Street Smarts: Entrepreneurs in Santa Maria get a very early start
Santa Maria is learning to think young. Really young. Some 30 students in grades 5 through 7 are participating in the Santa Maria Valley Chamber of Commerce Junior CEO program, and they will be selling their products at Santa Maria Town Center Mall after completing a six-week course that taught them how to start a Read More →
Regional unemployment rate hits new pandemic-era low
The tri-county region’s combined unemployment rate dropped to 4.7% in October, down from 5% in September and a new pandemic-era low, according to new data released by the California Employment Development Department on Nov. 19. The statewide unemployment rate in mid-October was 7.3%, down from 7.5% the month in September, as California added 96,800 non-farm Read More →
Our view: Region’s downtowns must look beyond dining
Downtowns have fought their way back from the pandemic with a combination of street closings and restaurant revitalization. But as Santa Barbara gets ready to inaugurate a new mayor and Santa Barbara and Ventura both take steps toward making car-free downtown streets more permanent, it is worth taking into account something else that’s happening across Read More →
Opinion: Exploring the economic ties between old world and new
By John Chamberlain The European economy is one of the largest on Earth, and it is also one of the richest regions as measured by assets under management, with over $32.7 trillion. The European Union’s GDP was estimated to be around $15 trillion in 2020, representing around one-sixth of the global economy. The euro is Read More →
Sonos reports loss for quarter but record annual revenue
Santa Barbara home audio company Sonos beat analysts’ expectations with its fourth-quarter earnings and also delivered record revenues for its 2021 fiscal year, but supply chain issues could spoil the first half of 2022, the company said. Sonos reported a net loss of $8.7 million in the quarter ended Sept. 30, according to results released Read More →
WEV wins $50K Bank of America grant for equity programs
Women’s Economic Ventures received $50,000 in grant funding from Bank of America’s philanthropic program to help underrepresented entrepreneurs on the Central Coast. The grant, announced by the Santa Barbara-based nonprofit on Nov. 17, will be used to advance a micro-grant and entrepreneurial training pilot program it launched recently in partnership with an Oxnard-based nonprofit supporting Read More →
Gallegly sues CLU over public service center
UPDATE, 2:48 p.m., 11/16/2021: This article was revised to include comments from a California Lutheran spokesperson. Former U.S. Rep. Elton Gallegly has filed a lawsuit against California Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks alleging problems with the funding and establishment of an on-campus public service center named after him. The complaint, filed Nov. 15 in Ventura Read More →
