2009 Economic Outlook For North S.B. County Topic of May 8 UCSB Seminar in Santa Maria

The outlook for North Santa Barbara County's economy in the coming year will be the topic of a special seminar this week in Santa Maria to be presented by the Economic Forecast Project of the University of California, Santa Barbara.

The UCSB North Santa Barbara County Economic Forecast Seminar will be held Friday morning, May 8, at the Marian Theatre on the campus of Allan Hancock College, 800 South College Drive, Santa Maria. Registration and breakfast begin at 7 a.m. The speaking program begins at 8 a.m. and concludes at approximately 11 a.m.

The UCSB Economic Forecast Project is a research unit that provides regional economic data, analysis, and forecasts to the community.

Featured speakers for the program include:

· Bill Watkins, Ph.D., executive director of the UCSB Economic Forecast Project and a former research economist at the Federal Reserve in Washington, D.C.: "The North Santa Barbara County Economic Review and Forecast"

· Dan Walters, syndicated newspaper columnist: "State of the State"

· Kirk Lesh, real estate economist, UCSB Economic Forecast Project: "Real Estate Outlook for 2009"

· Gary Findley, president, Gary Steven Findley & Associates: "Community Banking Outlook for 2009 and 2010"

Admission to the seminar is $75 per person and includes a copy of

"The 2009 North Santa Barbara County Economic Outlook" publication.

Registration forms and other information about the event can be found on the Web at www.ucsb-efp.com or call (805) 893-5159.