Strawberries top Santa Barbara crop report
Santa Barbara County’s agricultural production topped $1.24 billion in 2009, its highest total ever, according to the county agricultural commissioner’s annual crop report. The report, released April 12, shows a 9.1 percent increase over 2008 in gross value of crops, livestock and other agricultural products. Santa Barbara County ranked 14th in the state in agricultural Read More →
Novel plan may speed green building
A new way of financing energy efficiency upgrades in buildings is gathering steam across Santa Barbara County and headed for a vote by supervisors on April 13. Called emPowerSBC, the program allows property owners to borrow money from a funding pool set up by the county, install upgrades such as solar and pay off the Read More →
Hotel could change hands
The 135-room Country Inn & Suites in Port Hueneme might change hands soon as its owners face foreclosure on $53.2 million in debt. The loan dispute is between two obscure partnerships that ultimately lead to the Royal Bank of Scotland and Credit Suisse, two of the largest investment banks in the world. It also represents Read More →
Tri-county tech stocks make market moves
Ventura County tech companies inked big sales, swung back to profits and traded at heavy volumes in early April. Oxnard-based CalAmp Corp., a communications gear firm, signed contracts for $15.2 million in new wireless networks sales, sending shares up. After paring itself down to basics and tightening its manufacturing to deal with heavy losses, Camarillo-based Read More →
When the going gets tough
When the going gets tough, the tough get going. Kelly Magne knows that as she watches the clock and sips on a soda. Every day at four o’clock, the president and chief executive officer of Jensen Audio Visual clears her late afternoon schedule for her most important appointment: visiting her husband. Since January, Magne has Read More →
Another LAX flight
United Airlines added a sixth flight from San Luis Obispo Regional Airport to Los Angeles. The flight will be in a 30-seat Embraer 120 turboprop similar to those currently used to service LAX and San Francisco, the airport said. It will be operated by United’s regional partner SkyWest Airlines and will depart at 2:23 p.m. Read More →
Watching church moves
The Archdiocese of Los Angeles has a much greater impact on the area economy than you might think. High schools, hospitals, missions, colleges and seminaries make it one of the largest employers in the Santa Barbara-Ventura county area. And it was not always apparent that the outlying counties were a priority for outgoing Los Angeles Read More →
