Bargain boutique
Small BusinessWhether on the sales rack or in the rental market, Johanna Melamed knows how to snag a bargain when she sees it. Melamed is the owner of The Closet, a boutique consignment and resale clothing business with stores in Santa Barbara and Westlake Village. She recently moved the Santa Barbara store from its first location Read More →
Countrywide identity theft suit hits home in Ventura County
UncategorizedClaiming $20 million in identity theft damages, 16 Ventura County residents have sued Countrywide Financial Corp., the defunct subprime lender now owned by Bank of America. The lawsuit comes after the 2008 arrest of two men, one of them a Countrywide analyst, who were accused of stealing and then selling the identity information of 2.4 million Read More →
Arnold rushes to salvage his eco-devo legacy
ColumnsAs a person who’s only seen Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger from behind the ropes at press conferences up and down the Tri-Counties, I’ve lost my ability to connect with his charm. He now strikes me as a particularly hollow political figure. He’s pretending to ride off into the sunset in a blaze of glory. But what Read More →
Treasurer candidates bank on being the one
UncategorizedThe seven candidates for Ventura County treasurer-tax collector include former bankers, a retired judge and the head of the county’s Taxpayers Association. The crowded field is seeking the position now held by Lawrence Matheney, who is retiring. In addition to collecting property taxes, the Ventura County Treasurer’s Office touches billions of dollars in public money. Read More →
Putting Cal Lutheran on the map
OpinionAs part of its 50th anniversary celebration, California Lutheran University has taken the wraps off a much-anticipated economic impact study. It turns out that the Thousand Oaks campus pumped $142 million into the Ventura County economy in its last fiscal year, accounting for about 1,400 jobs and, importantly, more than $20 million in capital expenditures, Read More →
Business takes action to save vital flights
OpinionIn Santa Barbara and Ventura counties, a business-led effort to reverse United Express’ plans to slash service between the Central Coast and major markets is beginning to gain altitude. In Ventura County, the pushback has begun with a grassroots petition effort to restore several daily United Express flights between Oxnard and Los Angeles International Airport. Read More →
