Watkins warns of shrinking Ventura County work force
Bill Watkins’ usually dour outlook for California and the local economy is only getting gloomier. The chief economist at California Lutheran University’s Center for Economic Research and Forecasting said March 29 that his outlook a year ago — already pessimistic compared to that of his fellow forecasters — was “wrong, way wrong.” Ventura County lost Read More →
Sientra funding rises to $151M
Sientra, the Santa Barbara breast implant company that recently received the first FDA approval in several decades for new implants for the U.S. market, has closed a $65 million funding round, bringing its total capital raised to $151 million. The lead investor on the private equity deal was London-based life sciences fund Abingworth. Sientra’s existing Read More →
Ojai Community Bank out from regulatory order
Ojai Community Bank is out from under a regulatory consent order imposed on it last year and reported a profitable 2011, swinging back from a loss the year earlier. The small Ojai-based bank said March 27 that regulators had lifted a Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. order placed on it on March 31, 2011. The announcement Read More →
Gov. Brown talks high-speed rail, energy
During Gov. Jerry Brown’s first term as head of the state, he green-lighted a plan for a high-speed rail. Thirty years later, the statewide rail project remains a priority for Brown — and it’s one way the California government is working to make the state green. “What’s really interesting right now is to look back Read More →
P&G, Paul Mitchell execs say mass-market is key for green
Reaching the 85 percent of American consumers who won’t buy a more expensive product simply because it’s the eco-friendly alternative is one of the largest challenges facing American manufacturers. That was the discussion Thursday morning between Wall Street Journal editors, Procter & Gamble Co.’s chief executive, the entrepreneur behind Paul Mitchell shampoos and Patrón tequila, Read More →
Lovins: Green energy a $1 trillion prize for private sector
Energy efficiency represents a $5 trillion business opportunity to reshape civilization and make a profit. That’s the view of Rocky Mountain Institute founder Amory Lovins, who spoke to a capacity filled audience at UC Santa Barbara on March 21. Lovins spoke in advance of the Wall Street Journal’s annual Eco:nomics conference taking place at the Read More →
