SPEAKING OUT: Ventura County’s multiethnic patchwork is...

SPEAKING OUT: Ventura County’s multiethnic patchwork is reflected in the languages spoken in the home. While English and Spanish are the most common tongues, the county also has sizable German, Chinese and French communities. . . . “No one seems to pay attention to the diverse cultures out here, and it’s such a wonderful mix,” said folklorist Nancy Robards who teaches classes on the subject in Port Hueneme. “What could be more wonderful than our cultures and our languages?”

HULA HOPEFULS: It doesn’t surprise Ken Phillips that folks are learning to hula in Thousand Oaks (B1). . . . Phillips, communications director for Westlake Village-based Pleasant Hawaiian Holidays, said the islands remain one of the hottest vacation destinations for Southern Californians. “People will take a little piece of Hawaii wherever they can find it,” he said.

VETERANS FIRST: A new on-the-job training program for discharged veterans (Valley Business, Page 9) doesn’t go far enough, Vietnam veteran Bernard Dunhom said. Dunhom and others have long lobbied Oxnard officials to reinstate a policy giving preference to veterans seeking city jobs. . . . “I feel the veterans are getting short-changed by the city,” Dunhom said. City officials said veterans preference was wiped off the books years ago, and there are no plans to resurrect the policy.

PESTY PROBLEM: California Rural Legal Assistance next week plans a workshop aimed at helping health-care workers and others recognize pesticide poisoning in farm workers. The seminar, the first of its kind in Ventura County, is scheduled for Aug. 6 and will be conducted by Marion Moses, founder and president of the San Francisco-based Pesticide Education Center. . . . “I would say someone comes in every day experiencing the symptoms of pesticide poisoning,” said Lee Pliscou, head attorney for CRLA, an Oxnard-based farm worker advocacy group.

Languages We Speak

Languages spoken at home by Ventura County residents: English: 453,782 Spanish: 123,603 Tagalog: 8,259 German: 3,799 Chinese: 3,323 French: 2,735 Japanese: 2,004 Korean: 1,974 Source: 1990 U.S. Census