Civic, business leader Malin Burnham weighs in on the future of San Diego

Malin Burnham (Photo by Steven Bartholow)

Malin Burnham is 82 years old. He doesn’t use a cell phone or a computer. Yet this sailing legend, business and civic leader clearly has his finger on the pulse of San Diego’s future in a way that not even the most wired of us has, and it is the future which engages him and where he spends his time. He still skis down “black diamond” slopes in Deer Valley, Utah, and when he’s in the office, he answers his own phone because “it’s more efficient.” At his 80th birthday celebration, he promised his wife Roberta 25 more years, so he’s intending to be around and active for a while longer.

Born into a prominent San Diego family, Burnham’s life has spanned tumultuous changes in San Diego, particularly the advent of the technology and life sciences industries which were spawned by the establishment of UC San Diego almost 50 years ago. While many of his contemporaries have long ago retired, Burnham actively serves on numerous non-profit boards and participates in many civic initiatives.

In a wide-ranging interview with San Diego News Network, Burnham discussed City Hall, the border, district elections, the Burnham Institute for Medical Research, and the important role that sailing has played in his life. At age 17, he was the youngest skipper to win a world championship in the International Star Class. Burnham has earned the luxury and the right to be candid and even controversial.

On the Burnham Institute for Medical Research: “The most satisfaction of anything that I’ve ever done is my work with the Burnham Institute. My role is to be the chief cheerleader. What they’ve turned out is amazing,” said Burnham who recently stepped down as chairman.

Related: Career highlights | His seven virtues of sailing

The institute was named in his family’s honor in 1996. When we spoke with Burnham, he had just returned from Orlando, Fla., and the dedication of the institute’s new research facility there. Florida provided a $350 million incentive package that included land, construction funds, and in-kind services.

“If we were trying to do this in San Diego, we’d still be waiting for the building permit,” he said.

Started in 1976 by Dr. William H. Fishman and his wife Lillian, who came to San Diego from Boston to start a research institute, it currently has 750 employees with operations in La Jolla and Orlando, and is ranked among the top four independent research institutes nationally in the amount of National Institutes of Health funding.

On the proposal for a new San Diego City Hall: “Absolutely, we need a new City Hall, and I’ve told Mayor Jerry Sanders that if we don’t get this new City Hall underway during his term, he will be known forever as the ’slum dog’ mayor of San Diego. It is a slum…The current building is full of asbestos, it doesn’t have fire sprinklers, it’s not up to safety code, and the elevators need re-building. It is inadequate, and it’s not big enough to house all the city offices which are spread out in several buildings. A new building will house all the city offices in one building which increases efficiency. Everything is going for it, except we have naysayers and ankle biters out there that will be around any new project.”

On San Diego’s future: “Our medical research, our high technology, our tourism, the fact that we’re next door to Mexico and Latin America and we’re on the Pacific Rim, we have the ability to be true world leaders. And now we have a new industry-green tech-in which we’re a leader and which can be meaningful to the world.”

On the border: “I’ve been involved with Mexico for more than 50 years. I started sailing to Acapulco when I was young, and I have a lot of friends in Mexico, I have active real estate investments, and a home in Los Cabos. I like Mexico. Yet many Americans think Mexico is the enemy instead of a neighbor. It’s ridiculous. In the long-term, we need to get bulldozers and tear down the fence. We can manage by changing our employment laws with a tamper proof beefed up social security card that every employee, including guest workers, need. It can be programmed for one year or three months. You won’t be able to be paid in cash. Employers will have to use a system that has a paper trail. That will stop illegals coming over the border overnight….And you must combine this with employer sanctions. Three strikes and you’re in jail.”

On leadership: “When someone makes a suggestion that has community wide impact and I think it’s self-centered, I hand them one of these cards, and you wouldn’t believe the expression on their faces. It stops them cold.”

Burnham's signature card (Photo by Steven Bartholow)

His advice to the next generation: “Nobody should be 100 percent in business. We need to have a more varied life, and we need to give something back to the community. That means time, shoe leather and philanthropy. It used to be that we waited for people to retire from business to get into nonprofits. That doesn’t work anymore.”

Barbara Bry is SDNN associate publisher and opinion editor. Email bbry (at) sdnn.com.

Tags: burnham institute, malin burnham, SDNN

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