Nonprofits fight to save events
Hearing wedding bells? Not if you’re on agricultural land in San Luis Obispo County. Some of the county’s economic sectors, such as the wedding industry and nonprofits, could receive a lethal blow as officials examine new legislation that would heavily regulate commercial events. The county is considering adopting an events ordinance that would nearly eliminate Read More →
Budget squeezes recyclers
The deep cuts that resolved California’s budget crisis have come to your recycling bin. On July 1, the state pulled back on processing fees that it pays to recyclers and stopped some incentive programs altogether. Recyclers say the move is eating into their revenue at a time when the prices they get for recycled materials Read More →
Ventura Co. growers brace for citrus bug
Ventura County citrus packers are nearing an agreement designed to stop the potential spread of a pest and disease that could decimate California’s citrus industry if it infects the state’s orchards. After slamming growers in Florida for three years, the Asian citrus psyllid showed up last year near the California-Mexico border and has been found Read More →
Driving out the clunkers
Sinking new car sales in the Tri-Counties could be buoyed by the latest federal incentive to get consumers into more fuel-efficient models. But dealers are divided on whether or not customers will be interested in getting into smaller vehicles, and if participating in a government program is even worth the trouble. Some dealers, like Read More →
Pismo OKs tax
Pismo Beach’s City Council approved a 1 percent tax on overnight stays that will fund tourism, the San Luis Obispo Tribune reported. The council voted 4-1 in favor of the tax, which will go toward promoting the city to tourists, the newspaper said. Other cities in San Luis Obispo County – Morro Bay, Paso Robles Read More →
Oil initiative survives
A Santa Barbara County judge has invalidated a part of Venoco’s ballot initiative to approve slant drilling a site in Carpinteria into a lease offshore. Earlier this year, Venoco filed papers for a Carpinteria ballot initiative for its Paredon project, which would use an onshore rig to tap an estimated 20 million barrels of offshore Read More →
Foreclosure plague hits beach projects
In a sign that Ventura County’s residential real estate market may be nearing a bottom, a $37.5 million, 150-home development in Port Hueneme faces foreclosure and an Oxnard developer trying to launch a handful of condominium projects has filed for bankruptcy with $19.5 million in debt. In both cases, the loans go back to 2006 and Read More →
