ON THE HOOK: When Gov. Pete Wilson...

ON THE HOOK: When Gov. Pete Wilson decided to close Camarillo State Hospital (B1), he didn’t listen to some of his own experts, says Yolanda Solari, president of the California State Employees Assn. and a member of a panel examining the future of such institutions. . . . “His problem is that he doesn’t really talk to his state employees,” said Solari, whose group represents more than 130,000 state workers. “He never has. I’m the president of CSEA and he doesn’t even return my calls.”

LONG RUNS: Dan McKenzie has seen lots of shops come and go in downtown Ventura since he began working at Hess Hardware 50 years ago (B1). . . . One store that’s stayed put is Rains Shoe Co. “This store has been here--same family, same location--for 87 years,” Rains clerk Jim Newton said. “We have customers that started out as youngsters and are now great-grandparents.”

BOWL GAME: Lawn bowling became popular in England during the late 16th century, but it wasn’t until the 1980s that it caught on at Oxnard’s Wilson Park. The sport, popular in many retirement communities, draws 20 or 25 athletes four times a week in Oxnard. . . . Ken Barrabee has been playing since he retired 1 1/2 years ago from Unisys Corp. “It offers recreation and sociability,” said Barrabee, who gave the game a try after seeing it played in Santa Monica. “It’s a wonderful outdoor activity.

PEN CENTRAL: Even though ballpoints have been around for decades and personal computers for years, there’s still a market for the venerable old fountain pen (E3). And that market is made up of the same old crowd--schoolchildren, retirees and graduates, says April Euler, manager of Ken’s Stationers in Simi Valley. . . . Although her store sells a fair number of the pricier pens, Euler says there’s a cheaper way to go: “With the Cross pens, you can spend up to $200. A lot of companies have started making disposable fountain pens in the $3 to $5 range.”