The region returns as a battlefield for hotly contested political races
Columns, OpinionThe intersection between business and politics continues to be one of the more fascinating locations on the planet. And so it is in the Tri-Counties, where business, jobs and the economy are going to play a role in three political races worth watching this year.
Sohn is bullish on U.S. and region’s prospects for the New Year
Columns, OpinionFor 2014, emerging markets, once the darling of economists, will take a back seat to industrialized nations. And the U.S. will be at the head of the pack — at least temporarily — with Southern California turning in a surprisingly strong performance.
Five tri-county economic trends we’ll be watching in the New Year
Columns, OpinionConventional wisdom holds that with a federal budget in hand, a financial system on the mend, rising housing prices and steady job growth, 2014 ought to be a pretty darn good year.
Year of awards and new hires positions PCBT for growth in 2014
Columns, OpinionPacific Coast Business Times has undergone a substantial expansion during 2013, so I thought I would exercise my editor’s prerogative and talk a little about what we’ve accomplished this year and where we are headed in the New Year.
A speed bump on the way to creating a chamber-led vitality group
Columns, OpinionThe most concentrated effort to date to create a Santa Barbara County economic vitality organization has hit a roadblock. And that roadblock appears to be the Board of Supervisors’ bitterly divided vote on the Santa Maria Energy project, where South County supervisors banded together to impose severe carbon emissions limits on an innovative onshore oil and gas development that had broad support in North County.
Central Coast stands to be ground zero for cable market shakeup
OpinionYou might call it the Central Coast Cable Conundrum.
And it goes something like this: During the national rollup of cable television properties that took place in the 1990s, a number of major players grabbed a sliver of the region.
Hedge funds circle Foley’s flagship as Fed enables leveraged deals
Columns, OpinionWhat’s happening here is part of a bigger drama about ultra-low interest rates, the stock market and the prospect for a new credit bubble.
