SLO County winery’s Chapter 11 triggers bank lawsuit
Wells Fargo is suing San Luis Obispo County-based winemaker and well-known entrepreneur Christopher J. Conway for an alleged $12.86 million unpaid loan. The bank is suing the owners of the Rancho Arroyo Grande ranch and vineyard, which is spread over nearly 3,500 acres at 591 Hi Mountain Road east of Arroyo Grande. Rancho Arroyo Grande Read More →
Real estate tech firms target Montecito, Santa Barbara
The tri-county real estate tech scene is surging. A number of web-based brokerage firms are flooding the region, targeting the affluent neighborhoods of Montecito and Santa Barbara. They aim to disrupt the established order of the real estate market through features such as streamlined online platforms, lower commission rates and live video walkthroughs. Open Listings Read More →
Goleta’s DuPont Displays closes, lays off 41 employees
DuPont Displays laid off 41 employees when the Goleta-based company permanently closed Feb. 29 after almost 26 years in business. DuPont Displays was a lighting subsidiary of DuPont USA and developed LED, LCD and organic light emitting diode technology. The company started as UC Santa Barbara startup Uniax in 1990 using technology developed by professor Read More →
Judge orders Plains to stop misleading oil spill claimants
A U.S. District Court ordered Plains All American Pipeline to stop misleading claimants seeking to recover interim damages from the Refugio oil spill and invalidate releases that preclude them from joining the class-action lawsuit and recouping further compensation. “The Court finds that Defendants are engaged in misleading conduct by using the OPA claims process — Read More →
Baxalta laying off 100 employees in Thousand Oaks
Baxalta, a biotechnology company with 1,200 employees in Thousand Oaks, is laying off 100 workers at that office on May 1. Layoffs will affect 239 Baxalta employees across the state at offices in Thousand Oaks, Los Angeles and Van Nuys, according to notices filed March 2 with the state of California. At Baxalta’s office at Read More →
SBA offers loans to businesses affected by Ventura Harbor closing
The Small Business Development Center at 1603 Anchors Way in Ventura will provide loan counseling to businesses affected by the recent closure of the Ventura Harbor through March 3. The U.S. Small Business Administration declared the closure a disaster, enabling it to provide assistance to businesses that experienced adverse financial impacts. Economic Injury Disaster Loans Read More →
Citizens Business Bank finalizes acquisition of County Commerce Bank
Citizens Business Bank finalized its acquisition of County Commerce Bank, the company announced on Feb. 29. In exchange for all of County Commerce’s common stock and options, Citizens paid $41.25 million — half in stock and half in cash. That equates to $16.79 per County Commerce share. County Commerce earned 40 consecutive “Five Star” quarterly Read More →
