pandemic, the city of San Diego allowed restaurants to use streets and sidewalks for outdoor dining. Will they still be allowed? a. No, the expanded areas for outdoor seating were meant to be only temporary and they are being made permanent now that pandemic mandates for indoor occupancy and social distancing have been lifted. b. Restaurants will still be allowed to use the sidewalks but they will no longer be permitted to place tables and chairs in the street where there are parking spaces. c. The City Council agreed to make outdoor dining in the public right-of-way permanent but restaurant owners will have to take down the roofs of their parklet structures.
7
San Diego businesswoman Gina Champion-cain admitted to orchestrating a $400 million Ponzi scheme that ensnared hundreds of investors. Where is she now? a. She is back living at home, on probation and barred from ever being employed in the financial services industry. b. She is serving a 15-year sentence in a California federal prison camp. c. She is in San Diego County jail awaiting sentencing from a U.S. District Court judge.
8
Gasoline prices in the San Diego area steadily increased throughout much of 2021. The peak for the year was reached on Nov. 27, according to Gasbuddy.com, when the average price per gallon of regular in San Diego hit: a. $4.17 b. $4.67 c. $4.98
9
The now-shuttered San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station is undergoing a massive dismantlement project that is expected to take eight years to complete. By the time all the demolition is done, how much rubble is expected to be carted away from the site? a. 200 million pounds b. 800 million pounds c. 1 billion pounds
10
A report from real estate agency Jones Lang Lasalle yet again ranked San Diego’s life science industry in what position nationally? a. 3rd b. 5th c. 7th
11
Jack in the Box is buying a Southern California fast-food chain for $575 million. Who is it? a. Habit Burger b. Rubio’s c. Del Taco
12
How many San Diegans work in the life sciences, according to the latest report from Biocom California? a. 133,000 b. 72,000 c.110,000
13
How many development teams responded to the city of San Diego’s notice of availability for the 48 acres of land it owns around the sports arena in the Midway District? a. Three b. Five c. Seven
14
It’s been a great year for San Diego startups to raise venture capital. There were plenty of big deals, but two companies managed to secure megarounds of $400 million each. Who are they? a. Petdx and Drata b. Cloudbeds and Flock
Freight c. Clickup and Vuori
15
Life science real estate developer IQHQ is building the San Diego Research and Development District along the bay. Which public benefit was scrapped from the development plan? a. A park b. An aquarium c. A museum
16
In December, San Diego State announced a naming rights deal for its new sports venue in Mission Valley, which will be called Snapdragon Stadium. What does the Snapdragon name represent? a. A budding chain of garden centers that’s moving into the region. b. Mobile processors from
Qualcomm. c. A video game company.
U-T business reporters Phillip Molnar, Lori Weisberg, Rob Nikolewski, Jonathan Wosen, Jennifer Van Grove and Mike Freeman contributed to this report.
Answers: 1. c; 2. a; 3. b; 4. a; 5. a; 6. c; 7. b; 8. c; 9. c; 10. a; 11. c; 12. b; 13. c; 14. c; 15. c; 16. b