CAMP CUTS: An unusual coalition of youthful...

CAMP CUTS: An unusual coalition of youthful offenders, Republicans and the county’s top prosecutor met Friday (B1) to decry the threatened closure of five of the county’s 19 “boot” camps for juveniles by Gov. Pete Wilson. . . . “Mark my words,” said Los Angeles County Dist. Atty. Gil Garcetti. “If camps close, we’ll have more victims of crime.”

MAKING A MINT: It’s been a while since the first colonial mint was established, on this date in 1653, but Valley collectors are still hot for rare coins from the period. . . . Van Nuys coin dealer Tom Lenk recently sold a 1776 dollar designed by Benjamin Franklin. The price: $25,000. Other colonial coins sell for as little as $15 . . . Said Lenk: “If you want a piece of early Americana, it can still be bought at a reasonable price.”

HE’S NO. 1: As pastor of the Valley’s oldest African American church, the Rev. Dudley D. Chatman, above, is already a man of distinction. Next week, he hopes to add a new distinction . . . as the first nonwhite president of the San Fernando Valley Interfaith Council, a coalition of area congregations, businesses and residents (B15).

SOBER FACT: Alcoholics Anonymous celebrates its 60th anniversary today, more active than ever in the area. . . . There are more than 900 meetings each week in the Valley, and a spokesman for the Van Nuys office said that figure is growing: “We’re getting more people who have finished treatment at hospitals and need continued help.”

LOTSA DOUGH: The O.J. Simpson trial is producing some real dough for Tarzana cookie maker Pam Whittle. . . . She’s been besieged with orders for cookies shaped like white Ford Broncos and black gloves. But trial-themed cookies are no stranger to Whittle. “We once did a Heidi Fleiss cookie,” she said. “This is a strange business.”

TODAY: The NoHo Performing Arts Festival of theater, music and food runs from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Lankershim Boulevard between Magnolia Boulevard and Weddington Street. Free admission. Info: (818) 508-5155.