Bright, but not as big: Solar projects could be downsized to protect wildlife
The two massive solar projects winding toward approval on San Luis Obispo County’s Carrizo Plain could end up generating 30 percent less energy than the 800 megawatts their corporate backers would prefer. That is according to draft environmental impact reports circulating for the California Valley Solar Ranch, backed by San Jose-based SunPower Corp., and the Read More →
First California acquires failed Woodland Hills bank
[Editor’s note: This story has been corrected. Scroll down to the bottom for the update.] Westlake Village-based First California Financial Group acquired the assets of Western Commercial Bank on Nov. 5 after federal regulators shut down the Woodland Hills-based institution. First California will pay the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. a half percent premium to assume Read More →
Roof collapses at UCSB
UC Santa Barbara closed its Bren School of Environmental Science & Management after a 4,000-pound section of ceiling collapsed in the building’s lobby on Oct. 30. No one was injured, and the building was evacuated safely, according to a UCSB news release. Classes in the building were cancelled for two days. University officials re-opened the Read More →
Remaining cities meet salary deadline
All of the local governments in the Tri-Counties that missed California Controller John Chiang’s initial deadline to turn in their salary and benefits data complied with the controller’s request within a few days. The cities of Guadalupe and Grover Beach and the county of Santa Barbara were not on the controller’s original list, released Oct. Read More →
Inphi predicts $10-$12 IPO price
Inphi Corp., the chip design firm with a big presence in Ventura County, expects the shares of its initial public offering to sell for between $10 and $12. With shares scheduled to hit the market as early as Nov. 10, Inphi would raise $74.8 million if investors buy in the middle of its range. It Read More →
Slow SLO recovery forecast
Like the rest of California, San Luis Obispo County is winding very slowly to a full economic recovery, forecasters at the Central Coast Economic Forecast said Nov. 5. The county’s unemployment rate currently hovers around 10 percent, and will likely stay above 6 percent until sometime in 2015, economists from the forecasting group Beacon Economics Read More →
Simi Valley hospital settles Medicare fraud claim
Simi Valley Hospital has paid the U.S. government $5.15 million to settle an allegation that the hospital filed false Medicare claims, the Department of Justice announced Nov. 3. With the settlement finalized, a federal judge dismissed the lawsuit, which was filed in October 2001 by a former hospital employee turned whistleblower. The suit alleged that Read More →
