Phone call to Westridge Capital Management prompts police response
The sign at Westridge Capital Management’s offices was ripped off the door and a Santa Barbara Police officer greeted visitors on Feb. 26 as details emerged about the company and two New York men who are accused of misappropriating more than $550 million from investors. Officials were tight-lipped about Westridge as well as Santa Barbara Read More →
Watkins, Hamilton to leave UCSB for CLU
[Editor’s Note: Click here to read an update of this story.] California Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks has landed the most prominent team of economic forecasters in the Tri-Counties, the school said Feb. 24. Bill Watkins, Dan Hamilton and Kirk Lesh – who form the core of the University of California, Santa Barbara, Economic Forecast Read More →
Ventura County sheds 500 jobs in 15 days
A wave of job cuts has hit Ventura County this month, sweeping away nearly 500 positions – and possibly more. Some of the reductions are fallout from the acquisition of crippled lender Countrywide Financial by Bank of America. Other cuts stem from the global downturn in manufacturing, and yet still others have come in relatively Read More →
Debit cards on the rise
As the economy nosedives and the credit crunch continues, more consumers are whipping out their debit cards at the register. Instead of using cash, checks and credit cards, area retailers report an increased use in debit cards, which allow customers to access their checking or bank deposit accounts directly. Cashiers at regional Longs, Starbucks, Ralphs Read More →
Two South Coast tech companies crumble
Two publicly traded technology companies have disappeared from the Tri-Counties. Last month, Camarillo-based Kreido Biofuels and Goleta-based Commerce Planet ceased most operations in the region. The firms have sold their assets to other companies and remain only to handle administrative and legal matters. Kreido, which had developed a technology for the rapid production of biofuels, Read More →
Diablo Canyon hires 2,000 for upgrades
Though other parts of the Tri-Counties have seen staggering job losses in recent weeks, Pacific Gas & Electric has more than tripled its work force at the Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant in Avila Beach. Diablo Canyon has hired 2,000 temporary workers as part of a two-stage, $700 million project that will make PG&E the Read More →
