ABUSE CASES: Charlotte Russo returns to court...

ABUSE CASES: Charlotte Russo returns to court this week as prosecutors consider a second felony trial against the Westlake mother accused of abusing her teen-age daughter. The jury couldn’t reach a verdict the first time. . . . Very few cases of suspected child abuse wind up in court. Last year, county officials received 6,780 tips of suspected abuse. The number has swelled over the years with tighter reporting rules. Most cases cannot be substantiated. In only about 5% of those cases are children actually removed from the home.

LION’S DEN: Keeping with America’s rich tradition of protesting taxes, some communities foster more anti-tax groups than others. The Republican bastion of Thousand Oaks, for instance, has an abundance of them. . . . Yet that won’t stop IRS tax auditor Robert Patten from venturing into hostile territory. On Tuesday, the Conejo Valley Chamber of Commerce will have him for lunch--as a noontime speaker. “I hope the group is nice to him,” chamber organizer Nancy Lynch said. She’s planning some fun: “Everyone is going to be wearing Lone Ranger masks and have name tags that read John Doe.”

PARTING SHOTS: John Baker steps down from his job as Ventura city manager this week (B?). And he’ll start off his last day with a special appearance on KVEN’s morning Dave & Bob radio show. . . . “We are going to have a bit of a roast,” said David Loe, the AM station’s general manager. “A number of people who he’s worked with have agreed to call in and give him the business.” Baker promises to show up on time. The four-hour show begins at 5 a.m. “I’m a morning person anyway, so I may be ready for it.”

IN THE SADDLE: More commuters are breaking away from the automobile habit by peddling to work. Americans who commute by bicycle have tripled over the past decade, to 4.3 million. Metrolink trains welcome bicycles. And this fall (Street Smart, B1), Metrolink stations in Camarillo and elsewhere in the county will get bike lockers.

Child Abuse, Neglect

County authorities have seen a steady increase in referrals of suspected child abuse or neglect cases. 1993: 6,780 1992: 6,305 1991: 5,445 1990: 5,107 1989: 5,157 1988: 3,969 1987: 3,692 1986: 2,355 1985: 2,023 1984: 2,161 Source: Ventura County Public Social Services Agency