Guest commentary: Tips for navigating Middle Market M&A in 2026
By Greg Bland & Luiz Vilera Anticipation is building for another dynamic year in global mergers and acquisitions (M&A). According to a January 2026 Boston Consulting Group report, global M&A values climbed 31% between 2024 and 2025 to reach $3 trillion, with 33,000 majority M&A deals closing last year. Much of that activity occurred in the second Read More →
Our view: Why Santa Barbara needs leadership not dithering
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Guest commentary: Lawsuit abuse and fraudulent claims drive up insurance costs
By Bill Phillips It is no secret that California is an expensive place to live. From our high home prices to excessive bills at gas pumps, it is hard to afford to live in the nation’s beautiful “Dream Big” state. Rather than quietly allowing bills to soar, Californians should ask lawmakers tough questions about why Read More →
Guest commentary: Economic analysis of Q1 — The war, oil and consequences for the markets
By Eric Kelley The first quarter of 2026 witnessed a mix of geopolitical and market events in rapid succession. There were major global headlines throughout the first quarter, and, on the home front, the tariff package was struck down by the Supreme Court, a new chairman of the Federal Open Market Committee was named, and Read More →
Letter to the editor
To the Editor, I wanted to take a moment to thank you for the article Dubroff: Port, Ventura Harbor ready to haul in a big deal on Sunday, April 26th recognizing the collaborative efforts between the Port of Hueneme and Ventura Port District to bring commercial regional alignment to our two working waterfronts. I am the General Read More →
Our view: Sable wins, offshore wind loses as Trump admin impacts Central Coast
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Guest commentary: The real constraint isn’t effort, it’s judgment
By Eric Zackrison “Work harder” is the default response to underperformance in most organizations. Miss a target? Increase activity. Fall behind on goals? Add more meetings, more outreach, more effort. The assumption is that results are a function of volume — and that volume is something you can simply decide to increase. In some contexts, Read More →
