Hemp growers hope for comeback as Ventura County loosens buffer rules
The Ventura County Board of Supervisors voted Dec. 15 to adopt new regulations on industrial hemp. Growers are hoping this will help reverse the decline of a crop that lost more than 90% of its Ventura County acreage from 2019 to 2020.
Tri-county unemployment down to 6% in November
Unemployment in the Tri-Counties and all over California hit its lowest levels in November since before the pandemic began, though the latest figures come from surveys taken before the post-Thanksgiving surge in COVID-19 cases and the new round of stay-home orders and business closures. California’s unemployment rate in November was 8.2%, down from 9% in Read More →
Westlake Village BioPartners puts $500 million into new venture funds
Westlake Village BioPartners, a venture capital firm focused on biotech startups in the Conejo Valley and the rest of greater Los Angeles, launched two new funds Dec. 15 worth a total of $500 million. The first fund is $70 million and will be used for Series B or later financing into companies that Westlake Village Read More →
Nurses set to strike at Los Robles hospital in Thousand Oaks
Nurses at Los Robles Regional Medical Center in Thousand Oaks, the biggest hospital in Ventura County, are set to go on a 10-day strike starting Dec. 24. The nurses’ union, Service Employees International Union Local 121 RN, called the strike Dec. 14, four days after a vote of the union members gave the bargaining team Read More →
AeroVironment expands into ground robotics with German acquisition
AeroVironment, an aerial drone company based in Simi Valley, reached an agreement Dec. 8 to acquire Telerob, a German robotics company, in a deal worth approximately $45.4 million in cash.
Region’s PPP loans totaled $2.87B
Businesses in the tri-county region received more than $2.87 billion in potentially forgivable loans through the federal Paycheck Protection Program, according to an early December release of data from the U.S. Small Business Administration.
Central Coast counties ask to go their own way on pandemic rules
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