VENTURA : Constituents See Assembly, Senate Sessions

About 50 residents from Ventura County and elsewhere in Assemblyman Jack O’Connell’s district began two full days of Legislature watching at the state Capitol today, where they will study lawmakers in action and catch a glimpse of the state budget process now under way.

“The goal is to help inform the citizenry about the ins and outs of Sacramento,” said O’Connell (D-Carpinteria), who met with about a dozen of his constituents early Sunday before they left from his Ventura office.

The rest of the participants boarded the bus in Santa Barbara and Buellton before making their way to the capital.

“This is an opportunity to view the legislative process firsthand and even to participate if they wish,” O’Connell said. During the three-day visit, residents will attend a series of seminars about the political process and sit in on a meeting of the Senate Natural Resources Committee.

The visitors will also be in the public gallery while the Assembly and Senate discuss what to do about a budget deficit that could top $5 billion, O’Connell said.

“The main reason I’m going is to see the Senate in action during the budget process,” said Wini Hirsch, a retired homemaker from Ojai. “I have pretty strong feelings about the budget.”

Terri Grando of Thousand Oaks does not live in O’Connell’s district. But she was sitting in the front seat of the bus as it left Ventura early Sunday.

“I’m always curious about how a bill gets passed,” said Grando, a member of the state Democratic Central Committee. “Since it affects everyone, we should be well informed about how it works.”

Charles Irwin, a retired psychologist from Ojai who obtained his law degree three years ago, said he planned to ask O’Connell and others about the recent $2.7-billion accounting error disclosed just days after the primary election June 7.

“It’s just a little sum of money that slipped away,” he said.