TARGET EL TORO: A sensitive task awaits...

TARGET EL TORO: A sensitive task awaits county supervisors Tuesday: Approving a Nov. 8 ballot initiative on whether the El Toro Marine Corps Air Station should be converted to a commercial airport. Supporters have gathered more than the needed signatures to qualify. . . . But that doesn’t make it any easier for Board Chairman Thomas F. Riley, who opposes placing an airport there. But, says Riley: “With all the signatures, I don’t think we have a choice.”

DEATH AT DAWN: The county is stockpiling insecticides to prepare for the arrival of the Africanized honeybee, better known as the “killer bee.” But Vector Control officials say the most “deadly” form of spray has proven to be Dawn liquid dish soap. . . . The sticky, blue grease-fighting substance clogs the bee’s respiratory system, bringing certain death. The downside: Vector Control can’t use Dawn--it hasn’t been approved as an insecticide.

DOCTOR DAD: Bradford Silveira, 36, says it wasn’t his father, Dr. Roderick Silveira, 62, who pressured him to become a doctor. So how come both doctors are radiologists at St. Jude Medical Center in Fullerton? “My father’s influence was by example and his enthusiasm for the work,” says the son. . . . They plan to celebrate Father’s Day today by not talking about the office. The younger Silveira says at first he had some apprehension about working alongside his father: “But it’s really turned out great.”

SCHOOL SHOPPING: Sandra and David Slon of Beverly Hills have compiled a directory of Orange County’s 475 public schools to help parents choose the best education for their children under the state’s new open enrollment plan. . . . “You’d consult Consumer Reports if you were buying a $300 clothes dryer,” reasons Sandra Slon, an attorney. “Why not consult a ‘buying guide’ before investing 12 years of your child’s life?” The guide ($29.95) ranks the schools by standardized test scores, and lists their special programs.