MEMORIAL DAY: Former Marine Commandant Gen. P....
MEMORIAL DAY: Former Marine Commandant Gen. P. X. Kelley kicked off memorial observances with a patriotic address at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library (B1). While others flock to the beach today, veterans prefer to solemnly remember their fallen compatriots. . . . Two Navy bases and a former Air Force base, now Camarillo Airport, have lured many veterans to the region, particularly to Camarillo. Councilman Stan Daily said he understands his city’s allure: “Most veterans have gone through hell one time or another and they know heaven when they see it.”
AUTHOR! AUTHOR! On page 39 of her self-published “Homeowners & Contractors Guide to the Building Department,” Simi Valley Councilwoman Sandi Webb poses the question: “How long does it take for a plan check?” Beneath the question lies a caricature of a rotund bureaucrat happily snoozing on his desk. That and other barbs did not win the councilwoman any friends in her city’s building department. “They were mad,” Webb said. But the guidebook needed a light touch and she wasn’t singling out Simi Valley. “These guys have to lighten up a little bit.”
WORLD CUP: As Pasadena prepares to host the biggest sports event in the world, Oxnard has its own little piece of next month’s action. . . . Volunteers have spent months plowing, planting and tending fresh turf behind the Oxnard College gym. It’ll soon become the official training site of the Cameroonian soccer team. On Thursday,, officials dedicate the two new soccer fields. Said college spokeswoman Cathy Garnica: “We are going to thank the volunteers for everything they’ve done to turn this weedy field into a soccer field.”
GULL LOVERS’ TRAVELS: Sea gull chicks are pecking their way out of eggshells on Anacapa and other Channel Islands (B1). Their downy brown fuzz blends perfectly with the foliage, making them difficult to detect. . . . But their fuzzy camouflage isn’t their only protection. Protective parents squawk, flap their wings and even dive-bomb intruders.
Where Veterans Live
Percentage of Ventura cities’ residents who are veterans: Camarillo: 14.1% Ventura: 12.8% Thousand Oaks: 11.7% Port Hueneme: 11.6% Simi Valley: 11.5% Ojai: 11.0% Oxnard: 9.5% Santa Paula: 8.1% Moorpark: 7.6% Fillmore: 7.1% Source: U.S. Census
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
