Bankrupt Opus selling two sites in VC
A Phoenix-based real estate developer facing foreclosure on a project in Camarillo has filed for bankruptcy protection while it completes ongoing financial restructuring that includes unloading some tri-county assets. As part of the bankruptcy proceedings, Opus West Corp. will auction off two Ventura County business parks: Camarillo Ranch Business Park and Westlake North Land in Read More →
Amgen lays off 100
Thousand Oaks-based Amgen laid off about 100 employees on July 22, the company confirmed to the Business Times. The most recent round of cuts was among the company’s clinical manufacturing and quality-control workers. Previously, on May 1, Amgen laid off about 100 workers as part of an outsourcing of the company’s facilities services group, said Read More →
Company owner arrested
A Lompoc man was arrested July 10 and charged with 147 felony counts of selling securities under a misrepresentation, grand theft and forgery. Santa Barbara County law enforcement officials booked Michael Lee Wilson of Pacific Coast Mortgage in county jail. Investigators searched his home and another business location in Lompoc, officials said in a Read More →
Work Investment Board gets $1.1M
The Santa Barbara County Workforce Investment Board was slated for the public handoff of a $1.1 million check for youth job creation on July 15. A countywide youth jobs program funded by the federal stimulus bill is expected to create jobs for 125 youths. Santa Barbara County Supervisor Joe Centeno was scheduled to hand over Read More →
Coastal Commission needs to get a grip
Once again the California Coastal Commission has proven why the state’s balkanized power structure needs to be reordered and simplified. In the latest instance, the Coastal Commission denied a request by Santa Barbara County, the city of Goleta and a number of organizations to replenish the beach near Goleta pier. In doing so, it overrode Read More →
California slips as others catch up
As July heads past the mid-point, California still does not have a budget. This inability to get simple things accomplished underscores how far the Golden State has slipped behind its chief political rival, Texas. The July 11 edition of the Economist elaborates on the California-Texas rivalry, pointing out that among other things, Texas seems to Read More →
Moorpark film studio plot unfolds
Bernie Weitzman has a grand script in the works for Moorpark. Step by step, Weitzman, chairman and chief executive officer of Commonwealth Studios and an independent film industry veteran, is bringing his massive film studio dream to fruition on the outskirts of the Ventura County city. And it is a big dream. Weitzman and Commonwealth Read More →
