I.V. 2.0 sets example for redevelopment
Long lampooned for being nothing more than an appendage to the University of California, Santa Barbara, the community of Isla Vista is finally getting a major architectural makeover. For years, Isla Vista has been the butt of jokes about sofa burnings and the scene of not-so-funny Halloween mayhem. But powerful forces are reshaping the community Read More →
Airport gets much-needed grant
Also from San Luis Obispo County comes a sign that a concerted economic development effort can pay off. Just a few years ago, the SLO Airport was struggling with the loss of major carriers and a maintenance operation. But things seem to have stabilized thanks to a community wide effort to support existing flights and Read More →
How SLO can lead the renewable revolution
In the world of business, timing is everything. That’s because a certain amount of momentum develops around a sale or a deal and once it stops it may go away — forever. In the case of California, and particularly the Tri-Counties, there’s a lot of momentum right now built up behind the development of renewable Read More →
The scoop: Save this business, eat ice cream
The surest way to kill an economy is to kill its entrepreneurial spirit. In the brief, 10-year history of the Business Times, we’ve seen this attempted on a few occasions. The killers can wear suits — as in the case of the tort lawyer who went up and down the Central Coast filing Americans for Read More →
New carrier arrives
Speaking of free enterprise, United Airlines is about to get some competition on its heavily traveled route from Santa Barbara to Denver. Frontier Airlines, which emerged from bankruptcy recently under the ownership of Republic Airways of Indiana, is going to give United its first head-to-head competition to Denver in decades. Business travelers and ski fans Read More →
Where the rubber meets our road rage on repairs
Headed northbound on Highway 101 in late January, a car driven by one of our staff literally went airborne when it went over a large bump just past the Ventura city limits. The car landed with a crunch as it smacked the bottom of a pothole. Some $300 later it’s back to normal — and Read More →
Green districts garner attention
A few weeks ago our news pages touched on a special kind of special district — one that promotes and funds green energy projects. Santa Barbara County and San Luis Obispo both are considering such districts, though with slightly different approaches to funding. And the idea caught the attention of The Economist, which wrote about Read More →
