Occam lays off workers
Santa Barbara-based Occam Networks on May 7 shed 22 employees or about 10 percent of its workforce, the company said in a press release. Occam had 215 full-time employees at the end of 2008, the company said in regulatory filings in March. Occam said it would incur about $200,000 in termination costs because of the Read More →
Ventura ends swine flu crisis
With 19 probable or confirmed cases of swine flu, the virus continues to spread in Ventura County. However, on May 12, the county Board of Supervisors declared an end to the area’s two-week emergency regarding the virus. The county can now seek federal and state government reimbursements for flu-related costs. Meanwhile, Santa Barbara County got Read More →
Three tri-county dealers to lose Chrysler franchises
Three tri-county dealers won’t be selling Chryslers after June 9 as part of the ailing automaker’s plan to shed a quarter of its dealerships. Kirby Oldsmobile-Jeep-Eagle-Suzuki in Ventura, Ted Miles Jeep in Atascadero and Perry Ford Lincoln-Mercury Jeep in San Luis Obispo will lose franchise agreements, the automaker announced May 14. Chrysler, which has already Read More →
Bermant, Rabobank tangle over project
By Sara Hamilton and Stephen Nellis Developer Jeffrey Bermant faces claims by Rabobank that he failed to repay $9.8 million of $21.4 million in loans on the Monte Sereno community under construction in Arroyo Grande. Bermant’s troubles underscore a housing market crash so deep it has forced developers with successful track records into workout mode. Read More →
Tourists looking to cut a buck
The line for Pismo Beach’s iconic Splash Café still wraps around the building; tourists crowd the city’s pier; and the hotel business is finally picking up. And this is all on an unremarkable weekend in April. As it turns out, the Central Coast tourism business might be all right this summer after all. Eight months Read More →
Developer vows to overcome recent setbacks
The four golden shovels on Nick Narang’s office wall were supposed to show he’d made the most of America’s promise. He left his native India decades ago, built up a successful wholesale furniture company in Santa Barbara and tip-toed into a booming real estate market to build Lavender Court, a mix of condominiums and commercial Read More →
