The real-life drama over a film
The curious case of the film “Bananas!” continues to play out on screen and in the courts. On screen, “Bananas!” is a film that claims to be a documentary about Westlake Village-based Dole Food Co. and the health problems that thousands of workers in Nicaragua suffered because of exposure to pesticides. The hero is attorney Read More →
A tasty honor
For as long as there’s been a Pacific Coast Business Times, we’ve been big fans of the Far Western Tavern and the Righetti family. Their entrepreneurial spirit has kept a family business alive in the small town of Guadalupe and spawned the world-renownedj12 Susie Q barbecue sauce. Now comes word that Sunset Magazine has named Read More →
The Green Coast: A budding initiative
On June 9, more than 30 business and community leaders convened in Santa Barbara to begin the work of creating a Green Coast economic development initiative for the Tri-Counties. The Green Coast initiative began with an April column in the Business Times. The idea behind it is to reinvent the economy of our region, using Read More →
An honor well deserved
Running a Workforce Investment Board is not glamorous work. It means fulfilling the requirements of EDD on a local level and shepherding a rising number of unemployed through the system. But Cheryl Moore at the Ventura County WIB has found ways to innovate in a tradition-bound bureaucracy. She’s helped build a new alliance among Central Read More →
Business candidates bring ideas into politics
One of the remarkable things about the dismal state of California’s fiscal affairs is that businesspeople of many political persuasions are not twiddling their thumbs or burying their heads in the sand. The proliferation of candidates from the business community bodes well for the region’s future economic health. Anyone who has run a business or Read More →
Sanity flies out the window
We continue to be disappointed by the State Lands Commission and its decision, announced June 1, to turn down a well-crafted compromise that would lead to abandonment of several oil platforms off our coast. The so-called Tranquillon Ridge agreement between oil companies and environmentalists would have raised a ton of money for the state in Read More →
How small cities can avert disaster
The budget tsunami that’s hit California in the wake of the May 19 vote will take its heaviest toll on smaller cities. Without big industries such as technology or entertainment to cushion the blow, smaller communities will face increased taxes and a money grab by the state to fill budget coffers. In the Central Valley Read More →
