Coming Sunday: Sylvester Brooks makes a triumphant (?) return to the Ontario council meeting’s public comment period but doesn’t manage to get more than three minutes at the lectern. The public works director plays a prank on me. And at Rancho Cucamonga’s council meeting, the threat of “peak oil depletion” looms — at least according to one speaker.

The whole column is about the election, and mostly about city council races — Ontario and Pomona in particular. Sometimes you have to laugh to keep from crying, folks. See you Friday?

It’s usually foolish to try to predict local election results. Trying to interpret them afterward is often just as hard. I’d say that’s even more true than usual this week, with plenty of winners and losers that defy explanation.

* In Pomona, which elected Xavier Alvarez over an incumbent for a Three Valleys water board seat two years ago, voters turned out Fred Lantz (husband of Paula) for John Mendoza, a well-meaning but shaky challenger.

* In Ontario, voters mixed and matched, choosing one incumbent, Sheila Mautz, and one challenger, Debra Porada. Finishing a distant fourth was incumbent Jason Anderson, for no discernible reason. Coming in third was Paul Vincent Avila.

* In the Ontario-Montclair School District, Avila booster Moe Mendoza was the top vote-getter. Avila, of all people, is on his way to building a board majority.

Many of you will have your own takes on races that didn’t go the way you thought, or desired. A lot of people in Upland don’t care for John Pomierski as mayor, but to my mind, Ray Musser never articulates a very good case for replacing him. So Pomierski’s re-election wasn’t much of a surprise.

Many in Pomona will be gnashing their teeth about having Elliott Rothman as mayor, and I wouldn’t argue with them. However, I saw it coming, after Norma Torres told me last month that polling showed Rothman would walk away with the election. What remains puzzling is why a guy who evinces so little interest in showing up on time for council meetings, or paying attention during them, wants to be mayor. But that’s a separate issue.

Blame for some of the wonkier decisions falls to an electorate, including a lot of first-time voters, who are uninformed on local issues. That’s the only explanation that makes sense for Ontario City Council, for example.

Not that the Daily Bulletin’s words should be gospel, far from it, but the percentage of voters who follow our news coverage and editorial stands (which are based on face-to-face interviews with the candidates) would seem to be rather low.

To consider yourself an informed voter because you relied on campaign mailers and the candidate statements in the voter guide is, frankly, sad. Perhaps we need to do a better job of covering campaigns and organizing the content on our website, but you can’t help but think most people simply don’t care to become informed, either before or after elections.

Two of Tuesday’s big winners: Barack Obama (U.S. president) and Norma Torres (61st Assembly District).

Torres met Obama twice and came away very impressed. Obama’s reaction is unknown.

We’ve elected a black president? Wow! What a remarkable result. I didn’t know we had it in us. Talk about change we can believe in!

No matter who they voted for, everyone ought to tear up a little at such a powerful affirmation of the American dream. Suddenly, maybe anyone can grow up to be president, just as they always told us.

As for the state and local results, I don’t have it in me at this hour to look ’em up. Too much trepidation. I’ll post more later. For now I’d like to feel good.

At my Claremont polling place this morning shortly after 9 a.m., there was a full house at the eight voting stations, a short line outside and plenty of only-in-Claremont conversation. I even ran into the mayor. That’s the top half of my column. After that comes another TV converter box anecdote, a Santa Ana winds anecdote and an item about an upcoming “Dancing With the Claremont Stars” competition.

How was your voting experience?