Santa Barbara County wine industry worth $1.7 billion in 2013
The Santa Barbara County wine industry had around a $1.7 billion economic impact in 2013, according to a recent study commissioned by the Santa Barbara Vintners Association. Spending a weekend afternoon in downtown Santa Barbara’s Funk Zone or driving through the Santa Ynez foothills demonstrate the industry’s growth and wine’s popularity. Yet, St. Helena-based Stonehenge Read More →
Settlement ends Amgen drug kickback saga
A drug kickback program is finally behind Amgen, the Thousand Oaks-based pharmaceutical giant. Louisville, K.Y.-based PharMerica was the last of three companies to settle lawsuits relating to Amgen allegedly paying kickbacks to PharMerica and another company to prescribe patients the anemia drug Aranesp. PharMerica settled the suit for $2.5 million in December, Louisville Business First Read More →
Bank of the Sierra buying Coast National Bank
Sierra Bancorp, the holding company of Bank of the Sierra, will acquire San Luis Obispo-based Coast Bancorp, pending regulatory approval, the banks announced late Jan. 4. It’s the latest move in a wave of tri-county banking mergers and industry sources have told the Business Times there are likely more in the works. “Bank of the Read More →
Crab fishing ban in tri-counties partially lifted
Tri-county crab fishermen have some reprieve from the near two-month fishing ban. The California Department of Public Health partially lifted the ban on Dec. 31, saying that all crab caught on the mainland south of Piedras Blancas Light Station in northern San Luis Obispo County was safe to eat. Officials have found high levels of Read More →
Voters to decide Ventura County growth
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Central Coast campaign targets foreign tourists
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New UC venture fund to pump $250M into spinoffs
There certainly is no shortage of money available for startup companies — total venture investments in 2014 were more than $57 billion, according to Dow Jones VentureSource, and there are signs 2015 could top that by billions. There hasn’t been this much cash flowing, particularly in the tech sector, since the late 1990s dot-com boom. Read More →
