Editorial: A few easy steps to fix pension mess
OpinionAs the region, along with the rest of the state, confronts a massive problem in funding public-sector pensions, the abuses in the city of Bell should sound a clarion call to make real reforms in a corrupt system. The Ventura County Taxpayers Association reports that in the city of Ventura alone, some $3.1 million a Read More →
Universities haul in grants, but cash still tight
UncategorizedWith its state funding level still up in the air, UC Santa Barbara broke its records for external research funding by bringing in $222 million this year, nearly double the outside funding it brought in a decade ago. But as much as that money helps, it often goes to specific programs. With the state budget Read More →
Cal Poly out, Pepperdine in: Santa Barbara will get first MBA classes in January
UncategorizedWith Cal Poly San Luis Obispo out of the running, Pepperdine University is set to win the race to open the first master’s in business administration program in the Santa Barbara area. Cal Poly announced June 30 that it was abandoning plans for an MBA program, at the request of the office of California State Read More →
A smarter brand: IQMS grows and profits in Paso Robles
TechnologyThink of Paso Robles, and golden hills, grazing cattle and some of California’s best wines come to mind. Add to that list a global software firm. Twenty-one years ago, Randy and Nancy Flamm mortgaged their house to found IQMS, a company headquartered in Paso Robles that delivers software in eight languages to more than 400 Read More →
Editorial: Oxnard, don't go nuclear on credit union
OpinionOxnard has threatened to use eminent domain proceedings to evict a longtime tenant, Pacific Oaks Credit Union, from a troubled property known as Carriage Square. That strikes us as a harsh way to treat a financial institution that’s an important part of the lifeblood of the region’s largest city, and we’d urge the city, property Read More →
Banks report mixed results, some growth
UncategorizedTri-county banks reported mixed second-quarter results, but banker optimism and improved balance sheets suggest a measured economic turnaround is under way. “The worst is behind us and the economy is gradually picking up,” Sung Won Sohn, a CSU Channel Islands professor and former Wells Fargo economist, told the Business Times. “Earnings have stabilized. However, when Read More →
SLO nonprofit guides way to green
NonprofitsGreen Building Pages, a nonprofit based in San Luis Obispo, was started by architect Marilyn Miller Farmer with a simple goal: to make sustainable building more accessible. When Farmer first started as an architect, she wanted to focus on sustainable design, but she kept running into trouble finding reasonably priced green materials. Her brainchild, Green Read More →
