TAXING TIME: It’s the last day to...

TAXING TIME: It’s the last day to get the check in the mail. Property tax payments must be postmarked today. Forget? Add a 10% penalty to the tab. As many as 10,000 last-minute types will trek downtown to the Hall of Administration to pay in person today. . . . But be advised: The doors are locked at 5 p.m., warns Assistant Treasurer/Tax Collector David J. Collins.

LOST BILL: If you pay late, don’t expect to argue your way out of the penalty. “There are almost no exceptions,” Collins said. No bill? Your problem. . . . Duplicates are available today at local offices of the assessor in Van Nuys, Chatsworth and Newhall. Not all taxpayers pay at the eleventh hour, though. Collins said many property owners remit Feb. 1 when the payment first comes due.

COACHES’ COACH: It’s official. CSUN’s new athletic director is Paul Bubb, above. He was chosen over Joe O’Donnell, formerly of American University, and Bobby Thompson, athletic director at Texas State, San Antonio. Bubb has been running the CSUN athletic department since last summer when the prior director was fired. Among Bubb’s first assignments: Hire a basketball coach. . . . Details in Valley Sports (C6).

PARTNERS: The state Supreme Court ruling saying religious landlords can’t discriminate against unmarried couples (A3) surprised the head of the Valley apartment owners’ association, Mary Ellen Hughes. . . . The surprise, she said, is that a landlord would worry about marital status in these days of high vacancy rates.

CONSUMER FRIENDLY: Retiring Rep. Anthony C. Beilenson and Rep. Henry Waxman are “Consumer Heroes” to the Consumer Federation of America, which has been rating lawmakers since 1971. . . . Both Valley lawmakers scored 100% for their voting records on consumer issues. Only 26 members of Congress were so honored, including California Sen. Barbara Boxer.