COUNCILS PREEMPTED: To many viewers, City Council...

COUNCILS PREEMPTED: To many viewers, City Council meetings on cable TV offer information, drama, even a laugh or two--especially compared to some of the network fare. But don’t look for your favorite council members on public access this week--chances are they’re in San Francisco for the California League of Cities conference (B1). . . . Representatives of the state’s 470 cities will discuss immigration, gangs, budget cuts, and the new cable TV law. . . . Thousand Oaks Councilwoman Jaime Zukowski stayed home after her doctor said to avoid sitting for long stretches. “Extensive sitting is a requirement for these conferences,” she said.

PARTNERS SOAR: The only glider manufacturer in the United States is based in a Camarillo warehouse, but owners Tor Jensen and Dewey Northcutt do more than make glider kits. Their company also builds prototype cars and military aircraft (Valley Business, Page 12). . . . The company’s unofficial motto: “We can build anything you can write a check for.”

SCRATCH TOBACCO? By definition, patrons of the Ventura County Fairgrounds’ Watch and Wager facility are risk-takers. But some fairgrounds board members don’t want them to risk their health as well as their money. The board votes today on whether to prohibit smoking in the betting parlors (B1). . . . If the ban is approved, spokeswoman Teri Raley said the board might provide a tent, with viewing screens, where smokers can watch, wager and wheeze in peace. . . . Gambling provides nearly half the fairgrounds’ budget.