WRIGHT ON!: On the short list of...

WRIGHT ON!: On the short list of intriguing what-ifs, state Sen. Cathy Wright (R-Simi Valley) added this about Assembly Speaker Willie Brown’s controversial choice of Republican Doris Allen as his successor: “Imagine if I hadn’t run for the state Senate, I’d be Speaker of the House now.” . . . That one-liner at a goodby roast for Simi Valley City Manager Lin Koester brought down the house. . . . It also reflected Wright’s symbiotic relationship with the liberal Democratic boss.

STREET ILLUSION: “Speed stripes” on Paige Lane in Thousand Oaks have tricked motorists into slowing down. (B1) . . . The stripes, which run horizontally across the road for nearly a quarter-mile, are painted progressively closer together, creating the impression that drivers are speeding up, says traffic engineer Jim Mashiko. . . . The deception has resulted in a drop in average speed from 45 to 37 m.p.h., just over the limit.

CHRISTIAN NETWORK: If they must do business, why not with another Christian? That logic has led to a business network among the faithful (B1). . . Calvin Cairns buys space for his Camarillo tree-stump-removal firm in a Christian advertiser. . . . “When I grind stumps for Christians, I never have any headaches,” he says. “I prefer working with God-fearing people--people of the faith, because we have the same moral base. I’ve never had a bounced check from a Christian.”

HOOP SCREAMS: There’s no need for a magic cure to the free throw woes of Orlando’s talented basketball pros, says Buena High’s Joe Vaughan, the winningest girls prep coach in the state. . . . “Free throws are really just concentration and practice,” Vaughan said after Nick Anderson missed four straight in the final seconds of a Magic playoff loss. . . . Most pros don’t emphasize free throws, Vaughan said. “They don’t think it’s important, and it comes back to bite them.”