Countrywide was just too good to be true
Countrywide Financial Corp. shareholders are voting June 25 in Calabasas on the acquisition of their company by North Carolina-based Bank of America. In the face of the debacle known as the subprime mortgage meltdown, shareholders are being asked to allow BofA to become the nation’s largest lender in a $3.3 billion deal. How things Read More →
School leader is tough to replace
Ventura County faces a considerable challenge this summer as it prepares to replace Chuck Weiss, the outgoing superintendent of schools. Weiss leaves behind a legacy of fair dealing, community leadership and an enduring legacy of excellence for one of the biggest school systems outside of a major city. It is that legacy of excellence that Read More →
Learning lessons from the left and right
The long, drawn-out primary season has attracted plenty of commentary, with pundits on both sides of the political spectrum drawing lessons left and right. But taking a slightly longer view, we’d like to take a few minutes to point out some of the fundamental business lessons that we learned along the way. It’s never over Read More →
Balance the state budget
In the train wreck that is the California state budget, one of the biggest fiscal derailments concerns the creation of a new class of highly paid bureaucrats. Quoting a recent survey by the San Francisco Chronicle, the Ventura County Taxpayers Association reports that state workers’ salaries have increased by an eye-popping 37 percent in just Read More →
Vaya con Dios, Padre Virgil
The South Coast has lost a symbol of its history almost as familiar as the Old Santa Barbara Mission itself. Father Virgil Cordano took on the persona of the mission padres in his brown, flowing robe and wide-brimmed hat. He died May 22 after a series of ailments at the age of 89. Read More →
Partnership needed for bridge barrier plan
Plans to build a suicide-prevention barrier on the Cold Springs Bridge at the San Marcos Pass in Santa Barbara County have ranged in price from $605,000 to $3 million. Forty-three suicides – 31 in the past 25 years – have been committed by men and women leaping from the scenic, 400-foot-high bridge on Highway 154 Read More →
Props. 98, 99 don
California needs to reform eminent domain. However, it appears both of the eminent domain measures – known as Proposition 98 and Proposition 99 – on the June 3 statewide ballot are unsupportable. Eminent domain allows governments to seize private property with proper compensation to allow for projects “in the public’s interest.” Many property owners have Read More →
