Editorial: A stronger Santa Maria bodes well for the region
The city’s comeback is being fueled in part by the housing bust, which left it as a rare find in the region — a large community with affordable homes, condos and apartments and a skilled workforce.
Editorial: Drones could still bring billions despite FAA setback
Ventura County’s bid to become a Federal Aviation Administration test area for unmanned aerial vehicles, or drones, came up short on Dec. 30, when the FAA announced that six other states had finished first in a competition that attracted 25 applicants.
Editorial: Big banks commit to local communities
Rabobank announced an investment of $1 million into a small-business loan fund run by the Economic Development Collaborative of Ventura County and Union Bank unveiled a multimillion-dollar investment that allowed the Channel Islands YMCA to return the nonprofit’s regional headquarters to downtown Santa Barbara.
Editorial: Gorell-Brownley fight could top $10M if race tightens
The implications of the Gorell vs. Brownley race for California’s 26th Congressional District will be felt up and down the ticket on the November 2014 ballot in Ventura County, according to California Lutheran University’s veteran political watcher Herb Gooch.
Editorial: 26th District race raises Naval Base’s profile
The race could turn on a single issue: The future of the district’s largest employer, Naval Base Ventura County. In remarks to the Ventura County Economic Development Association on Dec. 3, State Assemblyman Jeff Gorell said that the area faces “no greater challenge” than retaining the roughly 20,000 civilian and military jobs at the base, which sprawls across two complexes along the county shoreline.
