LOCAL TIES: Rep. Elton Gallegly of Simi...

LOCAL TIES: Rep. Elton Gallegly of Simi Valley left his fingerprints all over the immigration bill passed by the House of Representatives (A1). Of five amendments he offered, four found their way into the legislation. . . . One of them would set up a pilot program in Ventura County to allow the Immigration and Naturalization Service to station an investigator at a local jail so undocumented criminals can be quickly sent home. “I’ve devoted the better part of a decade working toward passage of this bill,” Gallegly said.

DOUBLE FOUL: Two former Ventura College basketball players were in the news Thursday, but the news wasn’t good. Lakers forward Cedric Ceballos, who played for the Pirates in the ‘80s, was suspended after he missed a team flight to Seattle (C1). . . . And guard Brandon Jessie, who transferred to Utah from the Pirates, was on the losing end in the Utes’ game with Kentucky during the NCAA playoffs (C1). That ends Jessie’s college career.

CANDIDATE WATCH: The presidential campaign hereabouts has been a snoozer so far, but on Sunday we will have not one but two Republican candidates in the county. Unfortunately, neither one is Bob Dole, the guy who seems to have the nomination in his pocket. . . . Pat Buchanan will attend Mass at the San Buenaventura Mission on his way to a rally in Santa Barbara. Candidate Alan Keyes also will be in Ventura, and he’ll actually be speaking instead of just praying on his way through.

GOOD NEIGHBORS: Given that their guests use the Ojai Bicycle Trail daily, it made sense that employees of The Oaks at Ojai would volunteer to keep it clean. So Thursday, a dozen or so resort workers set out to carry off stray bottles, cans and other garbage. . . . General Manager Dietrich Pahnke says they will cover nearly two miles of the 10-mile trail, which seems messier lately. “We’ve noticed with the government cutbacks, it doesn’t get cleaned as frequently as it used to,” Pahnke said, adding that his staff will be out monthly.