RIPPLE EFFECT: Camarillo State Hospital’s 880 patients...

RIPPLE EFFECT: Camarillo State Hospital’s 880 patients aren’t the only ones who would be affected if the facility closes (B1). The local chapter of the California Conservation Corps rents space there for about 65 workers age 18 to 23. . . . Local Director Nacho Pina says the CCC hopes to continue renting space at the Camarillo campus, no matter what happens. The state has suggested turning the facility into a correctional institution, while some city officials want to put a Cal State University campus there.

GRAY DAY: The first rain of ’96 was good news for farmers but bad for motorists. There’s been so little precipitation recently that roads were slick with oil buildup (B1). . . . “I think it’s getting ugly out there,” CHP Officer Diana Streeter said, right about the time a garbage truck overturned on the Ventura Freeway, causing hourlong back-ups.

PIER PRESSURE: On her first day of work as Ventura city manager, Donna Landeros had to deal with storm damage to the city’s pier (B1). A year later, part of the rebuilt pier has collapsed, and Landeros has been peppered with advice on whether it should be rebuilt, and with what. . . . “Everywhere I go, I get suggestions on the pier,” she said. “At swim meets, at the orthodontist yesterday with my son.” . . . The City Council is expected to make a decision on the structure in three or four months.

DAY’S WORK: County courts Administrator Sheila Gonzalez, already nationally recognized for her work, just won applause from the state judiciary. Gonzalez will pick up her newest accolade, the Distinguished Service Award, from Chief Justice Malcolm Lucas next week in San Diego. In 1993, Gonzalez won the Warren E. Burger Award, considered the top prize in America for a court administrator. . . . Gonzalez, who oversees a staff of 300 in coordinating scheduling for 27 judges, was modest about the honor: “You just do something because you love it. You don’t expect to get an award for it.”