Dubroff: More routes, bigger planes help tri-county airports take off
Columns, Latest newsJust 18 months ago, the future looked grim for the region’s airports. Pilot shortages and a switch by regional carriers from prop jet to all-jet fleets meant cutbacks and consolidation up and down the coast. Business travelers from airports in Burbank, Santa Barbara, Santa Maria and San Luis Obispo were facing fewer options and higher Read More →
Our view: Mike Towbes’ legacy will live on
Editorials, Latest news, OpinionThe Central Coast will be remembering the late Mike Towbes for a long time. By creating a trust to ensure local ownership of Montecito Bank & Trust, the Princeton-educated engineer created a vehicle for community philanthropy that will stretch on for future decades. The people around him, family members, his widow Anne Smith Towbes, Montecito Read More →
Our view: Common sense key trait for city council candidates
Editorials, Latest news, OpinionAs Goleta, Santa Maria and other municipalities contemplate district elections for city council — with dire predictions about anti-business bias among candidates — James Fenkner has a better idea. Fenkner, a self-described “radical centrist,” has launched a talent search for candidates in the upcoming Santa Barbara city elections. He is hoping that through informal networking Read More →
Dubroff: Towbes created his own recipe for success in banking business
Columns, Latest newsWhen Mike Towbes stepped down as chair at Montecito Bank & Trust on April 3, he deftly handed the reins of the region’s largest banking company to incoming Chair Janet Garufis and President George Leis. As with just about everything Towbes does, the move was carefully calibrated. At age 87, Towbes has earned the right Read More →
Dubroff: East Ventura County should focus on creating a biotech cluster
Columns, East Ventura County, Health Care & Life Science, Latest news, TechnologyWhen the Business Times broke the story that Amgen was cutting roughly 500 support and operations jobs at its sprawling Thousand Oaks campus, there were gasps — and sighs of relief. Gasps because the world’s largest biotechnology company is the economic engine for the Conejo Valley, East Ventura County and, for that matter, a big Read More →
Our view: Infill development critical to meeting housing needs
Editorials, Latest news, OpinionAt a time when hand wringing over the high cost of housing has become more of a political cop out than a panacea, a new study underscores the benefits of infill development. Next 10, a group that relies on interdisciplinary research from UC Berkeley’s law, environmental and business experts, has cited infill housing for many Read More →
Dubroff: Trump’s budget priorities will create tri-county winners, losers
Columns, Latest newsA cardinal rule about covering politics these days is that it’s never too early to speculate. So, with the contours of the Trump administration’s approach to budgeting just coming to light, it seemed timely to begin to try to sort out winners and losers among major tri-county institutions. It’s way too early to predict what Read More →
