Editorial: Systemic pension problems
News that the University of California system faces a $20 billion pension shortfall underscores one sobering truth to consider on Labor Day: Public sector jobs are not a free ride. Every job in the public sector is paid for with taxes, fees, tuition or other levies on private enterprise. Public-sector employees have a certain amount Read More →
Editorial: Ventura Harbor comes to its parking senses
Score one point for small business. After just two months, Ventura Harbor authorities have at least temporarily abandoned their plan to charge drivers for parking during peak hours at the cozy retail and restaurant district that is the main tourist draw for the harbor. The decision to abandon ship on parking fees was officially blamed Read More →
Editorial: Let the sun shine on city, county salaries
The Bell scandal has put public payrolls in the spotlight. That’s why the Pacific Coast Business Times has connected the dots up and down the Tri-County region, with a comprehensive survey on city manager and county executive officer pay. Our survey was conducted over the past few weeks under the direction of Executive Editor Tony Read More →
Editorial: Goodbye and good luck
For the past six years, we’ve gotten to know and respect Ashish Vaidya, who rose through the ranks to become dean of the faculty at CSU Channel Islands. He’s a thoughtful economist with a knack for reading the thoughts that are in the minds of those in the audience at his public talks on global Read More →
Editorial: A little cooperation isn't enough
As you read this editorial, Ventura County District Attorney Greg Totten’s office is poring over thousands of documents taken abruptly from Oxnard City Hall. Totten hasn’t spelled out exactly what he and federal officials are investigating, but it’s likely that the document search is part of an investigation into whether Oxnard officials broke the law Read More →
Editorial: U.S. News knows our colleges are tops
Our region’s four-year colleges and universities fared well in the latest rankings from U.S. News & World Report — yet another indication that over the long haul, the tri-county region’s economy is likely to be stable and that our tradition of successful entrepreneurship remains intact. For the record, five of the region’s four-year institutions of Read More →
Editorial: A refreshing development
The war isn’t over, but it looks like Doc Burnstein’s Ice Cream Lab in Arroyo Grande has won a round in its bizarre dispute with a Camarillo-based unit of the carpenter’s union. In a fight that other unions refused to join, the carpenters staged informational “bannering” protests at the ice cream store for months. They Read More →
