Our view: Shuttered oil pipelines too much for Venoco
Updated at 12:05 p.m. April 24: When a Plains All American pipeline broke, spilling 142,000 gallons near Refugio Beach two years ago, few would have foreseen the unintended consequence that played out in a Delaware bankruptcy court on April 17. Venoco, a capable operator and the largest corporate taxpayer in Santa Barbara County, announced it Read More →
Don’t throw all trade agreements out with TTIP
By Jamshid Damooei Our recent presidential election brought about a rare accord between the progressive and the populist fronts in rejecting the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership. I have no problem with the rejection of a trade agreement that focuses primarily on the interests of transnational corporations, international financial centers, agribusiness and giant chemical companies Read More →
Our view: Gillespie good choice for VCCCD chancellor
The Ventura County Community College District has taken a big step forward with the hiring of Greg Gillespie as its permanent chancellor. Gillespie, president of Ventura College since 2013, knows the area and its politics, he has a proven track record and he’s extremely familiar with workforce needs in critical industries such as agribusiness, technology Read More →
Our view: Mike Towbes’ legacy will live on
The Central Coast will be remembering the late Mike Towbes for a long time. By creating a trust to ensure local ownership of Montecito Bank & Trust, the Princeton-educated engineer created a vehicle for community philanthropy that will stretch on for future decades. The people around him, family members, his widow Anne Smith Towbes, Montecito Read More →
Our view: Common sense key trait for city council candidates
As Goleta, Santa Maria and other municipalities contemplate district elections for city council — with dire predictions about anti-business bias among candidates — James Fenkner has a better idea. Fenkner, a self-described “radical centrist,” has launched a talent search for candidates in the upcoming Santa Barbara city elections. He is hoping that through informal networking Read More →
Central Coast foster care system needs more families
By Jim Roberts I believe it goes without saying, it is far better for our communities to solve local needs rather than depend upon the government. Right now on the Central Coast there is a significant need to which our families and individuals need to rally to solve. To put it bluntly, there are not Read More →
Our view: Infill development critical to meeting housing needs
At a time when hand wringing over the high cost of housing has become more of a political cop out than a panacea, a new study underscores the benefits of infill development. Next 10, a group that relies on interdisciplinary research from UC Berkeley’s law, environmental and business experts, has cited infill housing for many Read More →
