CLOSE RACE: Two of the candidates vying...

CLOSE RACE: Two of the candidates vying for outgoing County Supervisor Maggie Kildee’s job agree on almost everything--except who should replace their boss (B1). Both Kathy Long and Al Escoto work for Kildee, and both want her job when she retires next year. . . . The two stay at arm’s length, in the office and on the stump. “We don’t talk to one another about our political campaigns,” Long said. “We have to keep in mind that we’re still working for Maggie.”

SENIOR JUSTICE: Lawyers for Grey Law, who offer free legal aid to the elderly, are proud of their ability to help clients navigate bureaucracy and unravel scams (B1). . . . But they sometimes help in a different way. “Most of the time I am not just practicing law,” says Deborah Sutherland, who volunteers at the Ventura County branch. “Seniors have a lot of issues they are dealing with: loneliness, depression, fear of getting older. . . . I see myself not only as a legal resource, but also as a social resource.”

SPRUCING UP: Many of the trees around Ojai’s Libbey Bowl had been getting more and more bedraggled, thanks to drought, age and disease. And when the trees withered, so did the shade. . . . But work has begun on replacing them, with four large sycamores and one large oak already in place. On Saturday the public is invited to help plant 15 smaller trees at 10:30 a.m., followed by musical and theatrical offerings. . . . Leading the festivities will be actor Peter Strauss, an Ojai resident.

UP AND COMING: Alyssa Hain is only a junior at La Reina High School, but she’s a leader when it comes to the volleyball team (C14). . . . Coach Don Hyatt says Alyssa, who leads La Reina with 91 service aces, 289 kills and 344 assists, lives for the game. When she’s not playing for the school, she’s playing for a club, “trying to give herself as much exposure as possible for future college considerations.” . . . La Reina plays Tollhouse Sierra in the semifinals of the 1995 southern state championships at 7 p.m. Saturday.