North Santa Barbara County great location for spinout tech
The Third District Supervisor race in Santa Barbara County caught our eye recently when the topic of finding new homes for UC Santa Barbara spinout technology companies came up. Bruce Porter, a West Point alum and stockbroker, has suggested a more comprehensive effort to link UCSB technology startups to communities in north Santa Barbara Read More →
Water rights require balance of interests
As a water lawyer, I am frequently asked, “Who owns the water in California?” In jest, I sometimes respond, “Is that a trick question?” The question is often a charged one that is underlain by personal views that there is either too much or too little government control over water use. The political adage that Read More →
UI fund deficit requires multipronged approach
While California’s political class is salivating over the thought of tax windfalls and a spending spree, the state’s employers are coughing up $1.7 billion in payroll taxes this month to put a small patch over the state’s insolvent unemployment fund. That enormous haul was enough to close just a fraction of the $8 billion the Read More →
Apprenticeship programs give employers competitive advantage
Something old is new again. Apprenticeships, an ideal means to train future workers, have been around for centuries throughout the world. A formal statewide apprenticeship system was created in California back in 1939. Yet today, apprenticeships do not readily come to mind as people plan for careers or employers look for skilled workers. That mindset Read More →
Expand public-private partnerships to increase affordable housing
More than 1.5 million low-income California renters spend more than half their income on housing, according to a recent Center on Budget and Policy Priorities report. That’s up 28 percent since the housing market crash. There is a role for federal and local policy in trying to address this issue, but we cannot hope to Read More →
Baxalta’s fast exit shows need for corporate tax fix
Baxalta, we hardly knew ya. Just six months after it was spun off from parent Baxter International, Baxalta, a major employer in East Ventura County, is to be sold to Shire, an Irish firm. The future of some 1,200 employees in Westlake Village and the Newbury Park area of Thousand Oaks is now uncertain, as Read More →
Forced arbitration violates your rights
By Lisa Spiwak Arbitration has become very popular as an alternative dispute resolution to the traditional court system. Arbitration’s popularity stems from the fact that it is a way to resolve legal disputes outside of the courts in a faster, cheaper and more flexible manner. Arbitration awards are completely binding on the parties and those Read More →
