From the editor: Regionalism reigns at eco-devo forum
Columns, OpinionSanta Barbara County should explore an economic development effort to help existing businesses expand and recruit new companies to the area. That was the near-unanimous view of more than 200 business leaders who packed the Reagan Room at Fess Parker’s DoubleTree Resort on Nov. 8 for a South Coast regional economic development forum. I served Read More →
California’s chips are all in on green
Columns, OpinionOne thing is clear from this year’s election results: California will bet a big chunk of its economic future on alternative energy. The resounding defeat of Proposition 23, which would have rolled back the Golden State’s cap-and-trade regime, came at the hands of a big coalition of venture capitalists, environmentalists and traditional business leaders bent Read More →
Looking for the economy’s silver lining
Columns, OpinionWith the economic forecast season about to get underway, two things are absolutely certain: 1. The experts are going to have strong opinions. 2. Most of the time they’re going to be wrong. So, with the knowledge that my amateur views are likely to be better than at least a few of the pros, let’s Read More →
Totaling up the hefty price tag of Mozilo
Columns, OpinionThe lifetime ban against former Countrywide Financial Corp. CEO Angelo Mozilo serving as an officer or director of a public company may be the most positive result to come from his settlement of a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission complaint. But Mozilo’s company and his conduct created a decade-long road to economic ruin that reached Read More →
From the editor: Mozilo’s ban a true black mark
Columns, OpinionThe lifetime ban against former Countrywide CEO Angelo Mozilo serving as an officer or director of a public company may be the most positive result to come from his settlement of a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission complaint. As reported over the weekend, the SEC settled with Mozilo and two top lieutenants in a case Read More →
‘J.R.’ takes on Wall St., and charities win
Columns, OpinionA generation after “Dallas” disappeared from the small screen, Ojai actor Larry Hagman has staged a comeback as a media star. The man who played J.R. Ewing was the subject of global news coverage — including a flattering column in the Sunday New York Times — after he won a big settlement against Citigroup and Read More →
