Businesses must function autonomously

By Linda-Marie Sundstrom In 2015, point-of-sale computers at Starbucks went down — resulting in outages at 8,000 stores in the United States and Canada. Baristas were unable to accept payment for drinks so they either gave the product away or closed their stores. They couldn’t function autonomously. During disasters, businesses can find themselves without power, Read More →
700 barrels of oil leak from Ventura pipeline

Updated at 12:30 p.m. June 23: About 700 barrels of crude oil leaked from a pipeline in Ventura on June 23 but Ventura County firefighters were able to stop the oil from reaching the ocean, officials said. The oil belongs to Aera Energy, among other producers, and the pipeline is owned by Crimson Pipeline, which Read More →
Review blasts Ventura County Community Foundation’s fiscal management

Updated on June 22 at 4 p.m.: An independent fiduciary review found that the Ventura County Community Foundation undervalued donor-restricted funds due to improper fund management, VCCF announced on June 22. The seven-month report by auditor KPMG found that the foundation invested permanent funds in money-market accounts, over-allocated interest income to VCCF’s unrestricted funds and charged Read More →
PG&E to close Diablo Canyon Power Plant by 2025

Pacific Gas and Electric plans to close the Diablo Canyon Power Plant near Avila Beach by 2025, the company announced June 21. The nuclear power plant has been controversial since starting operations in 1985 because fault lines run under and near the plant. PG&E said in a news release that it has plans to replace Read More →
Land O’Lakes buying Thousand Oaks-based Ceres for $17.2 million

Land O’Lakes is buying Thousand Oaks-based Ceres for $17.2 million, the companies announced June 17. Under the terms of the agreement, Minneapolis-based Land O’Lakes will buy all outstanding shares of Ceres common stock for 40 cents per share, in cash. The price per share of common stock represents an 81 percent premium to the closing Read More →
2016 Latino Business Awards winners announced

The Business Times is pleased to announce our 2016 class of Latino Business Awards winners. Now in its fifth year, this annual special section published with the June 17 print edition. The award winners will be honored at an evening reception Thursday, July 14 at the Crowne Plaza Ventura Beach hotel. [For tickets, call (805) Read More →