LOST SEAT: As Thousand Oaks opened its...

LOST SEAT: As Thousand Oaks opened its new City Hall this week, officials rededicated 16 seats in the City Council chamber to outstanding citizens. But former Councilwoman Madge Schaefer lost her seat of honor. (B4) . . . “I take it as a snub,” she said. “I don’t consider it an oversight when it comes from the city manager’s office.” . . . City Manager Grant Brimhall said the error was not his. “But there’s a major apology due her,” he said, offering to rededicate Schaefer’s seat in a second ceremony.

RUN-AND-SHOOT: With a new coach and wide-open offense, ex-Santa Clara High quarterback Tim Gutierrez seems poised to duplicate his 1989 Oxnard heroics at San Diego State (C8). . . . New coach Ted Tollner says he first mistook the quarterback’s quiet demeanor for lack of fire. But Gutierrez has now gained his respect. “The closer it gets to the game, his composure becomes more and more of a strength.” . . . Last week Gutierrez gunned down Cal, passing for 314 yards and two touchdowns in the come-from-behind victory.

HORNED BORER: A majestic stand of 97 Simi Valley eucalyptus trees will be cut soon, victims of the long-horned borer, a beetle that followed them from Australia (B4). . . . “I’m sad the trees are going to be cut down, but I’m elated they’re going to be cut down because we have teen-agers doing drugs from there,” says Pat Tripdo of neighboring Eucalyptus Street. . . . In place of the trees, a 93-house subdivision will be planted.

SPEAKING ENGLISH: To bridge the linguistic gulf that separated them from employees, officials at Gold Coast Recycling offered Latino employees free English classes after work. . . . About 75 of 100 employees are native Spanish speakers. Twenty-seven warehouse workers graduated Thursday from a three-month English language class taught by a Ventura College instructor. . . . “Lately, they’ve all been speaking English,” said Marcy Sanchez, spokeswoman for the Ventura company.