Unemployment rate drops again in region and state
Unemployment in the tri-county region dropped to 6.4% in March, the second lowest rate since the pandemic began, according to Business Times analysis of data released by the California Employment Development Department on April 16. The regional and state job markets improved as COVID-19 declined from their January high mark. The tri-county unemployment rate was Read More →
First Southwest Airlines flight lands in Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara rolled out the red, yellow and blue balloons as Southwest Airlines made its Central Coast debut on April 12. The Dallas, Texas-based airline’s brightly painted Boeing 737 aircraft arrived on time or even a few minutes early from Oakland and Denver to start what is expected to be a busy season for Santa Read More →
In Ventura County, yellow tier may not be far away
Changing state regulations, lower transmission rates and a strong push towards vaccinations helped Ventura County become the first county in the tri-county region to reach the orange tier of California’s COVID-19 reopening system. The state announced new regulations on April 6 as it hit its second statewide vaccine equity metric goal, which was designed to Read More →
PCH to open months ahead of schedule
Highway 1 through Big Sur will reopen by April 30, two months earlier than expected, Caltrans announced April 8. The section of the highway near Rat Creek closed after a Jan. 28 mudslide that washed about 150 feet of roadway into the sea. Caltrans expected the road to reopen in early summer, but good weather Read More →
Ventura County to enter orange tier; Santa Barbara and SLO lag behind
Ventura County will be the first in the tri-county region to reach the orange tier of California’s COVID-19 reopening system on April 7, while both Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties have failed to progress past the more restrictive red tier. Orange is the second least restrictive tier and means the spread of COVID Read More →
Region gets $2M in state power resiliency grants
New generators, MRE rations, a tow vehicle, a transformer, a manual transfer switch and room to plan. That’s some of what the state gave the Tri-Counties when it awarded almost $2 million to the region in the most recent round of Community Power Resiliency Program funding, according to state public records provided to the Business Read More →
Cal Poly economic impact estimated at $1.8B
Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo is responsible for more than $1.8 billion per year in industrial activity and nearly 20,000 jobs around the state, according to a new study commissioned by the California State University system. The study looked at the 2018-19 academic year and was released April 1, and conducted by a Virginia consulting Read More →
