Mixed signals from the top ruin strong economic foundations
As an awful year for business heads for the history books, we’re going to sound a couple of warning notes about 2010. What troubles us more than anything else are what economists like to call “externalities” — events clearly beyond control of those of us who operate in the Tri-Counties. Here’s a look at two Read More →
Santa Barbara
Since the earliest days of the region as a Mecca for wealthy families, philanthropy has been part of the social scene. Some efforts, notably Direct Relief International, have grown from informal ideas into world-class social organizations. But lately, philanthropic efforts often seem to be single-cause focused, reflecting the special interests of donors. From the Santa Read More →
Tea fire not forgotten a year later
A year ago, the Tea Fire devastated parts of Santa Barbara and Montecito, destroying more than 200 homes and ravaging the landscape. Twelve months later, homeowners are still regouping and many have not yet decided whether or not to rebuild. Fire remains a threat, one underscored by the Jesusita Fire, which struck the Santa Barbara Read More →
Area elections show voters back business
Reading the minds of voters is always difficult. But in elections in Santa Barbara and Ventura there are stirrings of an electoral backlash against the extreme regulation of business in the Highway 101 corridor. By substantial margins, voters turned back height-limit measures in both Santa Barbara and Ventura. In Ventura they also turned back an Read More →
Small business sees brighter future
Nothing lasts forever. That goes for recessions as well as good times. The City Business Journals Network, an organization based in Charlotte, N.C. — of which the Business Times is an affiliated member — reports that small- and medium-sized businesses are more optimistic about the economy than at any time in the past year. In Read More →
One Carpinteria vendor
Bill Connell operates the ultimate small business, and now, he and his little hot dog stand in Carpinteria have had a taste of the ultimate victory. For 16 years, Connell sparred with the State Board of Equalization over the interpretation of an 1872 statute exempting from paying various taxes street peddlers who are also disabled Read More →
Navy
When Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus came to Santa Barbara to speak before the regional chapter of the Navy League, not many people had heard of the “Green Fleet.” And, indeed, there is a fair amount of public relations value involved — just as Theodore Roosevelt’s “Great White Fleet” which sailed the Pacific at Read More →
