Recently added articles from Santa Barbara News-Press (Santa Barbara, CA):

Developer completes sale of campus to UCSB.

Sep 29, 2007 ... Byline: Maria Zate Sep. 29--Devereux completed the sale of its 33-acre Goleta Valley Campus for more than $27 million to UCSB this week, but it will lease back approximately 4 acres to continue providing its services to those with developmental disabilities. UCSB ...

August home, condo sales nosedive.

Sep 28, 2007 ... Byline: Maria Zate Sep. 28--August was a tough month for home sales in Santa Barbara County as problems in the mortgage industry took their toll. From the South Coast to the North County, sales fell almost 20 percent, but prices avoided a steep slide. Lompoc Valley ...

It's all in the timing.

Sep 28, 2007 ... Byline: Tom Risen Sep. 28--As the sun rose in Santa Barbara, the Sta. Rita Hills remained covered in fog, which prolonged the cool early morning long enough for the Melville Winery to pick a very ripe block of Chardonnay grapes. The staff rose at 4:30 a.m., and by the time the ...

Brown adjusts to lobbying role in Sacramento.

Sep 26, 2007 ... Byline: Maria Zate Sep. 26--Rodney Brown, who formerly held the top position at Montecito Bank & Trust in Santa Barbara, was recently appointed as the new president and CEO of the California Bankers Association in Sacramento. The CBA is one of the largest state ...

County sees surge in public transportation.

Sep 25, 2007 ... Sep. 25--Ridership on Santa Barbara County bus lines have exceeded expectations, even after gas prices in the region fell below the bellweather $3 a gallon. During the just-ended July-August period, Santa Barbara MTD realized a 7 percent increase, City of Lompoc Transit registered a ...

Appeals Court rules in favor of El Escorial condo owners.

Sep 21, 2007 ... Sep. 21--Homeowners at El Escorial Villas, a complex of 261 upscale condos close to Santa Barbara's East Beach, recently won a $3.7 million trial court judgment over construction defects at the property. The California Court of Appeals affirmed that a plastering company and a ...

Santa Barbara News-Press, Calif., Real Deals column.(Column)

Sep 20, 2007 ... Byline: Maria Zate Sep. 20--Flir Systems Inc. is growing again in Goleta. The company that makes infrared cameras recently signed a five-year lease for 17,114 square feet of industrial space at 55 Castilian Drive in Goleta, a property that has been revamped and transformed into ...

Area vineyards harvesting small, but more intense, grapes.

Sep 20, 2007 ... Byline: Tom Risen Sep. 20--Drought and poor weather during the bloom have been pegged as the culprits for the smaller white grapes that the vast majority of Santa Barbara County vineyards have so far harvested. However, this won't mean tough times for the growers. On ...

Proposed tax worries California cigar aficionados.

Sep 12, 2007 ... Byline: Tom Risen Sep. 12--Unlike most luxuries, a good cigar is affordable to almost anyone. However, a proposal before Congress that may slap a nationwide tax on cigars to as much as $3 a stogie could cause many small tobacco shops to go up in smoke. With California already ...

Despite public perception, mortgages are still attainable.

Sep 09, 2007 ... Byline: Maria Zate Sep. 9--Easy credit ... no money down ... bad credit OK ... no income verification. Those come-ons for home loans were common just a few years ago, as numerous lenders tried to cash in on the home buying frenzy and the impossible hype that house ...