Follow Direct Relief
Haitian officials are hearing reports that scores of thousands may have died in the powerful earthquake that struck the country. Many more may have been injured and made homeless. News reports tell of survivors without food and water digging the dead and injured from the rubble with their bare hands. As governments were readying responses, Read More →
Storm runoff rules threaten property rights
Property rights rapidly are becoming the newest endangered freedom in Ventura County. As Stephen Nellis reported in a recent edition of the Business Times, new stormwater runoff rules are threatening to wreak havoc with development and even redevelopment plans in Ventura County. These rules would require builders to deal with 75 percent of rainwater runoff on-site, Read More →
Confirm Maldonado already
At press time, the California Legislature had not acted on one pressing piece of business that should be a no-brainer — the confirmation of Sen. Abel Maldonado as Lieutenant Governor. Our position was made clear when the capable Santa Maria Republican was nominated last year to fill a seat that was vacated by termed-out John Read More →
Waiting on the man with answers
Writing in the New York Times on Dec. 27, financial columnist Gretchen Morgenson asked some important questions about Camarillo resident Bob Parry, a former president of the San Francisco Fed who served as a director of Countrywide Financial after he retired. Morgenson wonders what Parry was doing as Countrywide veered toward disaster and why he Read More →
Pacific Capital will be better off without RAL around
At long last, the refund anticipation loan program, or RAL, is headed toward the dustbin of history — at least as far as Pacific Capital Bancorp is concerned. On Christmas Eve day, Pacific Capital, parent company of Santa Barbara Bank & Trust, made a surprise announcement that it was selling its controversial tax refund loan Read More →
Even pessimistic forecasts see bright spots on the horizon
California Lutheran University economist Bill Watkins is not going to win any prince of light awards this year. But the normally pessimistic forecaster has a few glimmers of daylight in his latest state and national prediction. For the first time, Watkins sees a turnaround in California’s economy — but it’s weak and it will only Read More →
Investors wait for answers
Now that Don Lukens has been arrested in Chicago, maybe Ventura and Santa Barbara county investors will learn what happened to their money. Millions of dollars are still missing from failed investment programs run by Lukens, who disappeared amid a flurry of law enforcement activity. Much of the reporting on the Lukens affair was reported Read More →
