CELEBRITY AUCTION: The American Lung Assn. knows...

CELEBRITY AUCTION: The American Lung Assn. knows the value of notoriety. Its Ventura County chapter fetched $1,050 for a football signed by O.J. Simpson at its fund-raising auction at the Sherwood Country Club on Monday night. . . . The football was caught in a bidding war between movie star Joe Pesci and actress Shell Kepler of TV’s “General Hospital.” “We ended up being the high bidder,” said Robert DeSantis, Kepler’s husband. “We’ve always been fans and hope he is innocent.” DeSantis said they immediately received an unsolicited offer of $4,000 for the football.

LOW TURNOUT: Ventura County voters outdid themselves in the June 7 election. About two-thirds of registered voters stayed home. . . . Final election figures put voter turnout at 33.6%. For those who ask what difference one vote makes--this was an election where it proved decisive. With the final ballots counted (B1), John Morrisset beat Scott Weiss by one vote to qualify for the November runoff in the auditor-controller race.

ON THE BALL: With a swift kick, Eric Wynalda hooked the ball over a human barrier of Swiss players. It sailed 28 yards, slipping neatly under the crossbar and inside the left post. Goal! American soccer fans cheered. Wynalda, a former soccer star at Westlake High, scored the goal that tied the U.S. team with Switzerland on Saturday. . . . “Eric was Mr. Soccer,” recalled Brett Potter, a Westlake teammate in the late 1980s. (C10) Wynalda and U.S. teammate Cobi Jones, also a Westlake High grad, face the Colombians today in the Rose Bowl.

WHAT’S IN A NAME: Ventura city leaders are poised to hire a man named Richard Thomas as their interim city manager (B1) . . . . This Richard Thomas is the former top administrator of Santa Barbara. He’s not to be confused with the Richard Thomas who is Ventura’s chief of police. Although that could become inevitable in future meetings when Richard Thomas calls Richard Thomas in for a chat.