ANIMAL VOTE: Pondering a visit to the...

ANIMAL VOTE: Pondering a visit to the zoo? If you live in zoo-less Ventura County and want to see exotic creatures on display, get ready for a trek to Santa Barbara, Los Angeles or San Diego. . . . On Tuesday, however, the Board of Supervisors will consider a proposal by a group of Los Angeles investors to build a zoo for endangered species in the east county (B5). The supervisors will also consider proposals for two golf courses. . . . For some residents, the concept of an endangered-species zoo sounds a bit like another former landmark: Jungleland.

FENCED OUT: A park is a terrible thing to waste. . . . At least that’s the feeling of some Camarillo residents, upset about limited access to the new Woodcreek Park (B1). . . . Park officials say an agreement with the developer who built the park adjoining the new Woodcreek School called for “shared access” of the five-acre field. . . . Perhaps accustomed to teaching lessons about sharing, school officials say the agreement helped make the park a reality. “We thought it would be win-win for everyone,” official Howard Hamilton said.

GIFT OF GAB: What’s scarier--making a speech before a big crowd, or dying? Given a choice, some say they’d prefer death. . . . Helping speakers overcome such fears is where Toastmasters International comes in (B4). Members get a safe place to work through their phobias and master the art of talking to big groups of strangers. . . . “We learn to be comfortable here so we can be comfortable anywhere,” said Jim Graham, a Toastmaster in one of six Conejo Valley chapters.

EXPANDING HORIZONS: Saturday marked the 26th anniversary of the annexation of the Pierpont Bay area to the city of Ventura. . . . The beachfront area encompassing a stretch of San Buenaventura State Beach north of Marina Park officially became part of the city Dec. 3, 1968. . . . The city’s most recent expansion was the Cabrillo Village annexation. The 32-acre area became a part of the city in June.