The three-step tax fix for California
OpinionHere’s a simple, three-step fix to California’s budget. First, cap the flat tax on individual income at 7.5 percent. Use a 10-year history to estimate what the average level of revenue will be with taxes at that level. That plus the state sales tax and other levies should really be California’s baseline for spending. It Read More →
630 summer jobs created
UncategorizedA $1.75 million federal stimulus program created 630 jobs for young people over the summer, the Workforce Investment Board of Ventura County said in a release. The program provided work experience with Ventura County employers for youths aged 14 to 24. It ran through Sept. 30. In the program, young people worked for private, Read More →
NASA honors firm
UncategorizedSanta Barbara-based DKB Resources received awards from NASA and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory for services it provided to help robotic rovers search for water and signs of ancient life on Mars. The company, which provides high-end printed circuit board engineering, design layout and manufacturing support, was awarded for its “excellence in service” and participation Read More →
UCSB shutters Ventura Center for Off-Campus studies
UncategorizedThe University of California, Santa Barbara, plans to close its Ventura Center for Off-Campus Studies, according to a release from the university. Campus officials said financial considerations drove the decision because UCSB cut $45 million from its budget this year after reductions in state support for the UC system. Many of the 65 students Read More →
A rift in the valley
UncategorizedLos Olivos, a sleepy town of about 1,000 in the Santa Ynez Valley, has been experiencing some classic symptoms of growing pains, and now community leaders are poised to make a few crucial decisions about tourism — the area economy’s bread and butter. The town, located a short distance from Michael Jackson’s famed Neverland Ranch, Read More →
Credit unions win battle for savings, loans
UncategorizedThe saying goes that from great chaos comes great opportunity. In the financial world, still reeling from near-collapse, no entities may understand that adage better than credit unions. In the Tri-Counties and nationwide, these distant cousins of banks found that because they stuck to conservative lending practices, they’ve remained well-capitalized and are now poised to Read More →
Wet gold
TechnologyWater supply has been a critical issue throughout the history of the American West, but in an age when global warming concerns and an increasingly complex water distribution system create new challenges for regulators the world over, Mark Twain’s words — “Whiskey is for drinking; water is for fighting over” — have renewed meaning. In Read More →
