Watkins: Ventura County’s prospects are dim
Ventura County is going to start looking a lot more like South Santa Barbara County in coming years, with few job opportunities to match the high cost of housing. That was the view from Bill Watkins, chief economist at the Center for Economic Research and Forecasting at California Lutheran University. “Ventura County’s future has changed,” Read More →
SLO leading the state in GDP, job growth
SLO’s economic recovery isn’t looking so slow anymore. Jordan Levine, director of economic research at Beacon Economics, said at a Nov. 9 forecast that San Luis Obispo County is leading California’s financial recovery. The road is still bumpy, but there are there are a handful of notable bright spots for the region’s economy, Levine said Read More →
Row 44 bought in $430M deal
Westlake Village-based Row 44, a supplier of broadband Internet systems for airplanes, has been acquired in a deal valued at $430 million that will combine it with a content provider. A purpose-made company called Global Eagle Acquisition Corp. will roll together Row 44 with Advanced Inflight Alliance AG, a German-based content company that has deals Read More →
Amgen deals could foster biotech hub, panel says
Amgen’s decision to license some of its intellectual property to a new drug company that will operate near the biotechnical giant’s Thousand Oaks headquarters could be an exciting development for biotech firms in the 101 corridor, business leaders were told at a breakfast gathering Wednesday in Westlake Village. The move could be a start toward Read More →
Fielding chief to retire
Richard Meyers will retire from his post as president of Fielding Graduate Institute in Santa Barbara at the end of next year. He announced at the school’s Nov. 3 board of trustees meeting that he will not seek to extend his contract, which is set to expire in December 2013. “My vision has been to Read More →
PacWest to buy First California for $231M
Los Angeles-based PacWest Bancorp is buying First California Financial Group for $231 million in an all-stock deal. At $8 per share, PacWest’s price represents an 18.5 percent premium over First California’s share price at the close on Nov. 6. The deal also comes after months of tense negotiations between the rival banks. PacWest offered $7.25 Read More →
