SLOW DOWN: Those massive morning speeding sweeps...

SLOW DOWN: Those massive morning speeding sweeps by the California Highway Patrol on Interstate 5--between Mission Viejo and San Clemente--are nabbing lead foots by the hundreds. The next one is Wednesday. But in addition to giving citations, the special-enforcement officers will also donate blood to the Red Cross the same day. . . . Says Capt. Mike Bair: “We see needless tragedy on our highways every day. This is our way of helping those in need.”

GANG’S ALL HERE: When county supervisors make public appearances these days, they don’t have to guess what people want to talk about. So the Orange County Chamber of Commerce & Industry is upfront about its topic for Wednesday’s “Meet Your Supervisors” lunch at the Irvine Marriott hotel. “A chance to hear about the current status of the county’s bankruptcy” says its announcement. . . . All five supervisors have agreed to appear--with no cancellations so far.

PHONE FEAR? Former Secretary of Education William J. Bennett was seen by some political pundits for a time as a 1996 GOP presidential candidate. But Bennett, who will speak at a Children’s Hospital of Orange County benefit Monday at the Hyatt Regency in Irvine, decided against it. . . . He recently explained on Larry King’s CNN show that he wasn’t up to the fund raising: “It would mean four hours a day on the telephone asking people you’ve never met to give you money. That would be difficult for me.”

DOUBLEHEADER: The San Juan Capistrano Historical Society named a new city matriarch and patriarch last week. The previous honorees passed away last year. . . . The titles are bestowed on those who are among the oldest living people born in the Capistrano Valley. Named this week were Dolores Wattenberg Meeker, 77, and Richard Mendelson, 84. . . . Don Tryon of the historical society says it’s the first time the two titles have been bestowed together.