Home on the ranch? Developers face opposition to Santa Margarita project
UncategorizedThe San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors has approved the first part of the controversial Santa Margarita Ranch development, which, if fully implemented, would change the face of a small community located just north of the Cuesta grade. The phase of the project voted on late last year would carve 111 lots, each 1.5 Read More →
Concordia puts 20% stake in Harrington
UncategorizedSolvang-based Harrington West Financial Group, the holding company for Los Padres Bank and its division Harrington Bank, announced Dec. 30 that it completed the second closing of its private placement of shares of common and preferred stock to Beverly Hills-based Concordia Financial Services Fund. As a result of the second closing, Concordia now owns 20.1 Read More →
Chamber changes the guard – Levett hands reins to Lederer in Thousand Oaks
FeaturesAfter 20 years of self-diagnosed “chamberitis,” Janet Levett, president and chief executive officer of the Thousand Oaks-Westlake Village Chamber of Commerce, will retire Jan. 30. Levett started in 1989 with the Westlake Village Chamber and was a key figure in merging it with the Thousand Oaks Chamber in 1999. In the past decade, she has Read More →
Rusnak looks to service as mega-store opens
FeaturesAs the finishing touches are being put on its new BMW dealership in Thousand Oaks, Rusnak Auto Group is banking on a strong service department and more pre-owned vehicle business to weather the global downturn. The new Rusnak BMW Westlake is the largest BMW dealer in the country, according to Tom Valasek, director of marketing Read More →
Lehman Brothers decision will haunt Bush
ColumnsConsider, if you will, the following sequence of events. On Sept. 15, Lehman Brothers filed for bankruptcy after the Treasury Department decided it was not too big to fail. On Sept. 17, with more than $600 billion in Lehman’s assets now practically worthless, a money market fund called the Reserve Fund faced insolvency as it Read More →
Women rise to lead roles in a male-dominated wine industry
ColumnsTrivia question: How many of the Tri-Counties’ 25 largest wineries are headed by women winemakers? Answer: Two. Of all wine consumed in the United States, 57 percent is purchased by women, according to Adams Wine Handbook; but a scan of wineries across the Tri-Counties revealed that few women actually hold dominant positions within those wineries. Read More →
Nipomo nonprofit buys 29 acres of
ColumnsAfter about 10 years of planning, negotiating and fundraising, members of a Nipomo nonprofit group were finally able to close escrow on 29 acres of land they’ve had their eye on for almost half a century. The Dana Adobe Nipomo Amigos purchased the parcel for $1.2 million in an effort to preserve what Dana President Read More →
