Editorial: Memo to Abel: Keep political options open
As we watched him speed across the state in search of votes for a long-shot bid for statewide office, Lt. Gov. Abel Maldonado’s passion for small business and the small-business owner left a big impression. Yes, in the crazy world that is California politics, the former Santa Maria city councilman finished short of the mark Read More →
California’s chips are all in on green
One thing is clear from this year’s election results: California will bet a big chunk of its economic future on alternative energy. The resounding defeat of Proposition 23, which would have rolled back the Golden State’s cap-and-trade regime, came at the hands of a big coalition of venture capitalists, environmentalists and traditional business leaders bent Read More →
Editorial: Don’t let parking stunt downtown Ventura’s progress
A few months ago in this space, we took the managers of Ventura Harbor to task for their shortsighted plan to charge for parking at the harbor. Revenues were much lower than expected, merchants complained of depressed business, and the harbor went back to free parking before the summer was up. Now it’s the Ventura Read More →
Editorial: Get out the vote
Tuesday is Election Day — as you must know, if you’ve turned on a television, opened your mailbox or picked up a newspaper lately. There are scores of candidates and propositions on the region’s various ballots, more than we could ever hope to cover in the Business Times. We’ve tried to bring you the highlights Read More →
Looking for the economy’s silver lining
With the economic forecast season about to get underway, two things are absolutely certain: 1. The experts are going to have strong opinions. 2. Most of the time they’re going to be wrong. So, with the knowledge that my amateur views are likely to be better than at least a few of the pros, let’s Read More →
Editorial: Toward a unified West Ventura County chamber
Tom Kelley’s announced departure from the Camarillo Chamber of Commerce raises a prospect worth considering — the creation of a larger and more impactful business organization for West Ventura County. That’s why we’d encourage the boards of directors of the Oxnard, Ventura and Camarillo Chambers to consider creating a West Ventura County Chamber of Commerce. Read More →
Totaling up the hefty price tag of Mozilo
The lifetime ban against former Countrywide Financial Corp. 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. But Mozilo’s company and his conduct created a decade-long road to economic ruin that reached Read More →
