Brooks teams with film fest
NonprofitsOjai’s film festival has not rested on the success of last year’s events but has instead spent time making friends with its neighbors in Ventura. The newly named Ojai-Ventura International Film Festival recently announced its partnership with Brooks Institute in Ventura — a collaboration that organizers believe will create more space for moviegoers to watch Read More →
Health care: The small business view
ColumnsDear President Obama: You recently sent out an e-mail asking small business owners to comment on health care reform. So, here is what I think. When I started the Pacific Coast Business Times 10 years ago, I made a commitment to paying fair wages and providing quality health care for all full-time employees. I have Read More →
Foreclosure plague hits beach projects
UncategorizedIn a sign that Ventura County’s residential real estate market may be nearing a bottom, a $37.5 million, 150-home development in Port Hueneme faces foreclosure and an Oxnard developer trying to launch a handful of condominium projects has filed for bankruptcy with $19.5 million in debt. In both cases, the loans go back to 2006 and Read More →
Nonprofits fight to save events
NonprofitsHearing wedding bells? Not if you’re on agricultural land in San Luis Obispo County. Some of the county’s economic sectors, such as the wedding industry and nonprofits, could receive a lethal blow as officials examine new legislation that would heavily regulate commercial events. The county is considering adopting an events ordinance that would nearly eliminate Read More →
Commercial vacancies on rise, but still below U.S. average
ColumnsIn its latest quarter report, Hayes Commercial Group said the overall vacancy rate now exceeds 5 percent in South County. That number stacks up favorably when compared to national rates, but is up 25 percent since the beginning of the year. The report showed that the number of lease transactions is up on an annualized Read More →
Budget squeezes recyclers
UncategorizedThe deep cuts that resolved California’s budget crisis have come to your recycling bin. On July 1, the state pulled back on processing fees that it pays to recyclers and stopped some incentive programs altogether. Recyclers say the move is eating into their revenue at a time when the prices they get for recycled materials Read More →
SLO event ordinance a blow to business
OpinionA prime example of job-killing regulation is coming to light in San Luis Obispo County. That’s because a group of environmentalists and “buy local” have joined forces to advocate for a countywide ordinance that would ban most private, for-profit activity on agricultural land. In other words, no more weddings, retirement parties, fundraisers, corporate celebrations or Read More →
