[0] TOP LOCAL STORIES OF 1999: COUNTY CRISIS TOPS NEWS : DEVELOPMENT, CRIME ALSO MADE HEADLINES DURING '99.

Byline: Lisa Mascaro and Sylvia Oliande Staff Writers

Ventura County's financial and management crisis topped the local news in 1999, although development issues in the Conejo Valley and a series of high-profile crimes also pushed their way to the forefront.

Fallout from last year's failed superagency merger hit Ventura County in full force, bringing an administrative and financial crisis costing the county millions and consuming county business.

The county agreed to a $15.3 million settlement with the federal government after a whistle-blower's complaint launched a U.S. Attorney's Office investigation into a decade of fraudulent Medicare billings.

A separate state audit blasted the county Behavioral Health Department - and withheld $5.4 million in funding - for having allowed a key program for the mentally ill to deteriorate.

The county budget surplus is at its lowest in a decade, and new CAO David Baker resigned after less than one week on the job, saying the county was in financial chaos with an administrative culture unwilling to change.

A key architect of the superagency merger between Behavioral Health and the Public Social Services Agency resigned, only to be hired later in the year to serve on a county commission; another administrator resigned after it was revealed he had lied on his employment application by not disclosing a previous felony conviction.

Rocket fuel raises health concerns

A second study of worker health at the Santa Susana Field Lab released this spring fueled further concerns over decades of rocket and nuclear energy testing at the Rocketdyne facility.

UCLA researchers said cancer deaths were greater among workers exposed to high levels of the rocket fuel hydrazine than among unexposed co-workers.

The study was a companion to a 1997 health study that also found higher cancer mortality rates among workers exposed to radiation at the lab in the hills between Chatsworth and Simi Valley.

Upon release of the study, residents continued their decade-long plea for a community health study to determine whether activities at the hilltop lab were affecting neighbors.

In fall, federal health scientists who surveyed the site at the request of Rep. Elton Gallegly, R-Simi Valley, and California Sens. Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer pledged continued investigation.

Three young boys slain

An exclusive hilltop estate south of Moorpark became a tragic triple-murder scene when authorities said the wife of a local doctor killed her school-age sons in their bedrooms before seriously wounding herself.

Socorro ``Cora'' Caro has been charged with three counts of murder, shocking the Santa Rosa Valley neighborhood where the family went to church and volunteered at school, and the medical community in Northridge, where Dr. Xavier J. Caro practices rheumatology.

The Caro boys, Xavier ``Joey,'' 11, Michael Anthony, 8, and Christopher Laurence, 6, were remembered by hundreds of friends, family and school classmates at a funeral service.

Xavier Caro has filed for divorce and is seeking sole custody of the couple's fourth child, 16-month-old Gabriel, who was unharmed in the shootings. Xavier Caro also has filed a wrongful death suit against his wife, and is seeking to block her from using their community property to pay for her defense.

University campus opens

California's newest state university at Channel Islands opened this year with much fanfare at the former Camarillo State Hospital site.

For now the university is a satellite of California State University, Northridge, but it will break off to become its own entity in the fall of 2002.

Before the sprawling 63-acre Mediterranean-style campus opened, many students attended one of Ventura's three community colleges or the 30,000-square-foot building that had been CSUN's satellite campus for 11 years.

This year, approximately 1,800 students attended classes on the new campus. They could choose from about 200 courses in 24 degree programs.

Dormitories with 500 beds will open within two years under rapid expansion plans. Officials expect 17,000 students within 10 years, University President Handel Evans told students during their orientation session in August.

California Lutheran University also went through major changes this year. It broke ground in November on a new residence hall that should be ready to house 120 students in the fall of 2000 as part of the campus's master plan.

Blue Ribbon schools

Hollow Hills Fundamental School in Simi Valley and Westlake Hills Elementary School in Westlake Village were named state Blue Ribbon schools, highlighting their innovative programs and strong sense of community for the judges.

Hollow Hills, one of two fundamental campuses in Simi Valley, was recognized for its work ethic. Officials said their school stands out because there is an understanding among students, parents and teachers that nothing short of complete work is acceptable.

Westlake Hills, in the Conejo Valley, was honored for its multitude of after-school programs and innovative teaching methods.

Also, parental involvement in the school is paramount, with 75 percent of parents spending a total of 12,000 hours of volunteer time in 1998.

The campuses were two of 39 California schools honored with the distinction. The award is given to campuses that demonstrate academic achievement, extracurricular activities, and school, family and community involvement.

On Dec. 9, the national Blue Ribbon organization announced that Redwood Middle School, Valley View Middle School and Lindero Canyon Middle School were all nominated for the award for the year 2000.

Death in the workplace

Workplace violence hit home last January, when Sheldon Snyder, a Simi Valley resident who helped found Postal Innovations in Camarillo, was shot and killed by a disgruntled former co-worker, officials say.

Mikhail Khaimchayev was charged with shooting Snyder several times at point-blank range with a 9mm handgun, but the defendant was later declared mentally unfit to stand trial. He is currently undergoing treatment, and could eventually be judged fit to stand trial.

Hundreds of mourners attended Snyder's funeral, where he was eulogized as a warm, caring friend and boss.

Moorpark claims national title

The Academic Decathlon team from Moorpark High School beat out two heavy hitters, including a Los Angeles favorite, to take home the national prize.

With the win, the Aca Deca team - comprised of Arturo Barragan, Alexandra Dove, John Ellis, Valerie Lake, Nick Lange, Mitul Patel, Ari Shaw and Rebecca Wershba - became the first Ventura County to win at the state and national levels.

In March, the team surprised everyone first by winning the state competition against perennial favorite El Camino Real High School in Woodland Hills. It continued the winning streak a month later to take the top prize against James E. Taylor High School from Katy, Texas, at the national contest in Anaheim.

The decathlon tests students' knowledge in a variety of subjects, including math, music, economics, social studies and language. They also wrote and performed speeches and endured oral interviews.

Chase ends in shooting

After leading police on a three-county pursuit in his Mercedes-Benz, an Apple Valley man was fatally shot by Simi Valley police in the early hours of a foggy January morning.

Stephen Bayer, 39, was apparently despondent over financial troubles at his dental lab in Victorville. He fled from San Bernardino County Sheriff's deputies who stopped to check on his parked car, and wound up in Simi Valley, where the chase continued.

Bayer eventually stopped in the 4800 block of Leeds Street, and sat in his car with a gun to his head for four hours, as police attempted to negotiate with him.

When talks failed, authorities fired tear gas into his car. Bayer got out of the car, drew a weapon and was fatally shot.

In April, Bayer's family filed a wrongful death claim against the city of Simi Valley, saying authorities could have talked Bayer into surrendering peacefully if they had been given the opportunity.

Woman convicted of killing husband

Gladis Soto faces 50 years to life in prison for the murder of 35-year-old Pedro Alba, who she claimed had abused her, physically and sexually, for more than 15 years.

But the jury determined that the grisly nature of the slaying and its aftermath - Alba's limbs and torso were placed in garbage bags and burned - belied Soto's claims of abuse.

In an effort to bolster Soto's attempt to win a conviction on a less serious charge of manslaughter, defense witnesses testified that they occasionally saw her with bruises and other signs of abuse.

But prosecutors said Soto killed her husband because she could not cope with their failed marriage and his affairs with other women.

Magnet school opens

Walnut Canyon Elementary, the $7 million magnet school that specializes in the arts and technology, opened in Moorpark in September after a year's delay.

The opening of the 560-student school on Casey Road was delayed by construction problems caused by El Nino rains and wrangling over a traffic light at the intersection of Casey and Walnut Canyon roads.

The school's art-deco style was inspired by the auditorium of the old Moorpark Memorial High School, which remains closed while officials try to identify funding for repairs and renovations.

Staff Writer Krystn Shrieve contributed to this story.

CAPTION(S):

5 Photos

PHOTO (1 -- color) Sheldon Snyder of Simi Valley was gunned down in January by a former co-worker.

(2 -- color) Students from Hollow Hills in Simi Valley celebrate with their school principal in November after learning Hollow Hills had earned the state Blue Ribbon.

(3 -- color) Cora Caro, shown during her arraignment Dec. 17, is accused of killing three of her four sons.

(4 -- color) California State University, Channel Islands, hosted its first classes in August. The new school, built on the former site of Camarillo State Hospital, will remain a satellite of the Northridge campus until 2002.

(5 -- color) Gladis Soto was found guilty this month of murdering her husband when a jury rejected her defense of battered-woman's syndrome.

Daily News File Photos