Even pessimistic forecasts see bright spots on the horizon
OpinionCalifornia Lutheran University economist Bill Watkins is not going to win any prince of light awards this year. But the normally pessimistic forecaster has a few glimmers of daylight in his latest state and national prediction. For the first time, Watkins sees a turnaround in California’s economy — but it’s weak and it will only Read More →
Paso Robles: growing between the vines
FeaturesPaso Robles touts itself as the wine capital of the Central Coast, and area wineries have done everything they can to uphold that image in the past year, adding thousands of square feet in expansions and remodels. In fact, construction at the wineries surrounding Paso Robles may soon outpace growth in the city itself. A Read More →
Ventura real estate firm sets sights on the Lone Star State
ColumnsFor the first time in eight years, Dick Fausset’s Ventura real estate investment company is buying. Back in the 1990s, Fausset Neely Inc. went on an acquisition spree, buying up more than 2.86 million square feet of commercial property in California, Texas, Louisiana and Alabama. But in 2001, Fausset stopped buying and started selling. “In Read More →
Investors wait for answers
OpinionNow that Don Lukens has been arrested in Chicago, maybe Ventura and Santa Barbara county investors will learn what happened to their money. Millions of dollars are still missing from failed investment programs run by Lukens, who disappeared amid a flurry of law enforcement activity. Much of the reporting on the Lukens affair was reported Read More →
No restaurant blues at EP Koberl
FeaturesThe restaurant business is a notoriously tough one to succeed in, but Erich and Patricia Koberl must have had a secret recipe when they struck out on their own almost five years ago. EP Koberl at Blue, a stylish little restaurant nestled in the corner of the historic J.P. Andrews Building in downtown San Luis Read More →
Give small businesses a few tools
ColumnsIt’s bad enough that regulators have basically forced our community banks to redline small businesses and deprive them of capital at a time when it’s most needed. Now comes word that staff have been let go at Small Business Development Centers, which provide technical assistance to operating ventures in Ventura and Santa Barbara centers, which Read More →
