PXP drilling project in trouble
UncategorizedPlains Exploration & Production Co.’s plans to drill for oil off the Santa Barbara coast could be dead in the water after Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger withdrew his support for the plan. Schwarzenegger’s change of heart was promoted by the spill in the Gulf of Mexico, Bloomberg News reported. Schwarzenegger appointees or allies make up two-thirds Read More →
Ventura burnishes its green credentials
UncategorizedCities across the region are talking about how to attract green jobs. On May 17, the city of Ventura will have a green business developer working the case full time. Joey Briglio worked for Ventura for about six years in a range of planning and environmental jobs and is returning to fill the newly created Read More →
InTouch eyes an IPO: Medical robotics firm raises $10M in private funds
UncategorizedGoleta-based InTouch Health, the maker of a telemedicine robot, has raised $10 million in a private placement and is gearing up to go public. InTouch’s robot and Web-based control platform lets experts in stroke, cardiology and other fields perform patient consultations at faraway hospitals and connect devices such as electronic stethoscopes and EKGs. Founded in Read More →
Power-One leads the pack in Q1 earnings
UncategorizedTri-county tech firms have announced strong first-quarter results, largely fueled by impressive growth at Camarillo’s Power-One. Here’s a closer look at first-quarter earnings at some of the largest firms in the region: • Power-One, a maker of power treatment products for everything from computers to trains to solar panels, turned in a $3.8 million profit for Read More →
Retail market heats up again in Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo counties
ColumnsThe Tri-Counties are finally seeing some retail leasing action again, with everybody from large national chains to local mom-and-pop shops penning deals on spaces. It’s an encouraging sign that the economy is truly on the upswing. In Santa Barbara, national clothing retailer Love Culture announced that it has signed a 10-year lease on 7,000 square Read More →
A new deal for a new banking era
ColumnsEvery financial crisis breeds its own solutions. In the case of Pacific Capital Bancorp, the region’s largest financial institution, that solution is something called a “recapitalization.” As befits the era of the hybrid, the proposed $500 million cash injection by Dallas-based Ford Financial Group is part sale and part workout, all done with a wink Read More →
