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You are here:  Home  >  Articles by Pacific Coast Business Times Staff  -  Page 78
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Ventura County Business Bank gives hope to area banks

By   /  Monday, October 5th, 2009  /  Opinion  /  Comments Off on Ventura County Business Bank gives hope to area banks

It might be the understatement of the decade to say that raising capital has been extremely difficult for area banks. But in a very difficult environment, President Jerry Lukiewski at Ventura County Business Bank has found a way to increase his bank’s capital and perhaps set the stage for the acquisition of assets or other Read More →

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News analysis: Weighing options for Pacific Capital

By   /  Friday, October 2nd, 2009  /  Top Stories  /  Comments Off on News analysis: Weighing options for Pacific Capital

Pacific Capital Bancorp faces a fork in the road: Go it alone or find a stronger partner. Shareholders passed two proposals Sept. 29 that would let the parent of Santa Barbara Bank & Trust and several other tri-county banking brands go either way. The question now is what each path would hold. What’s not in Read More →

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A flood of penalties

By   /  Friday, October 2nd, 2009  /  Top Stories  /  Comments Off on A flood of penalties

Businesses are some of the biggest water polluters in the Tri-Counties, and now they’re facing millions of dollars in penalties. Power-generating stations, oil wells and a high-end resort hotel have all run into allegations from state regulators that they failed to report water quality data or discharged pollutants in amounts greater than they were allowed. Read More →

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Foundation puts cash to work in soft commercial real estate market

By   /  Monday, September 28th, 2009  /  Columns  /  Comments Off on Foundation puts cash to work in soft commercial real estate market

In a typical week, I get about a dozen real estate deals in my inbox. Most of them are pretty forgettable, and some are only buzzworthy because, well … there’s nothing else to buzz about. Leases are few and sales are far between. So you can imagine my surprise when I heard from Ron Gallo, Read More →

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Business tax violates Sol

By   /  Monday, September 28th, 2009  /  Columns  /  Comments Off on Business tax violates Sol

First, a disclosure. My late father, Sol Dubroff, spent much of his career as a tax systems architect, working for the U.S. Treasury and later for the IMF and other development agencies. He absolutely detested the value added tax, or VAT.  He accepted the fact that taxes are the price we pay for liberty and Read More →

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Let them eat cupcakes

By   /  Monday, September 28th, 2009  /  Small Business  /  Comments Off on Let them eat cupcakes

Call it comfort food if you will, but cupcakes may just be the perfect recession-proof little indulgences. In the Tri-Counties, cupcake bakeries – or cupcakeries – have proliferated over the past two years, and their owners say they’re only getting more popular. Maybe it’s because the HBO series “Sex and the City” shows its characters Read More →

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Fueling the future

By   /  Monday, September 28th, 2009  /  Uncategorized  /  Comments Off on Fueling the future

California has long been famed for its sun, sand and surf, but Dutch financial giant Rabobank is only concentrating on the sunshine. The Netherlands-based bank teamed up with a solar power company from the Bay Area to install a network of solar-powered electric vehicle recharging stations that would let drivers travel from Los Angeles to Read More →

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