IRS Offering Aid as April 15 Deadline Nears : Taxes: District office giving free service to elderly, disabled and low-income filers. Program includes environmental fair.

With just five days until taxes are due, the Internal Revenue Service’s Laguna Niguel district office will offer tax assistance, exhibits and seminars today and Saturday.

The office--which will be the only IRS location open in Southern California on Saturday--is stepping up efforts to improve public service as the April 15 tax deadline approaches. Free income tax assistance will be provided for elderly, disabled and low-income taxpayers.

The event is being combined with the district’s first-ever environmental fair, with displays and workshops on clean-air regulations, telecommuting, recycling and public transportation. The fair will promote ride-sharing among IRS employees as part of South Coast Air Quality Management District requirements that large employers make attempts to reduce commuter trips. In addition, free drawings will be held to give away prizes, including five free passes to Knott’s Berry Farm.

The event will be held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on both days at the Chet Holifield Federal Building, 24000 Avila Road, Laguna Niguel. The IRS is the largest tenant of the building, also called the Ziggurat.

KFI-AM radio talk show host Barbara Whitesides will cover the event and discuss the tax season with Judith Golden, the IRS public affairs officer in Laguna Niguel, from 7 to 9 p.m. tonight.