THEY’RE BACK: Oakland, Schmoakland. . . ....

THEY’RE BACK: Oakland, Schmoakland. . . . Although the Raiders are gearing up to move to Northern California, they return today to Oxnard for preseason training camp. All players are due to report to the Oxnard Radisson Hotel by this afternoon. . . . The first full-blown practice comes Saturday. And the players will train here until they break camp Aug. 17. Says a spokesman: “It’s a normal training camp in every way.”

WAR ON DRUGS: Thousand Oaks parents got a glimpse of what they’re up against Thursday evening (B5). . . . Cutthroat competition has slashed cocaine and methamphetamine prices. Juvenile drug arrests are up tenfold. Teen-agers say it’s cheaper and easier for them to get a hit of meth than a six-pack of beer. . . . Sheriff’s Cmdr. Kathy Kemp welcomed the help from the city’s crime prevention task force. “Law enforcement cannot do it alone,” Kemp said. “We need to get families and the community groups involved.”

POWER STROKES: It’s a form of transportation as ancient as the Hawaiian gods. And outrigger canoeing has been on the wane since Capt. James Cook sailed to the islands in the 18th Century. . . . Now, in a mini-revival, members of the Hokuloa Outrigger Canoe Club slip their boats into the Ventura Harbor three times a week for a evening paddle. Says Ona Shiroyama: “It’s great people, open ocean and a great workout.”

DIFFERENT STROKES: As other minority leaders ridiculed UC Regents’ position on affirmative action (A1), the state Legislature’s lone Asian American member urged them to ditch racial preferences. “I have lived a story of hardships and challenges,” said Assemblyman Nao Takasugi (R-Oxnard), who was interned during World War II as a Japanese American. “This story also includes my acceptance to UCLA, an acceptance not based on the color of my skin, but based on my own personal achievement. I wouldn’t want it any other way.”