Debit cards on the rise
UncategorizedAs the economy nosedives and the credit crunch continues, more consumers are whipping out their debit cards at the register. Instead of using cash, checks and credit cards, area retailers report an increased use in debit cards, which allow customers to access their checking or bank deposit accounts directly. Cashiers at regional Longs, Starbucks, Ralphs Read More →
Two South Coast tech companies crumble
UncategorizedTwo publicly traded technology companies have disappeared from the Tri-Counties. Last month, Camarillo-based Kreido Biofuels and Goleta-based Commerce Planet ceased most operations in the region. The firms have sold their assets to other companies and remain only to handle administrative and legal matters. Kreido, which had developed a technology for the rapid production of biofuels, Read More →
Diablo Canyon hires 2,000 for upgrades
FeaturesThough other parts of the Tri-Counties have seen staggering job losses in recent weeks, Pacific Gas & Electric has more than tripled its work force at the Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant in Avila Beach. Diablo Canyon has hired 2,000 temporary workers as part of a two-stage, $700 million project that will make PG&E the Read More →
Exports of region
ColumnsWith a population of 1.3 billion, China is undoubtedly the world’s manufacturing powerhouse. But as Chinese families rise to the middle class at unprecedented rates, the country is starting to be viewed as something different: a relatively untapped market for wine and other “Western” goods. According to export experts, serious wine sales to China have Read More →
Half-baked Apple store takes shape behind walls on State St.
ColumnsAsk anyone what the worst-kept secret in town is, and they’ll tell you: the new Apple building in downtown Santa Barbara, which is undergoing an extensive renovation. The computer giant is spending a small fortune – and making a large racket – demolishing and rebuilding the 9,594-square-foot retail space at 928 State St., which housed Read More →
SLO pays a hefty price for curbing free enterprise
ColumnsThe toll of bankruptcy, foreclosure and financial mayhem in San Luis Obispo County is adding up to more than $120 million. That’s a tremendous amount of money for a county of just 250,000 residents, and the total seems destined to climb higher before things turn around. Reporting by staff writer Stephen Nellis in the current Read More →
Mr. Maldonado goes to Sacramento
Opinion[Editor’s note: Just as the Business Times was coming off the presses, state legislators approved a budget compromise. Click here to read more about the deal.] State Sen. Abel Maldonado is taking plenty of heat from the Los Angeles Times and elsewhere for standing his ground on the budget issue. But we think the former Read More →
