Members Only

When Mel Bloom hosts the annual meeting Sunday of the Berkeley Square Bench Club in Ojai (B1), the club’s first member won’t be there. . . . Four-year-old Max Campbell, who lives in London, was two months old when his mom snapped a photo of him atop the seat Bloom donated to the square. Bloom has formed a club for those who have sent photos of themselves on the bench. “We still visit the area, just to keep watch on the bench,” said Louise Campbell, Max’s mother and Bloom’s lifelong friend.

Helping Hand

Stepping up a campaign to deliver services to Ventura County veterans, the Department of Veterans Affairs has assigned a full-time case worker to the region. . . . VA social worker Diana Rogers will work out of the Samaritan Center in Simi Valley and the HERO Center in Ventura. “It allows the VA to work with community agencies,” Rogers said. “And in doing so we can all provide better services.”

World Wide Cat

Will life ever be the same for Thumper? Ever since a Ventura law office created an Internet page for the black-and-white tabby, he has become a media darling. . . . Thumper has been featured on German television and is scheduled for a spread in Cat Fancy magazine in September. Even the producers of “Seinfeld” have made inquiries. . . . “Just when you think it’s going to die down, it flares back up,” said attorney Lisa Danny-Roberts.

Sweeping Up

As Ventura County law enforcement agencies have escalated their battle against gang violence over the years (B1), the gang members they target have gotten savvier. . . . “These kids became more sophisticated,” Probation Officer Inez Teteris said. “They’re hiding weapons and stuff at other locations, like their girlfriend’s house or their friend’s house. We’re going to have to be more sophisticated too.”