Amgen approves $5 billion stock repurchase
Latest newsThousand Oaks-based biotech firm Amgen said Dec. 7 that its board of directors has authorized the firm to buy back as much as $5 billion in stock. Amgen has $1.2 billion of potential stock repurchases under its previous buyback program. Companies often buy back stock to boost share prices or earnings per share. Amgen’s shares Read More →
Onnen becomes Goleta's new mayor
Latest newsErin Onnen and Margaret Connell on Dec. 2 respectively became Goleta’s new mayor and mayor pro tempore. Onnen replaces Roger Aceves and will hold the position until December 2010. Onnen, Aceves and Connell serve on the Goleta City Council. The council rotates the mayor post to a different member each year. In his acceptance speech, Read More →
PG&E asks for 20 more years at Diablo Canyon
Latest newsPacific Gas and Electric Co. said Nov. 24 that it will seek federal approval to keep its Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant running until 2045. The plant’s two reactors produce enough electricity to power about 3 million California homes each year, the company said in a release. The reactors’ current federal operating licenses are set Read More →
Breaking news: Weyrich auction postponed
Latest newsUPDATE: The auctioning off of San Luis Obispo businessman David Weyrich’s properties on York Mountain Road near Templeton and Los Ranchos Road near San Luis Obispo was postponed Friday morning — at the beneficiaries’ request — until Tuesday Nov. 24. • Click here to read the previous story and check the Nov. 27 print issue Read More →
Pacific Capital shares up 35 percent
Latest newsShares of Pacific Capital Bancorp soared 35 percent in unusually heavy trading on Nov. 18 as the stock closed at 91 cents. Volume was more than 2 million shares compared with the normal 1.3 million shares daily. No news was announced, but as earlier reported, the region’s largest banking company has been seeking a buyer Read More →
Semtech announces profit, acquisition
Latest newsCamarillo-based chipmaker Semtech, which makes parts for the BlackBerry and other mobile phones, announced an $11.9 million third-quarter profit Nov. 18 and said it had purchased Irvine-based chipmaker Sierra Monolithics for $180 million in cash. Revenues were down 6 percent from a year ago to $75.1 million, but that figure represented a 13 percent increase Read More →
North Santa Barbara County poised for rebound
Latest newsThe recession likely is ending for North Santa Barbara County, which should be experiencing stable home prices and employment. That is the view of economist Mark Schniepp, who spoke at a Santa Maria Valley Chamber of Commerce economic forecast event Nov. 17. Schniepp said plunging home prices in Santa Barbara County have been fueled by Read More →
