Did financial journalists miss the meltdown?
DENVER — Did the news media blow it in coverage of the financial mess? This is a question that’s come up in conversation quite a bit lately — I even asked about it during a recent interview on an area television show. That also happens to be the question that kicked off the annual conference Read More →
South Coast sales activity sinks deeper in Q1 as incentives abound
According to the Scott Glenn team at Radius, the most telling statistic from the first quarter of 2009 was the lack of completed sale transactions. “The dramatic decline of both the stock market and credit markets beginning in September of 2008 were contributing factors as very few properties went into escrow in the fourth quarter Read More →
Edison turns to UCSB for advice on lines
Overhead power distribution lines are better for the environment than their underground counterparts. That’s the general conclusion reached by a group of environmental science and management graduate students at the University of California, Santa Barbara, and Southern California Edison. The project and its conclusions are important because SCE is predicted to expand fast. The company Read More →
Property woes signal sluggish recovery ahead
Judging from the looks on the faces of the commercial real estate brokers and leasing agents I know, those little green shoots that Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke mentioned a few weeks ago might just as well have been “little green men.” A dearth of deals in the property sector is an indication that although Read More →
Despite tough times, Moorpark
Moorpark’s 306,000-square-foot Patriot Commerce Center, the sixth-largest business park in the Tri-Counties, finally celebrated its grand opening April 23. In addition to the 100 local business executives and commercial real estate brokers who were expected to attend, Moorpark Mayor Janice Parvin, City Manager Steve Kueny and officials from the Moorpark Chamber of Commerce were scheduled Read More →
Breaking down Tri-Counties
If you are going to stir up a bit of controversy, you’re going to get some heat. That’s why I was flattered when Susan Opava, dean of research and graduate programs at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, called me out on a recent column that criticized the university for not doing enough to Read More →
Habitat for Humanity reaches halfway point in fundraising
A little more than a year after embarking on an ambitious community-wide effort to raise $3.5 million, Habitat for Humanity of Southern Santa Barbara County has hit the halfway mark. Executive Director Joyce McCullough said about $1.8 million has been donated to Habitat’s campaign to build four new homes on the city’s lower west side. Read More →