Editorial: Banks turning a big corner
Third quarter results on the banking front hint at a long-awaited turnaround in the region’s financial services industry. Pacific Capital Bancorp., the region’s largest banking institution, posted a profit for the month of September after getting a $500 million infusion from the Ford Financial group out of Texas. The bank has essentially got a new Read More →
Read More →Editorial: Keep Oxnard business-friendly
There’s a bit of a “reform” movement afoot in Oxnard, the region’s largest city. Mayor Tom Holden won re-election even in the face of a district attorney’s investigation of some city officials, but the City Council has undergone some big changes. We hope the newly elected council members, Tim Flynn and Carmen Ramirez, remember Oxnard’s Read More →
Read More →Editorial: Safe seats aren’t forever
Right now it’s hard to imagine the Central Coast represented in Congress by someone other than Elton Gallegly, R-Simi Valley, or Lois Capps, D-Santa Barbara. And it’s hard to imagine Assembly districts safer than the ones won by Democrat Das Williams or Republican Jeff Gorrell. But the day is coming when, thanks to redistricting, congressional Read More →
Read More →Editorial: Memo to Abel: Keep political options open
As we watched him speed across the state in search of votes for a long-shot bid for statewide office, Lt. Gov. Abel Maldonado’s passion for small business and the small-business owner left a big impression. Yes, in the crazy world that is California politics, the former Santa Maria city councilman finished short of the mark Read More →
Read More →Editorial: Get out the vote
Tuesday is Election Day — as you must know, if you’ve turned on a television, opened your mailbox or picked up a newspaper lately. There are scores of candidates and propositions on the region’s various ballots, more than we could ever hope to cover in the Business Times. We’ve tried to bring you the highlights Read More →
Read More →Editorial: Don’t let parking stunt downtown Ventura’s progress
A few months ago in this space, we took the managers of Ventura Harbor to task for their shortsighted plan to charge for parking at the harbor. Revenues were much lower than expected, merchants complained of depressed business, and the harbor went back to free parking before the summer was up. Now it’s the Ventura Read More →
Read More →Editorial: Clean-air rules can be a disruption
News that J.W. Bailey Construction Co. in Santa Barbara was closing its doors after 60 years came as a surprise. The company had a reputation for building high-quality buildings, often in the classic Santa Barbara style. But after years of suffering with the growth curbs that are the hallmark of doing business on the South Read More →
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