LATINO ROOTS: Although most of Ventura County’s...

LATINO ROOTS: Although most of Ventura County’s Latinos are of Mexican ancestry, the area is home to a growing number of Latinos from other countries. . . . “We get the whole spectrum of Latinos, particularly in terms of the immigration services we provide,” said Marcos Vargas, executive director of El Concilio del Condado de Ventura. “They come with their own cultural nuances and oftentimes even an organization like El Concilio needs to become sensitive to that diversity.”

SAFE CITIES: West of the state of New York, there are no safer cities of 100,000 or more people than Simi Valley and Thousand Oaks (B1). . . . The two east Ventura County cities ranked second and third behind Amherst Town, N. Y., in the number of major crimes reported to local law enforcement agencies, according to the FBI. . . . “They’re awesome,” Councilwoman Judy Mikels said of the more than 100 police officers in Simi Valley. “They are doing an outstanding job.”

CHARTER REVIEW: The Ventura Chamber of Commerce is undergoing a review of the city’s charter, poring over the document with an eye toward modernization. . . . Members of a chamber committee are considering matters such as whether the city should be divided into council districts and whether voters should directly elect their mayor. Chamber officials plan to present their findings to the Ventura City Council next year. . . . “The charter is very old; it goes back to when the city was formed in 1932,” chamber member Paul Owens said. “We just thought we would take a look and see whether it is time for a change.”

STREETWISE: Wondering about the striping on Westlake Boulevard? Frustrated with the commuter crawl on freeway off-ramps in Camarillo? Traffic signals got you down? . . . Street Smart has the answers to your traffic questions (B1), plus an update on Metrolink ridership through Moorpark and Simi Valley.

The Other Latinos

People of Mexican heritage make up 89% of the 175,414 Latinos in Ventura County. Where some of the others come from: Puerto Rico: 1,908 El Salvador: 1,527 Guatemala: 1,335 Cuba: 1,023 Colombia: 970 Peru: 682 Ecuador: 454 Nicaragua: 422 Source: U.S. Census