VOTER RICH: Only about 70% of California’s...

VOTER RICH: Only about 70% of California’s voting-age residents are registered for today’s election. But most Ventura County cities have much higher percentages. . . . Ojai’s 89.5% “is about as high as you can get,” said Bruce Bradley, the county’s registrar of voters. Cities with lots of apartments--such as Oxnard and Port Hueneme--usually have lower figures because residents move a lot, he said. Those cities also house many military personnel, who often register in their home states. . . . Bradley expects a 45% voter turnout.

JOBS SCARCE: Here’s another area where Ventura County exceeds the state average: unemployment. Our 9.4% jobless rate in September contrasts with a 9.1% average statewide (B1). . . . And it’s not likely to get better soon: In Ventura County National Bank’s midyear survey, respondents expecting to cut staff outnumbered those planning to hire. . . . Historically, we’re a long way from the 12.7% rate of November, 1982--the county’s highest in the past 20 years. We’re even further from the 20-year low: 3.9% in March, 1989.

CURBING GUNS: Prospects for new federal gun control laws are the brightest in 25 years (A10)--which distresses Kerry O’Neal. He’s field director for the National Rifle Assn. district that includes Ventura County. . . . “Gun control is not going to stop crime,” O’Neal said--especially in California, which already has a 15-day waiting period for handgun purchases. The federal Brady bill would require a five-day wait. . . . After the Los Angeles riots, gun sales tripled in Ventura County and have not gone down, the attorney general’s office said.

SOCCER STARS: Their school-record 14-game winning streak ended, but Cal Lutheran’s women’s soccer team still landed a berth in the NCAA Division III tournament. . . . But the men’s team, with an almost identical record, was left out (C10). . . . If the women’s team defeats UC San Diego on Wednesday, they’ll compete in the West Regionals in Minnesota next weekend.

Where the Voters Are

Percentage of eligible voters who are registered. Ojai: 89.5% Thousand Oaks: 87.9% Moorpark: 86.6% Ventura: 85.9% Camarillo: 83.1% Simi Valley: 80.1% Fillmore: 78.8% Santa Paula: 77.6% Oxnard: 73.1% Port Hueneme: 65.2% Source: U.S. Census; county elections office