The real-life drama over a film
OpinionThe curious case of the film “Bananas!” continues to play out on screen and in the courts. On screen, “Bananas!” is a film that claims to be a documentary about Westlake Village-based Dole Food Co. and the health problems that thousands of workers in Nicaragua suffered because of exposure to pesticides. The hero is attorney Read More →
A tasty honor
OpinionFor as long as there’s been a Pacific Coast Business Times, we’ve been big fans of the Far Western Tavern and the Righetti family. Their entrepreneurial spirit has kept a family business alive in the small town of Guadalupe and spawned the world-renownedj12 Susie Q barbecue sauce. Now comes word that Sunset Magazine has named Read More →
Retail woes hit Eddie Bauer, Abercrombie
UncategorizedEddie Bauer, the Washington-based outdoor-clothing chain, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection June 17 in Delaware. The retailer operates stores at the Simi Valley Town Center and the Camarillo Outlets in Ventura County. Court filings show that Bank of America, General Electric and the CIT Group have agreed to provide up to $100 million in Read More →
Investment adviser barred
UncategorizedThe owner of a San Luis Obispo investment firm has been barred from acting as an investment adviser by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission for allegedly steering clients to a shell fund that paid him kickback fees. On May 15, the SEC ordered that Jeffrey Forrest, principal of San Luis Obispo-based WealthWise, “is barred Read More →
UCSB gets HP money
UncategorizedJohn Bowers, a professor of electrical and computer engineering at the University of California, Santa Barbara, has won a research award from Palo Alto-based HP as part of that company’s second annual HP Labs Innovation research program. The firm didn’t say how much the award was for. The proposed project is titled “High-Speed, Low-Threshold Hybrid Read More →
Amid a tough market, wine execs see opportunities
UncategorizedThe wine industry is in the middle of a cyclical downturn, but Central Coast vintners have some advantages that will help in recovery. That’s the view of Rob McMillan, chief of the wine industry lending unit at Silicon Valley Bank. He told the Central Coast MIT Enterprise Forum on June 17 that industry revenue growth Read More →
