PIGEON FLAP: Racing-pigeon fans are among animal...

PIGEON FLAP: Racing-pigeon fans are among animal owners awaiting the revised draft of a county law that governs how many animals can be kept on large lots. . . . The law says pigeons are one-tenth of an “animal unit.” But there’s a big difference between elite racing birds and “the common pigeon walking around in a parking lot,” says Oxnard trainer Steve Valentine, who wants the birds put in a special category. . . . In a letter to the Board of Supervisors, the City of Hope agreed: Pigeon-racing clubs have raised more than $75,000 for the hospital.

GOOD NEIGHBORS: One reason that the county is revising its animal ordinance is because of complaints about noise. . . . Although neighbors relate differently now than they did in the past (E2), some things remain constant: Loud animals make for lots of problems between neighbors. In the last three years, more than 1,000 residents have lodged complaints with the county about neighbors’ animals, officials said.

HELPING OUT: When you need something done, ask a busy person. . . . So says Clifford Snowden, and he should know. The Simi Valley resident is a board member of the city’s Council on Aging, heads the group’s fund-raising committee, serves on the county’s Area Agency on Aging, is a member of Friends of the Library--and plays “a lot of golf.” . . . Snowden, 81, is being honored at a City Council meeting tonight as volunteer of the year for the Council on Aging. “When you enjoy something,” he says, “you can always find the time.”

MUDDY MONEY: If your wallet got soaked in the recent floods, don’t worry. . . . The Bureau of Engraving and Printing is offering to replace wet, muddy, even torn-up currency from the flood or any other disaster. . . . Wet cash can be dried with paper towels and traded in at local banks. But ripped, mutilated or seriously damaged dollars should be sent to the Office of Currency Standards, P.O. Box 37048, Washington, D. C. 20013. Be sure to include the cause of the damage.