Our view: Towbes, Morton, Lacayo were rare type of leaders
In the normal course of business relationships, men and women build companies or lead nonprofits and then retire to leave the operations to a new generation or a new team. More rare is the circumstance where leaders are so committed to an enterprise or so intrinsically identified with their organization that they stay at the Read More →
Our view: Two Trees preservation wonderful for Ventura
Concerned citizens, community advocates and one of Ventura County’s emerging power couples has made an impressive effort to preserve the city of Ventura’s iconic “Two Trees” hilltop gathering place. On Earth Day, Rich and Bonnie Atmore led a volunteer effort to plant a new eucalyptus tree to begin the process of replacing one of the Read More →
Our view: Shuttered oil pipelines too much for Venoco
Updated at 12:05 p.m. April 24: When a Plains All American pipeline broke, spilling 142,000 gallons near Refugio Beach two years ago, few would have foreseen the unintended consequence that played out in a Delaware bankruptcy court on April 17. Venoco, a capable operator and the largest corporate taxpayer in Santa Barbara County, announced it Read More →
Our view: Mike Towbes’ legacy will live on
The Central Coast will be remembering the late Mike Towbes for a long time. By creating a trust to ensure local ownership of Montecito Bank & Trust, the Princeton-educated engineer created a vehicle for community philanthropy that will stretch on for future decades. The people around him, family members, his widow Anne Smith Towbes, Montecito Read More →
Our view: Common sense key trait for city council candidates
As Goleta, Santa Maria and other municipalities contemplate district elections for city council — with dire predictions about anti-business bias among candidates — James Fenkner has a better idea. Fenkner, a self-described “radical centrist,” has launched a talent search for candidates in the upcoming Santa Barbara city elections. He is hoping that through informal networking Read More →
Our view: Infill development critical to meeting housing needs
At a time when hand wringing over the high cost of housing has become more of a political cop out than a panacea, a new study underscores the benefits of infill development. Next 10, a group that relies on interdisciplinary research from UC Berkeley’s law, environmental and business experts, has cited infill housing for many Read More →
Our view: Progress on Highway 101 widening welcome sign
In fits and starts, the inevitable widening of Highway 101 from Carpinteria to Santa Barbara is proceeding at a steady pace. The latest sign of progress on the project is the Santa Barbara County Association of Governments’ approval for building HOV lanes in the Linden Avenue to Casitas Pass Road portion of the project. It Read More →
