Despite my grave reservations about the state of the state budget, the housing market and small business finances, the tri-county region is showing signs of digging itself out of a deep hole.

That’s the view from this perch as we head into the holiday season. And I have an ally in California Lutheran University economist Bill Watkins, the dean of the region’s forecasters and one of the most negative prognosticators around in recent years.

In brief comments that were almost giddy with excitement — well, not exactly — Watkins told a group of Ventura County businesspeople in mid-November that his indicators for employment and business activity are showing positive, albeit weakly positive, trends through next year.

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