Recharging West Ventura County’s depleted groundwater supplies is not as simple as collecting the deluge of rainwater flowing through the Santa Clara River. New federal restrictions designed to protect the endangered steelhead trout are making it much harder for agencies like United Water Conservation District to divert the river’s flow for cities and farmers. “This Read More →
The Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians took a big step toward self-sufficiency on Jan. 23 when the Bureau of Indian Affairs placed a prime Santa Ynez Valley property into a trust that clears the way for housing, vineyards and open space development. Technically known as Camp 4, the 1,390-acre property is scheduled for 143 Read More →
Maybe it’s time to get real. The idealized view of America that brought about the populist revolution in the November election is not going to come back. Going back to 1970s or 1980s work rules would mean shackling millions of workers to jobs that offered little mobility, bare-bones pensions without inflation protection and uncertain prospects Read More →
In his typically understated way, Sonos founder John MacFarlane has quietly stepped away from his role as chief executive of the Santa Barbara-based audio company. MacFarlane, who has built one of the largest enterprises in the tech sector on the Central Coast, took to the Sonos blog on Jan. 10 to post the fact that Read More →
The imminent departure of Macy’s from Santa Barbara’s Paseo Nuevo mall has triggered a round of hand wringing about the future of State Street, the region’s crown jewel of retailing. Macy’s closing was not totally unexpected; the chain is in trouble and having two stores on the South Coast made little sense. But it comes Read More →
Watching the opening episode of “Celebrity Apprentice” on Jan. 2 brought back memories of another political outsider who won public office running for the first time with a message of reform. That person, of course, is Arnold Schwarzenegger, who was inaugurated as California’s 38th governor 14 years ago this month. Like Donald J. Trump, he Read More →
With a new year just getting under way, I thought I would exercise my editor’s privilege and introduce some of our new editorial calendar concepts for 2017. After a fine start in 2016, we’re bringing back the Central Coast Innovation Awards with its “Startup Village” of university and community entrepreneurs. We’re also streamlining our categories Read More →