On the TableTeachers in Ventura schools would...

On the Table

Teachers in Ventura schools would receive a pay increase under a proposal to go before trustees today (B1). . . . In addition to a proposed 8% raise retroactive to July 1 for veterans, pay for entry-level teachers would go up by more than $4,000 a year. Also, board members will consider giving a 7.5% increase to about 750 nonteaching employees and managers. The raises were worked out during months of negotiations between administrators and union representatives.

Toss for Trash

Ventura County chose a trash contractor for a new housing development in Oak Park in an unorthodox way: with a toss of a coin (B1). . . . Two companies submitted identical bids and negotiations failed to break the tie, so county officials turned to a game of chance. “I never thought it would come to that,” winning contractor Don Goodrow said.

Ready to Ride

Alvin “Bully” Caddin says he may have to close Two Winds, one of only two horse boarding ranches left in Thousand Oaks, unless he gets more financial help from the Conejo Open Space Conservation Agency (B1). . . . Rent and utility costs are more than he can handle--even after the agency revamped his lease last year and forgave $3,800 in back rent.

Computing Complex

A region running from Camarillo to Calabasas may be the hottest place on the cutting edge of technology in the United States, writes Times business columnist James Flanigan (D1). . . . Dozens of growing companies grouped around the advancing technology of computer networking are sprouting. “This area is like Silicon Valley when it was young and fresh,” says John Guidon, president of ComCore Semiconductor in Agoura Hills.

Weather

Breezy. Chance of rain. Highs to the 60s. Lows in the 40s. B8