July 30, 2025

		

Jorge Mercado

Jorge Mercado is a staff writer with the Business Times. His beats include technology, agriculture, cannabis, energy and the environment, and higher education.


| Saturday, July 12th, 2025

CSUCI Professor arrested among Glass House raids

Central Coast, Higher Education, Latest news, left

Jonathan Caravello, a professor at CSU Channel Islands, was among one of the more than 200 people arrested from the federal agent’s raid of Glass House Farms’ operations in both Carpinteria and Camarillo on July 10. In a statement, the California Faculty Association said that Caravello, according to witnesses, was arrested on July 10 after Read More →

| Friday, July 11th, 2025

Good works: 30 Central Coast restaurants receive impactful grants

Central Coast, Columns, Latest news, Nonprofits, Subscriber content

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| Friday, July 11th, 2025

CRE: Additional Rite Aid closures hit Central Coast

Central Coast, Columns, Latest news, Real Estate, Subscriber content

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| Friday, July 11th, 2025

200 people arrested by federal agents following Glass House raid

Agribusiness, Latest news, Santa Barbara County, Top Stories, Top Story, Ventura County

The fallout from the federal agent’s raid of Glass House Farms’ operations in both Carpinteria and Camarillo is still being felt, with approximately 200 people across both sites being arrested, the Department of Homeland Security announced on July 11. Federal agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Homeland Security agents stormed both Glass House Read More →

| Friday, July 11th, 2025

Street smarts: Cottage Health expands access to specific surgical care

Central Coast, Columns, Latest news, Tourism, Tri-County Economy

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| Thursday, July 10th, 2025

Feds raid area cannabis operations

Agribusiness, Central Coast, Latest news, Top Stories, Top Story

Federal agents took aim at one of the Central Coast’s publicly traded companies on July 10 when a Homeland Security Investigations unit raided Glass House Farms, a cannabis farm with operations in both Santa Barbara and Ventura counties. Raids at Glass House’s farms in Carpinteria and Camarillo were conducted concurrently on July 10. Glass House Read More →

| Wednesday, July 9th, 2025

Santa Barbara’s El Encanto Hotel sells for $82.2M to Tinder co-founder

Latest news, Real Estate, Santa Barbara County, Top Stories, Top Story, Tourism

Santa Barbara’s five-star gem El Encanto Hotel is under new ownership after Justin Mateen, Tyler Mateen and the Cayton family combined to purchase the historic estate for $82.2 million. Announced July 8, the Mateen’s and Culver Capital, which is represented by principal Garrett Cayton, purchased El Encanto from Belmond, a luxury hospitality brand owned by LVMH. LVMH Read More →