Editorial: Oxnard, don't go nuclear on credit union
OpinionOxnard has threatened to use eminent domain proceedings to evict a longtime tenant, Pacific Oaks Credit Union, from a troubled property known as Carriage Square. That strikes us as a harsh way to treat a financial institution that’s an important part of the lifeblood of the region’s largest city, and we’d urge the city, property Read More →
Banks report mixed results, some growth
UncategorizedTri-county banks reported mixed second-quarter results, but banker optimism and improved balance sheets suggest a measured economic turnaround is under way. “The worst is behind us and the economy is gradually picking up,” Sung Won Sohn, a CSU Channel Islands professor and former Wells Fargo economist, told the Business Times. “Earnings have stabilized. However, when Read More →
SLO nonprofit guides way to green
NonprofitsGreen Building Pages, a nonprofit based in San Luis Obispo, was started by architect Marilyn Miller Farmer with a simple goal: to make sustainable building more accessible. When Farmer first started as an architect, she wanted to focus on sustainable design, but she kept running into trouble finding reasonably priced green materials. Her brainchild, Green Read More →
Dreaming of a new Old Town: Goleta looks to spruce up its downtown core
UncategorizedGoleta’s Old Town may soon get a new look, courtesy of City Hall. Business owners in the colorful but mismatched and rundown area of town, best known for its grocery stores and taquerías, may be able to give their storefronts a facelift and have the city foot the bill. On July 20 the Goleta City Read More →
Hoping for
NonprofitsAt The Good Cookie, a new Santa Barbara bakery with its products now on the shelves at Whole Foods Market, the employees are clients of the Casa Esperanza Homeless Center. They work nights in the center’s kitchen, where they learn job skills and earn money to get themselves off the streets. The revenues support Casa Read More →
Again, Ford buys a bank at a bargain
ColumnsTo Carl Webb, California in 2010 looks a lot like California circa 1993. A devastating meltdown in the housing sector. Sky-high unemployment. Deep budget problems. And a crisis in confidence that the Texas banker describes as “a little less spring in the step” of the California consumer. In short, the perfect time to get back Read More →