Dubroff: California’s legalization of marijuana could go up in smoke
In light of the recent election, it’s worth noting that Colorado sales from recreational marijuana soared to $1 billion in fiscal 2015 and the state’s haul of tax revenue has risen to $135 million. But the election of Donald Trump and his selection of Sen. Jeff Sessions as the attorney general-designate have rattled that state’s Read More →
Read More →Dubroff: Trump administration will reshape Mexican-American relations
Amid talk about a Trump administration crack down on illegal immigrants and spending billions to build a wall across the southern border, Roberto Rodriguez sees a chance of the biggest reset in Mexican-American relations in 30 years. Rodriguez knows a thing or two about that relationship. A 40-year veteran of Mexico’s foreign service, he began Read More →
Read More →New vision needed for Ventura County
You might call it the Ventura County conundrum. By many measures, Ventura County has recovered nicely from the recession with relatively low unemployment at 5.3 percent, steady job growth and a nascent boom in the travel and leisure sector. But a deeper dive shows some disturbing trends. Jobs have not recovered to their pre-recession peak, Read More →
Read More →Judge’s block of federal overtime exemption rule great for California employers
It’s a rare event when a federal rule sets a higher pay standard than worker-friendly California. That’s part of the reason why I wondered whether a Department of Labor mandate to sharply raise the level for overtime exemption to $47,476 a year on Dec. 1 amounted to a war on small businesses. On Nov. 22, Read More →
Read More →Widening Highway 101 will reduce traffic woes
Construction on Highway 101 from Casitas Pass Road to Cabrillo Boulevard through Montecito is causing havoc for commuters trying to navigate from Ventura into Santa Barbara. The project will continue into 2020 as Caltrans-funded upgrades to the 101 are incorporated into widening for high occupancy vehicle lanes through a transportation corridor that’s absolutely crucial to Read More →
Read More →Presidential election creates Central Coast winners and losers
After euphoria comes reality. The stock market rally that accompanied the election of Donald J. Trump as the nation’s 45th president has flattened out amid the reality that governing is complex and so is the economy. With Trump’s election, the slow growth predictability of the Obama years has been replaced with something new. But aside Read More →
Read More →Small business backlash fueled Trump’s victory
When the Business Times asked Labor Secretary Tom Perez last spring if the Obamacare mandates, new overtime rules and other new regulations amounted to a war on small business, he dismissed us with a wave of the hand. “Predictions of disaster amount to exactly that,” he said. On Nov. 8 the disaster arrived. And it Read More →
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