First California acquires failed Woodland Hills bank
[Editor’s note: This story has been corrected. Scroll down to the bottom for the update.] Westlake Village-based First California Financial Group acquired the assets of Western Commercial Bank on Nov. 5 after federal regulators shut down the Woodland Hills-based institution. First California will pay the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. a half percent premium to assume Read More →
Roof collapses at UCSB
UC Santa Barbara closed its Bren School of Environmental Science & Management after a 4,000-pound section of ceiling collapsed in the building’s lobby on Oct. 30. No one was injured, and the building was evacuated safely, according to a UCSB news release. Classes in the building were cancelled for two days. University officials re-opened the Read More →
Remaining cities meet salary deadline
All of the local governments in the Tri-Counties that missed California Controller John Chiang’s initial deadline to turn in their salary and benefits data complied with the controller’s request within a few days. The cities of Guadalupe and Grover Beach and the county of Santa Barbara were not on the controller’s original list, released Oct. Read More →
Simi Valley hospital settles Medicare fraud claim
Simi Valley Hospital has paid the U.S. government $5.15 million to settle an allegation that the hospital filed false Medicare claims, the Department of Justice announced Nov. 3. With the settlement finalized, a federal judge dismissed the lawsuit, which was filed in October 2001 by a former hospital employee turned whistleblower. The suit alleged that Read More →
UTC to buy rest of Clipper
United Technologies Corp., a multinational firm that owns nearly half of Carpinteria-based Clipper Windpower, has reached an agreement with Clipper to buy the rest of the turbine maker. UTC acquired 49.5 percent of Clipper in December in a deal that gave it the right to boost its stake to 55 percent in 2012 — or Read More →
FDA OKs Aranesp for pre-dialysis patients
Amgen’s anemia treatment Aranesp is safe for kidney patients whose disease doesn’t require dialysis, a federal panel announced Oct. 18 in response to a study that found the drug could increase stroke risk in those patients. Outside advisers to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said the treatment shouldn’t be withdrawn or limited to a Read More →
