THINNER RANKS: Despite the presence of two...

THINNER RANKS: Despite the presence of two Navy bases, active-duty military personnel make up less than 1% of Ventura County’s population. Nobody knows how many are gay--and under President Clinton’s new policy (A1, B1), nobody is supposed to ask. . . . Blacks make up 2% of the county’s population, but they account for 11% of its military personnel. Latinos, who represent a quarter of the county’s population, make up less than 8% of its military ranks. . . . The county’s armed-forces personnel are down by 558 since 1980.

BACK WHERE?: It’s mid-July, but Ventura County stores want you to start thinking fall. “We’ve had back-to-school merchandise out for about a week,” said Keri Baker at the Little Folks Shop in Thousand Oaks, which is pushing vests this year in burgundy, forest green and mustard. . . . Teachers, meanwhile, are stocking up on educational aids, said Karen Miller at New Horizons in Thousand Oaks. What’s new? “A lot more dinosaurs than last year--books, bulletin boards, name tags--all with dinosaurs.”

SUMMER BREAK: After finally approving a county budget last week, what’s next on the supervisors’ agenda? Nothing. After some cleanup work on the budget today (B1), the supervisors won’t meet again until Aug. 17. . . . Most of the supervisors plan to continue working during the break. Supervisor John K. Flynn is going to Mexico, but he says it will be no pleasure trip: He’s on a panel examining the North American Free Trade Agreement.

TOO LATE: The workers’ comp reform that Gov. Pete Wilson signed last week came too late to prevent a Camarillo aircraft builder from moving to Alabama (Valley Business, Page 12). Avtek, expected to hire hundreds to build a new plane, cited workers’ comp costs as a reason to move. . . . The reform plan should help stanch the flow of industry, said Pierre Tada of the Ventura County Economic Development Assn. “It’s a very positive sign for business.”

In the Service

Ventura County has 5,511 residents in the armed forces. They include: Men: 4,948 Women: 563 Anglo: 3,849 Black: 610 Latino: 414 Asian: 352 American Indian: 54 Other races: 232 Source: 1990 U.S. Census