TAKE A NUMBER: Got a complaint with...

TAKE A NUMBER: Got a complaint with your contractor over earthquake repairs? You’re not alone. The Van Nuys office of the Contractors State License Board has been flooded with 300 complaints a month, prompting the state this week to open a new Earthquake Response Center in the Van Nuys State Building. . . . The complaints often involve poor workmanship and missed deadlines.

GHOST GUARDS: In other quake news, FEMA will give money to the city of Los Angeles to pay for anti-vandalism security at “ghost towns.” Recently, the city has been paying the bill (B2). . . . “If we didn’t have these funds, the vandals would be taking over these properties,” says Robert Moncrief of the city’s Housing Department.

TOP HONOR: CSUN had another lousy football season, but you can’t blame Joseph Vaughn. On Wednesday, Vaughn, a senior defensive back, was named an NCAA Division I-AA All-American by the Associated Press (C10). . . . Vaughn, above, has been around. He played at Crenshaw High before his family moved to the Valley, and he suited up for Cal State Fullerton before the school canceled the sport in 1992.

SHARK EXPERT: What does an insurance salesman from Canoga Park do with his spare time? Study sharks, of course. He’s Ralph S. Collier, founder of the Shark Research Committee. So when a diver was killed last week by a shark, Collier was on the horn to Santa Barbara County investigators (B1). . . . “I’m just trying to understand why they do what they do,” Collier says.

RELEASED: Barry Minkow says he found God in prison. But what will he find in freedom? He’ll soon find out. Wednesday, the convicted Reseda swindler got out of prison, going to a halfway house (B1). . . . He hopes to start a small company but won’t run it himself. “He’s trying to insulate himself from being in charge of his money for a while,” says Randy Long, Minkow’s attorney.