200 people arrested by federal agents following Glass House raid
The fallout from the federal agent’s raid of Glass House Farms’ operations in both Carpinteria and Camarillo is still being felt, with approximately 200 people across both sites being arrested, the Department of Homeland Security announced on July 11. Federal agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Homeland Security agents stormed both Glass House Read More →
Feds raid area cannabis operations
Federal agents took aim at one of the Central Coast’s publicly traded companies on July 10 when a Homeland Security Investigations unit raided Glass House Farms, a cannabis farm with operations in both Santa Barbara and Ventura counties. Raids at Glass House’s farms in Carpinteria and Camarillo were conducted concurrently on July 10. Glass House Read More →
Santa Barbara’s El Encanto Hotel sells for $82.2M to Tinder co-founder
Santa Barbara’s five-star gem El Encanto Hotel is under new ownership after Justin Mateen, Tyler Mateen and the Cayton family combined to purchase the historic estate for $82.2 million. Announced July 8, the Mateen’s and Culver Capital, which is represented by principal Garrett Cayton, purchased El Encanto from Belmond, a luxury hospitality brand owned by LVMH. LVMH Read More →
Central Coast agriculture gross value up in 2024
The gross value of agriculture in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties increased by 7% in 2024 over 2023, according to their recently released annual crop and livestock reports. In 2024, Ventura County’s estimated gross value was $2.3 billion, its findings, made public June 24, said. Santa Barbara County’s was $2 billion, its report, released July Read More →
CSUCI president steps down, joins DataPhilanthropy
CSU Channel Island is undergoing a leadership change as President Richard Yao steps down this summer to join the Trade Desk founder Jeff Green’s family foundation. Yao will leave his post effective Aug. 1, an unusually rapid departure for a CSU president, and he will transition quickly to the presidency of DataPhilanthropy as the foundation’s Read More →
VC leaders stand in solidarity with undocumented farmworkers
Ventura County officials, community leaders and clergy members gathered June 27 to decry federal immigration raids and to offer support to undocumented farmworkers facing possible arrest. “We’re coming together to stand in support of the human rights of immigrants,” Martita Martinez-Bravo, the executive director of Friends of Fieldworkers, told the Business Times at the Stand Read More →
Umbra launches new manufacturing facility in Goleta
Santa Barbara-based Umbra is furthering its investment in the region with the opening of its new 50,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Goleta. Umbra is a space technology company that came out of stealth mode in 2021. The company provides access to satellite images and offers dedicated satellite missions. Announced June 25, the new space will boost Read More →
