LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

Ventura County voters in 16 days will be faced with ballot decisions that stretch from the state Capitol to our back yard--and our back pockets.

We will help California select a new governor. We will elect a new member to the Board of Supervisors. We will vote on legislative and congressional races, as well as several city councils. And we will decide whether to raise our local sales tax by half a cent in return for the promise of a better transportation system.

Harry S. Truman, who knew something about political heat, used to say that a leader who doesn’t lead has no business in government. And the central issue for Ventura voters is finding those leaders who can lead.

Even more basic, perhaps, is whether we are electing leaders who have a firm grasp on the business at hand--if they understand not only politics but the lives that voters envision for California and the county we call home.

With that in mind, The Times’ Ventura County edition begins today a series of in-depth interviews in key races.

There will be no filter between readers and the candidates; these are the candidates’ positions in their own words. We have asked tough questions. And we have tried to get specific answers for you.

This is only part of our in-depth political coverage, which will continue right through the Nov. 6 elections. I hope these interviews will help you find your brand of leadership.

Julia C. Wilson, Times Ventura County Editor