State Controller Coming to Town
John Chiang Recently Denied California Lawmakers Pay for Failing to Produce Balanced Budget
State Controller John Chiang, the man who decided to deny California lawmakers their pay for failing to produce a real balanced budget, is the scheduled keynote speaker at the Santa Barbara Hispanic Chamber of Commerce trade show and job fair from 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on July 21 in Warren Hall at Earl Warren Showgrounds. The event will start with a business luncheon with the featured speaker from 11:30 am to 1 p.m. The trade show will run from 1 to 4 p.m., with a vendor’s reception from 4 to 5 p.m.
Democratic lawmakers passed a budget by the June 15 deadline without talking to Republicans or Governor Jerry Brown. Chiang, a Democrat who issues state paychecks, said his fellow party members were engaged in a power grab. He said aspects of the Democrats’ budget — which Brown vetoed — were incomplete and the plan therefore violated a new law that punishes the Legislature for late spending plans.
For more information about the Hispanic Chamber’s trade show, call President Luis Villegas at (805) 692-0954.
UNBRIDLED ART: Bridlewood Estate Winery in Santa Ynez is working with Central Coast Gallery, a virtual art gallery that features work from artists of the area, to display works crafted by the area’s artisans and present a showcase of work through the rest of the year.
Nine artists who use a variety of media — from acrylic and oil to watercolor and photography — have created unique pieces inspired by the art of wine making on California’s Central Coast. The works have been compiled into a collection called the “Bridlewood Gallery” and will be on display at the Bridlewood Estate, 3555 Roblar Ave., through December.
“There is something unique about this area that inspires different people in different ways,” said David Hopkins, Bridlewood’s wine maker for the past 11 years. “Wine making is like art; you use what you have to create something.”
Bridlewood’s 40-acre estate vineyard provides a backdrop to its inviting tasting room. The Bridlewood Gallery will have “meet the artists” weekends from August 28 through October 30. See bridlewoodwinery.com for details.
“The natural beauty of the Central Coast influences many of our artists,” said Fred Ventura, founder of Central Coast Gallery.
Acquired by Gallo in 2004, Bridlewood’s winery is on a 140-acre estate that until 1999 was used to raise and train Arabian horses.
NEW GAME IN TOWN: Online game developer Techtonic Games has subleased the third-floor “penthouse” office at 3760 State Street, which features an open area with glass walls, views, and a wrap-around deck.
Techtonic Games was founded by Peter Dahl, an entrepreneur who successfully built a manufacturing business in the Bay Area called dB Control which was purchased by Heico Corp. His new venture aims to create a niche in the online gaming industry and compete with the likes of Zynga.
“The open office allows a collaborative working space for Techtonic Games, which is exactly what they wanted so that everyone can communicate and share ideas in developing their projects,” said Liam Murphy of Hayes Commercial Group, who represented the company in the transaction. “The inspiring surroundings and natural light are icing on the cake.”
Techtonic Games subleased the 2,308 square foot space from ALG, represented by Christos Celmayster and Francois DeJohn, also of Hayes Commercial Group.
The South Coast Biz Blog is a roundup of the latest business news in the Santa Barbara area and is written by Ray Estrada, who has covered business in the region for numerous publications over the past couple decades. See more at independent.com/biz and wordpress.com/southcoastbizblog.
