TO THE DEFENSE: Three Ventura County residents...

TO THE DEFENSE: Three Ventura County residents are among the thousands who’ve donated at least $200 each to President Clinton’s legal defense fund. . . . Retired Oxnard engineer John J. Sochor, who gave $250 to the Presidential Legal Expense Trust, said Whitewater and sexual harassment allegations against Clinton are “obscuring real issues. . . . While I hope he’s not guilty, one never knows. But during the term of the presidency he should be free of that type of individual harassment.” A Ventura artist gave $200, and a retired Ventura teacher gave $500.

WAY TO GO: United Way of Ventura County is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. . . . The group was called the Ventura County War Chest, Inc., when it was started in 1945 with a fund-raising goal of about $135,000. By last fiscal year, campaign revenues had grown to $5.2 million. Now, as when it started, most of its member groups are in the county, but United Way also helps out-of-county agencies such as City of Hope and Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles. “We get back in client service to Ventura County in the hundreds of thousands of dollars,” said official Beverly Viola.

SWAYZE IN SIMI: Patrick Swayze danced his way into heartthrob territory in the movie “Dirty Dancing” and clinched his status with a star turn in “Ghost.” . . . The Houston-born actor learned many of his early moves from his mother, Patsy Swayze, who now runs a studio in Simi Valley. It so happens that Swayze is in Simi this week to film his latest movie, “Three Wishes” (B6). . . . It’s unclear if Swayze brought his dancing shoes for his latest movie, a 1950s love story.

FAMILY WAYS: When it comes to basketball, they’re definitely a family that can’t play together (C6). . . . John Harbour, the father, is a coach at Moorpark College, where son Jimmy is a sophomore guard. David is a senior guard at Stanford, and Matt, a junior at Camarillo High, plays--you guessed it--guard. Unlike his brothers, though, Jimmy is somewhat laid-back. “I don’t get angered easily,” he said.