Guest commentary: Lawsuit abuse and fraudulent claims drive up insurance costs
By Bill Phillips It is no secret that California is an expensive place to live. From our high home prices to excessive bills at gas pumps, it is hard to afford to live in the nation’s beautiful “Dream Big” state. Rather than quietly allowing bills to soar, Californians should ask lawmakers tough questions about why Read More →
Guest commentary: Economic analysis of Q1 — The war, oil and consequences for the markets
By Eric Kelley The first quarter of 2026 witnessed a mix of geopolitical and market events in rapid succession. There were major global headlines throughout the first quarter, and, on the home front, the tariff package was struck down by the Supreme Court, a new chairman of the Federal Open Market Committee was named, and Read More →
Guest commentary: The real constraint isn’t effort, it’s judgment
By Eric Zackrison “Work harder” is the default response to underperformance in most organizations. Miss a target? Increase activity. Fall behind on goals? Add more meetings, more outreach, more effort. The assumption is that results are a function of volume — and that volume is something you can simply decide to increase. In some contexts, Read More →
Guest commentary: How to prepare before the music stops
By John Grace In his 1952 memoir, Former President Herbert Hoover described the late-1920s market frenzy as an “orgy”, a period when speculation ran wild, discipline vanished, and risk was treated like a rounding error. Nearly a century later, the label still fits. Today’s version just has better branding: AI euphoria, real estate FOMO, private Read More →
Guest commentary: The Hidden Risk in AI-Supported Decisions
By Eric Zackrison The most common AI failure I see in organizations isn’t technical. It’s cognitive. Leadership teams across industries are integrating AI into forecasting, pricing, hiring, and strategic planning. The tools are improving quickly. The outputs are structured, precise, and increasingly persuasive. And that’s precisely where the risk begins. The danger isn’t bad data. Read More →
Guest commentary: Nonprofits don’t have a donor problem; they have a clarity problem
By Eric Knight Nonprofits are part of the Central Coast’s civic and economic infrastructure — delivering healthcare, food security, housing support, education and environmental protection in communities throughout the region. The people leading these organizations are among the most mission-driven professionals in our economy. Yet many nonprofit leaders are operating inside systems that make their Read More →
Guest commentary: Chartering a path through chaotic times with private flights
By Sarah Oberman How many businesses can survive their top executives being out of touch for more than a day or two? What about those same top executives being unavailable for a week? Two weeks? How many deadlines would be missed? How many deals would fall through? How many tasks wouldn’t be done? How much Read More →
