Business Times wins award, adds new special reports
ColumnsPacific Coast Business Times is heading into 2009 with special recognition, new editorial projects and preview of what lies ahead as we enter our 10th year of publication. First, the recognition. It was pretty stunning to receive an e-mail shortly before New Year’s announcing that I would be joining legendary entrepreneur Paul Orfalea, Clipper Windpower Read More →
Wanted: a way to stop the hemorrhage of jobs
OpinionJobs are becoming the No. 1 economic issue in the Tri-Counties. As Stephen Nellis reports in the current issue of Pacific Coast Business Times, bigger employers have eliminated at least 1,700 jobs in recent months. Add to that any number of jobs cut at government agencies and nonprofits and you have the ingredients for an Read More →
Zaragoza in the middle
OpinionWith the seating of John Zaragoza as its newest supervisor, Ventura County is launching into a new era. Gone is the contentious and uncooperative John Flynn, whose last term was marked by infighting and a mean-spirited effort to derail progress on a number of fronts. The region’s largest county — and its most fiscally sound Read More →
Select drops to B minus
UncategorizedSanta Barbara-based staffing giant Koosharem Corp., also known as Select Staffing, lost one notch on its Standard & Poor’s rating when the corporate credit slipped one level Dec. 29 to B minus. S&P pointed to the “recession’s effect” plus “high debt leverage” and thin covenant compliance. The $100 million second-lien term loan rating for the Read More →
Blues owner arrested
UncategorizedSteven M. McPherson, owner of the San Luis Obispo Blues baseball team, was arrested on Jan. 2 in Reno, Nev., on three felony charges of passing bad checks associated with the team. The amount was for about $12,000, or $18,000 with restitution, but pales in comparison to the $285,000 he has already been convicted of, Read More →
Pappas sues over election
UncategorizedSteve Pappas, a candidate for Santa Barbara County’s 3rd District Supervisor seat, filed a lawsuit in Santa Barbara Superior Court contesting the Nov. 3 election. Pappas lost to Doreen Farr by 806 votes out of 35,621, according to results certified by the county clerk. But according to a press release sent out New Year’s Eve, Read More →
Expect commercial real estate sales to continue standstill in 2009
ColumnsThough regional commercial real estate managed to escape the toxic effects of the sinking residential market during the first three quarters of 2008, it caught up with the industry in recent months and may continue to weigh it down in 2009. “You really have to look at 2008 as being two totally different markets,” said Read More →
