FALLEN FRIEND: Among the hundreds of mourners...

FALLEN FRIEND: Among the hundreds of mourners at the funeral of James Rex Jensen Jr. was fellow Oxnard Police Officer Joe Johnson (B1). Johnson lingered at the casket, talking quietly to the man he knew as a friend and fellow Little League coach. Then he stepped aside to gaze at a picture on display of Jensen, adorned with flowers. “I’m not saying goodbye,” Johnson said through his tears. “I’m saying see ya later on down the road.” . . . On Monday, more than $2,000 was sent to the James Jensen Memorial Fund. Donations may be mailed to Channel Islands National Bank, 155 S. A St., Oxnard, 93030.

PIZZA MAN: Bret Atiyeh took a job delivering pizzas while he was in the Air Force more than a dozen years ago to save money for a longtime dream: to learn to fly. “I’ve always loved airplanes,” says the owner of a Camarillo Domino’s franchise, who earned his private pilot’s license after three months of lessons in 1985. . . . These days, a second business--pet food delivery--keeps Atiyeh and his wife mostly grounded (D7D). “Flying was one of the luxuries we decided to postpone for a while,” he says.

IN ABSENTIA: Although today is the last day Ventura County voters can have absentee ballots mailed to them, they can still pick one up at the government center, according to county elections chief Bruce Bradley. . . . So far some 62,000 people have asked for absentee ballots--a local record. “I’m not surprised by the number,” Bradley says of this convenient way to vote. “I’m surprised that it isn’t more.”

POLLSTERS: A constant problem with all elections--especially primary contests--is getting enough people to staff the 408 polling places in Ventura County. “Every other call to this office is someone calling to drop out,” Bradley says . . . The registrar’s office will be recruiting election workers through next Monday to keep the 1,600 spots filled.