Fatal citrus threat approaches county line
Ventura County citrus growers are bracing themselves for what could be the most dire threat their crops have ever faced. The Asian citrus psyllid, an invasive insect that can transmit an incurable, fatal disease to citrus trees, has been steadily making its way north from Mexico for months and was most recently discovered just 20 Read More →
PCBC buys time to survive
Though Pacific Capital Bancorp announced narrower losses and an intent to sell branches, the drama surrounding the fate of the struggling parent of Santa Barbara Bank & Trust is likely to continue for months. On Feb. 1, Pacific Capital, which has been under pressure from regulators to boost its capital ratios, announced a $20 million Read More →
Firm sees China in its future
Santa Barbara-based medical equipment maker TrueVision Systems plans to enter a joint venture with one of the biggest health care technology firms in China. TrueVision makes a 3-D heads-up display system that attaches to microscopes used in brain, spine and eye surgery, along with software that helps guide the surgeon’s cuts. Think “Avatar” meets neurosurgery. Read More →
Editorial: Behind McCaw’s victory, a chance to reset her role
Wendy McCaw has notched an admirable victory for the First Amendment, but her job as the owner and co-publisher of the Santa Barbara News-Press may need some reinvention. McCaw’s struggle with her newsroom over who controls the content of the news pages came to a head in 2006, when the paper’s top editors and reporters Read More →
Santa Paula: Showing true grit
As Mayor Jim Tovias explained in his state of the city address on Groundhog Day, Santa Paula hasn’t spent the past year hiding from a weak economy. Without a single layoff or salary reduction, the city has shaved $1 million from a $10 millon budget and reached zero deficit without tapping into reserves. Fearing another Read More →
Weyrich properties hit the auction block
San Luis Obispo County businessman David Weyrich gave up several large properties, including the winery named after him, at a public auction Feb. 2, the Tribune reported. Aegon, an insurance and financial services firm and one of Weyrich’s creditors, now owns the Martin and Weyrich Winery and Villa Toscana, a bed-and-breakfast near Paso Robles, as Read More →
Cuesta cuts classes
Cuesta College, a community college outside San Luis Obispo, announced Feb. 2 that its summer class offerings will be all but eliminated this year because of budget issues. The school said that the only classes to be offered this summer will be classes that support its health curriculum and classes that support the San Luis Read More →
