From the editor: Mozilo’s ban a true black mark
The lifetime ban against former Countrywide CEO Angelo Mozilo serving as an officer or director of a public company may be the most positive result to come from his settlement of a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission complaint. As reported over the weekend, the SEC settled with Mozilo and two top lieutenants in a case Read More →
Editorial: Commute relief on the way, finally
Speaking of cars (see accompanying editorial), there are entirely too many of them traveling Highway 101 between Santa Barbara and Ventura every morning and evening. Estimates have put the number of daily commuters as high as 20,000, and the hours they spend stuck in traffic are a significant drain on the region’s economy and quality Read More →
Editorial: Ventura on right road to revive auto mall
Apart from a half-abandoned exurban subdivision, there’s no clearer physical symbol of the Great Recession than the American auto mall. Carmakers both foreign and domestic have shut dealerships from coast to coast, leaving acres of empty concrete. The effects in the Tri-Counties have been relatively mild, but there are still plenty of vacant auto mall Read More →
‘J.R.’ takes on Wall St., and charities win
A generation after “Dallas” disappeared from the small screen, Ojai actor Larry Hagman has staged a comeback as a media star. The man who played J.R. Ewing was the subject of global news coverage — including a flattering column in the Sunday New York Times — after he won a big settlement against Citigroup and Read More →
Editorial: Sneaky attack subverts property rights in SLO
In a spread that garnered national publicity in Parade Magazine on Oct. 3, San Luis Obispo was crowned “Happy Town, USA,” where, among other things, author Dan Buettner found it to be the No. 1 place in America for emotional health. But just a few days later, California’s Fair Political Practices Commission tore the cover Read More →
