Rich Sybert was a RINO (moved to Ventura from the Valley) who argued that Strickland was too conservative to be elected. When polls showed that Republican voters did not agree, he began tearing down Strickland's signs in typical enraged RINO fashion.
Yes, Ventura County will eventually be RINOized courtesy of the Morrison/North Ranch Limosuine Liberals... but not in time to defeat McClintock in the '04 primary...
The real threat ain't your moderate Repubs - it's the hard core militants organizing farm workers and other illegals to give them the muscle necessary to control county politics. The sooner Ventura urbanizes, the sooner this threat will be neutralized by Rinos moving from the Valley.