Guest commentary: How AI agents and robots are rewriting the future of work
By Vlad Vaiman Artificial intelligence may be the most significant workforce revolution since the advent of electricity. But whereas earlier automation displaced human muscle with machines, today’s digital transformation involves learning to work alongside intelligent systems. AI agents that can do more and more sophisticated cognitive tasks, robots that can navigate physical spaces with more Read More →
Guest commentary: Do you see what I see? Why preparation trumps prediction
By John Grace Learning from history is priceless — yet investors seem determined to relearn the same lessons the hard way. You’ve probably never heard of Jesse Livermore. He ran away from home with just $5, became one of the most legendary traders of all time, and made (and lost) several fortunes. Livermore was famous Read More →
Guest commentary: What Central Coast businesses should reassess in 2026
By Starr Hall As the new year begins, many businesses across Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties are carrying AI tools into 2026 the same way they carried gym memberships into January- full of intention, but not always clarity. Over the past year, artificial intelligence moved quickly from novelty to necessity. Companies experimented with Read More →
Guest commentary: The tariff rollercoaster of 2025
By Gerhard Apfelthaler On Dec. 16, David Bahnsen, money manager, conservative commentator, and keynote speaker at the California Lutheran University Center for Economic Research and Forecasting’s Annual Ventura County Economic Forecast event in 2024, recently released a podcast titled “Making America Crony Again”. While I don’t agree with everything Bahnsen says, his commentary on the Read More →
Guest commentary: New employment laws for 2026
By Jonathan Fraser Light It’s time to look at some of the new employment laws that will impact businesses in 2026. The state’s mandatory minimum wage is going up from $16.50 an hour in 2025 to $16.90 in 2026. If a local jurisdiction has a higher rate, that’s the one to follow. Note that the Read More →
Guest commentary: How small and mid-sized businesses can grow in 2026
By Jason Bietz The latest Bank of America Business Owner Report confirms what we see every day from entrepreneurs across our communities: cautious yet determined optimism. Nearly three in four business owners expect revenue gains in the next 12 months, and many plan to expand (59%), hire (43%) and secure financing (83%) in the new year. Here Read More →
Guest commentary: The magic of the mall lives on this holiday season
By Jennifer Duarte We’ve all heard the whispers — or seen the social media comments — over the past decade: “Malls are dead.” It’s an easy narrative in the age of one-click online shopping and next-day delivery. But as someone who has spent more than two decades in the shopping center industry, managing more than Read More →
