SAFETY NET: Susan Eberhart holds a traditional...

SAFETY NET: Susan Eberhart holds a traditional American view of immigrants and public school. Her words echo the inscription on the Statue of Liberty. . . . “If you live in our neighborhood and you’re the right age, come to our school,” said Eberhart, who runs a social service network at Ventura’s Sheridan Way Elementary School (B4). . . . “We want you to be in school. No questions asked.” The veteran teacher said many immigrant families look to Sheridan for social services because that’s where they feel most comfortable. “We work so hard at making school a safe place.”

BIG TOP: Circus Vargas shifts its one-ring circus from Simi Valley to Oxnard starting today. That’s right, one ring. . . . It’s not the lousy economy that has caused the circus to shrink from three rings to one. Seems the big top recently entered the modern era with its purchase of one big hand-sewn tent made in Italy. . . . “In Europe, it’s very common to have one-ring tents,” Circus Vargas spokeswoman Marguerite Mohney said. “With three rings, you couldn’t see everything.”

ENDLESS SUMMER: The quest for the perfect wave is not without its hazards (Ventura County Life, Page 8). . . . Take localism, for instance. Stan Fujii, longtime surfer and owner of the Ventura Surfshop, says locals still jealously guard coveted surf spots. . . . “It’s pretty safe to name spots that are easily accessible,” he said. “But when you start naming spots that are a little hard to get to, that’s when you start getting into trouble. What’s the adventure if you give all the work away?”

AUCTION BLOCK: Jared Williams of Thousand Oaks loves his lamb. The 10-year-old has raised “Spud” since the day the fleecy white critter was born. . . . But at week’s end, Jared will join hundreds of other children who will put their animals on the auction block at the Ventura County Fair (B1). Most will jump right to the chopping block and end up wrapped in cellophane in the meat case. . . . “It’ll be tough,” Jared reasons. “But like I always say, it’s a way of life. It’s the way it has to be.”