Oil field rejection shows state
Politics being politics and California being California, it was not totally surprising to see a perfectly sensible deal between environmentalists and the oil industry go down the tubes late last month. The State Land Board’s decision to reject a proposal by Plains Petroleum to abandon four offshore platforms and an unsightly refinery in return for Read More →
Economy uproots hotel plans
Just a few months ago, the future of the hotel industry in the Tri-Counties looked clear. Smaller, nimbler, niche-oriented hotels were going to be the wave of the future. But the credit crunch has put a number of these plans on hold. Construction at Fess Parker’s Waterfront Hotel has been stalled; the restoration of the Read More →
Prison plans may be scrapped
Just as opposition to the proposed prison hospital in Camarillo was about to reach a boiling point, Federal Receiver J. Clark Kelso said he would slam the brakes before the project gets rolling. After an onslaught of criticism, Kelso said Feb. 3 he would modify his $8 billion prison hospital plans by eliminating mental health Read More →
SLO Airport plans cut in half
The San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors chopped its airport terminal project nearly in half at its Feb. 3 meeting. The terminal project will downsize from a multi-level 77,000-square-foot structure to 42,000 square feet. The San Luis Obispo County Regional Airport currently stands at 12,000 square feet. The board scrapped plans for a 1,100-spot Read More →
Oil lease denied
The California State Lands Commission denied Jan. 29 the first new oil lease in offshore waters in nearly 40 years. John Garamendi, former deputy interior Secretary under President Bill Clinton, argued that the plan would open more doors to offshore drilling and oil exploration on the West Coast. The lieutenant governor chairs the three-member State Read More →
CalAmp pays down debt with $8M payout
CalAmp has taken big steps back toward profitability after announcing an $8.2 million cash infusion from a legal settlement and an 8 percent cut to its workforce as customers cut back on orders of communications gear. The Oxnard-based company makes dishes for DirecTV and EchoStar, two of the largest satellite television providers in the country. Read More →
Nipomo project in the dark
Maria Vista Estates – a 77-lot development in Nipomo that’s in Chapter 7 bankruptcy proceedings – has moved one step closer to settling a road-fee lawsuit with San Luis Obispo County for $100,000. The county has already signed the proposed settlement, which is waiting for bankruptcy court approval. But one of Maria Vista Estate’s largest Read More →
