Farmers hope El Niño brings more rain, just not too much
By Philip Joens / Friday, August 7th, 2015 / Agribusiness, Columns, Latest news, Top Stories, Wine & Viticulture / Comments Off on Farmers hope El Niño brings more rain, just not too much
A strong El Niño is likely to happen for the first time since 1998, and it’s whipping up hysteria throughout California. Central Coast farmers have reason to be skeptical, though, that the rains will actually come. Meteorologists say that a strong El Niño does not mean there will be more rain on the Central Coast, Read More →
Goleta nonprofit Direct Relief moving forward with building
By pacbiztimes / Friday, August 7th, 2015 / Columns, Nonprofits, Real Estate / Comments Off on Goleta nonprofit Direct Relief moving forward with building
Goleta-based nonprofit Direct Relief is one step closer to building a new 155,000-square-foot facility by the Santa Barbara Airport where it could produce and distribute humanitarian aid, medicine and other vital supplies to impoverished and disaster-stricken communities around the world. The Santa Barbara Architectural Board of Review continued the project after its first concept review Read More →
Dubroff: Washington dysfunction over taxes could cost jobs in Tri-Counties
By Henry Dubroff / Friday, August 7th, 2015 / Columns, Health Care & Life Science, Tri-County Economy / Comments Off on Dubroff: Washington dysfunction over taxes could cost jobs in Tri-Counties
This is a column about how dysfunction in Washington is handing billions over to Wall Street while threatening thousands of jobs on the Central Coast. Just a year ago, Allergan shut its Goleta breast implant operation after it came under siege from corporate raiders, Activis, a New Jersey-based company that used an acquisition in Ireland Read More →
Oriental rug store may be razed for 4-story mixed-use project
By Elijah Brumback / Friday, July 31st, 2015 / Columns, Real Estate / Comments Off on Oriental rug store may be razed for 4-story mixed-use project
The owners of Aga John Oriental Rugs want to demolish the company’s Santa Barbara retail store to make way for a new four-story mixed-use development. Located at 15 S. Hope St., just across from the La Cumbre Mall, the property was purchase by Aga John in 2005 from Wye Road Properties for $4.1 million. The Read More →
Dubroff: Facing long odds, Steve Westly preps for 2nd run for governor
By Henry Dubroff / Friday, July 31st, 2015 / Columns / Comments Off on Dubroff: Facing long odds, Steve Westly preps for 2nd run for governor
During four years as California controller, former eBay executive Steve Westly was known for his innovative approach to making California’s creaky revenue system more efficient. Since leaving office in 2007, the Silicon Valley venture capitalist and former Tesla board member has mounted an unsuccessful primary effort to gain the Democratic Party nomination for governor. He Read More →
Minus a plus for South Coast organization advocating workforce housing
By Elijah Brumback / Friday, July 24th, 2015 / Columns, Latest news, Real Estate, South Coast / Comments Off on Minus a plus for South Coast organization advocating workforce housing
Craig Minus was recently elected president of the Coastal Housing Coalition Board of Directors as the organization marks a decade of advocating and creating opportunities to increase workforce housing on the South Coast. The appointment comes at a critical juncture as the supply of workforce housing has significantly decreased in the past several years, according Read More →
Alternative proposed to prevent peaker plant along Oxnard coast
By Henry Dubroff / Friday, July 24th, 2015 / Columns, Energy, Latest news, Top Stories, West Ventura County / Comments Off on Alternative proposed to prevent peaker plant along Oxnard coast
One of the biggest stories in Ventura County these days is the debate over the so-called “peaker plant” proposed by independent power producer NRG to replace a couple of aging power stations along the Oxnard coastline. And, when the Business Times editorialized in favor of building a peaker plant on July 17, we clearly created Read More →