Cast Your Ballot Tuesday--or Suffer the Consequences

Without the excitement of a presidential race to pump up the adrenaline level, Tuesday’s elections may be hard pressed to draw a crowd.

That makes each vote even more important.

The many benefits of living in a democracy come with very few obligations. One of them is to invest the few minutes it takes to cast your ballot--or else forfeit your right to complain about the results.

Here is a recap of The Times’ endorsements:

* Ventura City Council--Through their actions and community involvement, Sandy Smith and Brian Brennan have rejected the popular notion that a person--especially a politician--must choose between backing business and defending the environment. Protecting our vital assets, they sensibly say, is good business.

And so The Times endorses Sandy Smith and Brian Brennan for Ventura City Council.

With four of the seven seats up for grabs, we also endorse 20-year veteran Jim Monahan, whose broad experience in every aspect of city business should provide a stabilizing sense of continuity.

And we endorse newcomer Donna de Paola, who seems especially eager to translate the momentum of Ventura’s reviving downtown into progress in other parts of the city.

* Thousand Oaks recall--More than $400,000 could end up being spent on this unfortunate battle over whether Councilwoman Elois Zeanah should be replaced now or complete the remaining year of her term.

We believe the appropriate time to oust an incumbent is at the regular election, in all but the most extreme cases. The organizers of this recall believe this to be such a case.

The Times opposes this recall, as we would have opposed several previous Thousand Oaks recall efforts in which Councilwoman Zeanah played an active role.

* School bond issues--Voters are being asked to raise their own taxes in order to expand, repair and update schools in five Ventura County school districts: Conejo Valley Unified, Pleasant Valley Elementary, Rio Elementary, Moorpark Unified and Ojai Unified.

With the student population on the verge of a growth spurt, with class-size reduction clearly benefiting each child even as it overwhelms the available number of rooms, and with first-rate schools at the top of the priority list for everyone from parents to corporate recruiters, a Yes vote on each of these measures is a wise investment in the future.

In each district, we encourage citizens to vote Yes.