Our view: Tariff on goods from Mexico would hurt avocado growers
The avocado was relegated to the ranks of niche agricultural products until some clever growers from Ventura County figured out how to grow, harvest and ship them into U.S. markets year round. By outsourcing operations to Mexico and Latin America, Calavo, Mission Produce and others extended the four-month growing season in California to 12 months Read More →
Our view: Chumash deserve chance to develop Camp 4 land
The Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians took a big step toward self-sufficiency on Jan. 23 when the Bureau of Indian Affairs placed a prime Santa Ynez Valley property into a trust that clears the way for housing, vineyards and open space development. Technically known as Camp 4, the 1,390-acre property is scheduled for 143 Read More →
Our view: Trump’s delay in picking ag secretary taking toll
Secretary of Agriculture has become the only cabinet position without a nominee from Donald Trump. At press time, literally hours before Inauguration Day, there was no signal from the incoming president about who a nominee might be. Though some believe the front-runner is former Lt. Gov. Abel Maldonado of Santa Maria, the administration has been Read More →
Sonos visionary hears call to mentor successor
In his typically understated way, Sonos founder John MacFarlane has quietly stepped away from his role as chief executive of the Santa Barbara-based audio company. MacFarlane, who has built one of the largest enterprises in the tech sector on the Central Coast, took to the Sonos blog on Jan. 10 to post the fact that Read More →
Legislators should help manufacturing rebound
While the South Coast is reveling in its waterfront makeover, tri-county tourism is getting stronger and economists are heralding a boom in craft spirits, the manufacturing core of the region is looking more and more hollowed-out. Large sections of Simi Valley and west Ventura County and North Santa Barbara County are losing head-of-household jobs. San Read More →
Kurland stepping down but influence continues
PennyMac Financial’s Stanford Kurland has a habit of working in mysterious ways. A veteran of Countrywide Financial, he joined that company in the late 1970s and rose through the ranks to become its president, leaving without fanfare in 2006 — just as the excesses in the mortgage market were beginning to become apparent. In 2009, Read More →
No more delays in widening Highway 101
There they go again. The no-growth crowd is crowing about a newly-released environmental impact report that shows a handful of intersections on Highway 101 will experience slowdowns after the highway is widened between Carpinteria and Montecito. But to anybody who’s been following the buzzing of political gadflies around the estimated $428 million project, the complaints Read More →
