Our view: This recovery, like the last, will be Latino-led

Latinos were the unsung heroes of the U.S. recovery from the Great Recession, and they will lead the national economy out of its current pandemic slump. Those are the subtexts behind the latest annual report on the Latino economy, produced jointly by the Center for Economic Research and Forecasting at California Lutheran University and the Read More →
Region gets new SBA leadership as Parker heads to D.C.

Victor Parker, head of the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Los Angeles District Office, is taking a new post at the agency’s headquarters in Washington, D.C. The LA District, which includes Ventura and Santa Barbara counties, is the largest in the nation in terms of dollar volume of SBA loans. During nine years as district director, Read More →
UCSB, Cal Poly, CLU all make top 10 in U.S. News rankings

UC Santa Barbara placed No. 30 on U.S. News & World Report’s latest ranking of national universities and sixth among public universities, one of three Central Coast colleges in the top 10 in its category. U.S. News released its annual “Best Colleges” lists for 2021 on Sept. 14, with the six colleges in the Tri-Counties Read More →
SLO County airport chief to depart for SFO

Kevin Bumen, San Luis Obispo County’s director of airports, is stepping down at the beginning of October. Bumen, who has managed San Luis Obispo County’s two airports since 2013, is taking a new position as the first chief commercial officer for San Francisco International Airport. His last day in San Luis Obispo is Oct. 9, Read More →
Vista Equity founder Robert Smith under tax investigation

Robert Smith, the founder of Vista Equity Partners, which counts Mindbody and LogicMonitor in its portfolio, is facing an investigation by U.S. tax authorities over his personal offshore holdings. According to reports first published in Bloomberg, then in the Financial Times and others, Smith has come under scrutiny over tax treatment of millions of dollars Read More →