Region’s employment picture a little brighter
The unemployment rates in Santa Barbara, Ventura and San Luis Obispo counties all continued to drop in September, and all three counties had healthier labor markets than the state a whole. The combined unemployment rate for the tri-county region was 7.9 percent in September, according to a Business Times analysis of data released Oct. 16 Read More →
SLO County names interim airports chief
San Luis Obispo County has found a new airports director in its own deputy director. Courtney Johnson, who has been the county’s airports deputy director since January 2019, will serve in an interim role leading the agency after current director Kevin Bumen steps down on Oct. 10 to take a job at San Francisco International Read More →
Figueroa Mountain Brewing announces Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing
Buellton-based craft brewer Figueroa Mountain Brewing Co. filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization on Oct. 5, as the region’s second largest craft brewer announced plans to restructure its debts and bring in a new financial partner. “While it is a difficult decision to go down this path, we believe this will be the best direction Read More →
Our view: This recovery, like the last, will be Latino-led
Latinos were the unsung heroes of the U.S. recovery from the Great Recession, and they will lead the national economy out of its current pandemic slump. Those are the subtexts behind the latest annual report on the Latino economy, produced jointly by the Center for Economic Research and Forecasting at California Lutheran University and the Read More →
Region gets new SBA leadership as Parker heads to D.C.
Victor Parker, head of the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Los Angeles District Office, is taking a new post at the agency’s headquarters in Washington, D.C. The LA District, which includes Ventura and Santa Barbara counties, is the largest in the nation in terms of dollar volume of SBA loans. During nine years as district director, Read More →
Wildfires hit tourism industry still reeling from pandemic
This is supposed to the time of year for clear skies in Morro Bay. The fog, when it comes in at all, usually lifts by noon, says Mary Robinson the owner of Paddlesports Morro Bay. But lately the San Luis Obispo County coast has been blanketed by a mix of fog, smoke and ash. Robinson’s Read More →
UCSB, Cal Poly, CLU all make top 10 in U.S. News rankings
UC Santa Barbara placed No. 30 on U.S. News & World Report’s latest ranking of national universities and sixth among public universities, one of three Central Coast colleges in the top 10 in its category. U.S. News released its annual “Best Colleges” lists for 2021 on Sept. 14, with the six colleges in the Tri-Counties Read More →
