Editorial: Partisan gridlock eases on Obamacare and immigration
Movement on immigration reform and fixing the Affordable Care Act are perhaps the political version of the “green shoots” that former Federal Reserve Chair Ben Bernanke talked about in the early stages of economic recovery.
Editorial: Pre-school as economic development
A Jan. 16 program hosted by the Economic Development Collaborative of Ventura County raised an intriguing question. If pre-school works so well, why not make it accessible to every kid in the county?
Editorial: A stronger Santa Maria bodes well for the region
The city’s comeback is being fueled in part by the housing bust, which left it as a rare find in the region — a large community with affordable homes, condos and apartments and a skilled workforce.
A speed bump on the way to creating a chamber-led vitality group
The most concentrated effort to date to create a Santa Barbara County economic vitality organization has hit a roadblock. And that roadblock appears to be the Board of Supervisors’ bitterly divided vote on the Santa Maria Energy project, where South County supervisors banded together to impose severe carbon emissions limits on an innovative onshore oil and gas development that had broad support in North County.
Op/ed: Your holiday gift to your community should be supporting local businesses
Studies show that in cities where small businesses account for a relatively large share of the economy, communities thrive because citizens are more connected to each other, more engaged and more likely to work together to solve problems.
Editorial: Highway 101 innovation corridor needs public-private partners
The idea of creating a Highway 101 innovation corridor got a jump start on Nov. 21 when a group of entrepreneurs and supporters of entrepreneurship gathered at UC Santa Barbara. The meeting was the result of considerable spadework by State Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson, D-Santa Barbara, and her staff, who have visited with many of the organizations promoting entrepreneurship in the Tri-Counties. Dubbed the “SLO to T.O.” corridor at the meeting, the group included representatives from UCSB, California Lutheran University, Santa Barbara City College and CSU Channel Islands.
