GOVERNMENT JOBS: Next time you feel like...

GOVERNMENT JOBS: Next time you feel like railing against bureaucrats, consider this: There may be one next door. . . . In Ventura County, 14% of all employees--more than 47,000 people--work for a government agency. If it’s any consolation to tax-weary citizenry, that’s down from 17.6% in 1980. But we’re still ahead of Los Angeles County’s 11.8%. . . . The proximity of two Navy bases explains why nearly one in four Port Hueneme residents works for government. Ventura has the Government Center, where many of the county’s 6,738 employees work.

VISITING JUDGES: Melinda A. Johnson is about to become one of only a few women in California to be presiding judge of a Superior Court (B1). . . . On the Ventura County court, Johnson belongs to another minority: California-born judges. Five of the 15 Superior Court judges were born in California, while the others hail from as far away as New York (two), Hawaii (two), Oklahoma (two), Illinois (one), Connecticut (one), Iowa (one) and Missouri (one). . . . Only one is a Ventura County native: Judge Charles R. McGrath.

BIGGER BITE: After this week, you’ll pay more to adopt pets at Ventura County animal shelters. Neutering deposits will jump to $40 for dogs--up from the current $10 for males and $20 for females. . . . If you later get the animal spayed or neutered, the veterinarian will subtract that amount from the bill and collect the deposit money from the county. Also rising: license fees for dogs and cats. Owners of spayed or neutered animals will pay $8.50, a $1 increase, while others will pay $27, or $2 more.

LOW RIDERS: Don’t adjust your set when you see the Wee Wheelers in Saturday’s Tournament of Roses Parade--they really are that small. The 16 miniature horses, led by Laurin Parker of Camarillo, will be pulling carriages in their fifth Rose Parade. . . . “They’re incredibly strong horses,” Parker said. Maximum height: 34 inches. . . . The parade will feature one other Ventura County group: the Camarillo White Horses.

Public Sector

Percentage of employed residents who work for the government: Port Hueneme: 23.1% Ventura: 18.8% Camarillo: 17.5% Fillmore: 15.7% Oxnard: 15.5% Ojai: 15.0% Santa Paula: 12.3% Simi Valley: 10.8% Thousand Oaks: 9.9% Moorpark: 9.7% Source: 1990 U.S. Census