WITHOUT PIER: While city officials wring their...

WITHOUT PIER: While city officials wring their hands over repairs to the Ventura Pier (B1), Eric Huff takes what might be called a worm’s-eye view of the matter. . . . It seems that each collapse takes a little bite out of Huff’s Ventura bait business, and he wants the city to solve the problem. . . . “It has hurt business, but not severely,” he said. “It hurts me more to see the money they keep having to put into that pier.”

COMMON CAUSE: By their own admission, it was an odd match. . . . But there they were: Claire Connelly, a Ventura County lesbian activist, sharing political strategy with the Rev. Louis P. Sheldon, an outspoken opponent of homosexuality (A3). The two came together to review Connelly’s testimony to a congressional panel exploring morality in public schools. . . . “We are not minimizing our differences,” Sheldon said. “We are just agreeing to set them aside for the purpose of raising the level of awareness in America that the federal government . . . is funding a national promiscuity program.”

COURT ACTION: Player movement before the Marmonte League boys basketball season began this week has finally been replaced by action on the court (C10). . . . During the off-season, two players transferred from Simi Valley High to Royal, another transferred from Thousand Oaks to Westlake, and talented exchange students such as Mariano It, above, of Argentina beefed up rosters at Simi Valley and Camarillo.

COMEBACK KID? Former Moorpark Councilman Scott Montgomery may be trying to resurrect his political career (B1). . . . Montgomery resigned from office two months ago after pleading guilty to conflict-of-interest charges, but he now wants to withdraw the plea. His attorney on Thursday asked a judge to rule on that motion before Dec. 29, the filing deadline to run in the next city election. The move surprised many. “It’s surprising to me that he believes he should run, but I say that from a distant perspective on the matter,” Councilman Bernardo Perez said.