Grit still best predictor of success
By Renee Rock One good old-fashioned job skill is still the key to success. As the middle child in a large 1950s-era family, I had to work hard to earn the attention of my hardworking blue-collar father. Like many in single-income families, my father worked long hours, often putting in overtime to make ends meet. Read More →
Minimum wage and salary increases — a ripple effect or a tsunami?
By Jon Light You may have heard that California will have a minimum wage of $15 by 2022. But there are ramifications beyond that gradual increase that employers may not have considered. In April, Gov. Jerry Brown signed into law a minimum wage increase to $15 per hour, phased in over five years between 2017 Read More →
Area code overlay better than breaking up the 805
With the California Public Utilities Commission ready to hold hearings on the future of the 805 area code, the easy call for this newspaper is to urge the CPUC to adopt a so-called “overlay” solution. With an overlay, the existing area code remains intact and a new set of three numbers introduces a new area Read More →
Protect elderly from information scammers
By Paul D. Witman “Knowledge (information) is power.” — Francis Bacon, 1597 Edward, 82, bought long-term-care insurance 25 years ago. But when circumstances conspired to force him to make claims against it, his provider delivered a perfect storm of information problems — confusing deadlines, conflicting bills and poor customer service. What should have been a Read More →
Small is new big when it comes to business
By Ray Bowman Recently while traveling, I had the honor of meeting one of the world’s top five trend-spotters, Marian Salzman. She talked about some of the leading trends for 2016 and noted that “local is the new global” and that living large is no longer a trend. “Small is the new big” suffices to Read More →
Skies won’t be friendly in Santa Maria anymore
Santa Maria’s relationship with United Airlines was set up for a breakup a year ago when the Chicago-based carrier stopped flying to Los Angeles and shifted its connecting flights to San Francisco. The final blow came Aug. 1 when United announced a suspension of the SFO flights this fall. The Santa Maria-San Francisco service was Read More →
CSU Channel Islands finds solution to housing shortage
Our universities are leading the way toward providing private sector solutions to the region’s chronic housing deficit. It will take courage, but civic leaders and elected officials should take note. The latest solution comes from CSU Channel Islands, where a donation of land for housing has enabled private developers to build quickly and nearly complete Read More →
