Editorial: Don't threaten eminent domain lightly
OpinionLast week’s editorial encouraged the Pacific Oaks Credit Union and the owner of troubled Carriage Square, a retail property in Oxnard, to work out their differences and avoid an eminent domain action by the city. We’re pleased to see that the parties took our advice — and obviously similar advice given by civic leaders. The Read More →
After Baker, Cal Poly may need a rethink
ColumnsWith a world-class reputation for its undergraduate programs and master’s degrees, $1 billion in campus improvements and a reputation for bringing an international flavor to higher education, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo should be riding high. But for the third time during the past two years, it’s friction between recently retired Cal Poly President Warren Read More →
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 →
Hoping for
NonprofitsAt The Good Cookie, a new Santa Barbara bakery with its products now on the shelves at Whole Foods Market, the employees are clients of the Casa Esperanza Homeless Center. They work nights in the center’s kitchen, where they learn job skills and earn money to get themselves off the streets. The revenues support Casa Read More →
Again, Ford buys a bank at a bargain
ColumnsTo Carl Webb, California in 2010 looks a lot like California circa 1993. A devastating meltdown in the housing sector. Sky-high unemployment. Deep budget problems. And a crisis in confidence that the Texas banker describes as “a little less spring in the step” of the California consumer. In short, the perfect time to get back Read More →
