Blakeslee wins Senate runoff
Sam Blakeslee, a San Luis Obispo financial planner and the former Republican leader of the California State Assembly, defeated Democrat John Laird in an Aug. 17 special election to fill the 15th District State Senate seat. By shortly after midnight, with all of the votes counted except for some late absentee and provisional ballots, Blakeslee Read More →
New restaurant, PetSmart among recent deals
A flurry of commercial real estate deals closed around the Tri-Counties over the past few days. Here is a roundup of the new leases: • On Aug. 16, the owners of Santa Barbara Shellfish Co. signed a lease on a 5,368-square-foot spot at 330 State St. for a new restaurant location. Tom and Adam White, Read More →
Region's colleges rank high on U.S. News lists
Five of the six four-year universities in the Tri-Counties are among the top 100 colleges in the nation in their respective categories, according to the latest rankings from U.S. News & World Report. U.S. News ranks schools separately according to whether they’re considered research universities or liberal arts colleges and whether they’re national or regional Read More →
Veeco to sell Goleta unit
Veeco Instruments announced Aug. 16 that it plans to sell its metrology business, which includes a unit based on the South Coast, to a scientific instruments company called Bruker Corp. for $229 million. The deal is expected to close in the fourth quarter of this year, pending regulatory review and certain closing conditions, Veeco said Read More →
Amgen disappointed in latest drug trial
Amgen announced “disappointing” results on Aug. 10 from a Phase 3 trial evaluating its drug Vectibix as a treatment for patients with recurrent and/or metastatic squamous cell head and neck cancer. Thousand Oaks-based Amgen said the data from its study showed that adding Vectibix — the drug’s generic name is panitumumab — to chemotherapy treatment Read More →
Health care IT firm Aspyra acquired
Aspyra, a Westlake Village-based health care information technology company, announced Aug. 9 that it had been acquired by Orion Healthcare Ventures, LLC. Aspyra will continue operations under its own name. Orion Healthcare Ventures LLC is a closely held investment firm with a focus on health care technology enterprises that show potential for growth, the firm Read More →
Farmers Insurance to leave Simi Valley
Farmers Insurance plans to move 1,200 people from its Simi Valley office to one in the San Fernando Valley, leaving Simi Valley without one of its largest employers. The move will take effect in early 2011, according to a news release Farmers issued Aug. 11. In that statement, Farmers Executive Vice President David Travers said Read More →
