Waiting on the man with answers
Writing in the New York Times on Dec. 27, financial columnist Gretchen Morgenson asked some important questions about Camarillo resident Bob Parry, a former president of the San Francisco Fed who served as a director of Countrywide Financial after he retired. Morgenson wonders what Parry was doing as Countrywide veered toward disaster and why he Read More →
Pacific Capital will be better off without RAL around
At long last, the refund anticipation loan program, or RAL, is headed toward the dustbin of history — at least as far as Pacific Capital Bancorp is concerned. On Christmas Eve day, Pacific Capital, parent company of Santa Barbara Bank & Trust, made a surprise announcement that it was selling its controversial tax refund loan Read More →
Even pessimistic forecasts see bright spots on the horizon
California Lutheran University economist Bill Watkins is not going to win any prince of light awards this year. But the normally pessimistic forecaster has a few glimmers of daylight in his latest state and national prediction. For the first time, Watkins sees a turnaround in California’s economy — but it’s weak and it will only Read More →
Investors wait for answers
Now that Don Lukens has been arrested in Chicago, maybe Ventura and Santa Barbara county investors will learn what happened to their money. Millions of dollars are still missing from failed investment programs run by Lukens, who disappeared amid a flurry of law enforcement activity. Much of the reporting on the Lukens affair was reported Read More →
In our thoughts
We’ll take a few sentences to recognize Ugo Melchiori, founder of Melchiori Construction Co., and Roger Heroux, the retired head of the Santa Barbara County Public Health Department. Just before press time, we learned that Melchiori, patriarch of a construction company that’s been highly successful on the South Coast, passed away after a long illness. Read More →
Area leads the way in sustainable ag
Agriculture still dominates much of the landscape across the Tri-Counties. And thanks to a new wave of interest in creating a “sustainable” economy, agriculture is being reinvented for the 21st Century. Gone in large part are the pesticide-heavy, water-guzzling practices of the past. Instead, farmers across the region are focusing on efficiency, environmentally sound practices Read More →
Recognizing the gift of life
The gift of life is the greatest gift of all. That’s why we’ll take a few words to appreciate the extraordinary personal commitment of Randy Weiss, vice president of community relations at Santa Barbara Bank & Trust. Weiss, as has been reported, donated a kidney to help out Katherine Pinedo, a fellow bank employee whose Read More →
