Honor Farm Won’t Bring Home Bacon Anymore

Call it the silence of the pigs.

Alas, the Ojai Honor Farm swine operation is no more.

Nearly a half-century of tradition ended a few days ago when the farm’s last surviving pigs were unceremoniously butchered.

The operation has ceased to accommodate a growing female inmate population.

The 117-acre jail has housed both men and women. But the increasing number of crimes committed by women forced authorities to move the men to the newer Todd Road Jail and convert the Ojai facility to an all-women’s facility.

With no men left to work the farm, officials decided to slam the door shut on the bacon-making operation.

Over the decades, the farm grew to be the biggest pork producer in Southern California. An estimated 60,000 pigs were slaughtered each year to produce 1.9 million inmate meals.

These weren’t just any pigs, either. They were cross-bred to be extra lean and to have mild dispositions.

But so far, few people around Ojai seem to be missing the porkers. “Well, it doesn’t smell as bad around here anymore,” said Ojai Jail Capt. Joe Funchess.

Th-th-th-th . . . That’s all, folks!

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While people in Oxnard were enjoying the Fourth of July fireworks, police were firing off $76 tickets to people who did not have front license plates on their cars.

Police don’t deny they are out out in force during holiday events and graduation ceremonies. They defend the ticket -writing by saying a portion of the fines are used to pay for public programs.

One offender has cried foul, though, charging that Oxnard officers are selectively enforcing the law.

Warren Lew, a philosophy instructor at Ventura College, was ticketed near Hollywood Beach on Independence Day.

Lew said vehicles such as his, which were parked on major roads, were ticketed, while many cars without front plates that were parked on side streets in front of fancy beach homes were left alone.

He knows this, he says, because he walked around and looked at cars after seeing the citation flapping on his windshield.

When Lew went to the Oxnard police station, he spotted several cars in an employee parking lot without front plates, he said.

“If they want to make money, why don’t they start with their own residents and their own employees?” Lew said. “If you’re going to enforce the law, you can’t do it selectively.”

Police spokesman David Keith denied that officers play favorites when deciding who will be fined.

But he acknowledged that there are a few employee cars without front plates at the station. Violators were issued warnings by the police chief last week and told to fix the problem or face a fine, Keith said.

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Speaking of warnings, Ventura County law enforcement officials are alerting people who own a particular kind of assault rifle that they have six months to hand the weapon over or face up to eight years in prison.

As of Jan. 1, it will be illegal to own an SKS Sporter, one of several assault rifles banned under legislation passed after a group of children were fatally shot in 1989 in a Stockton schoolyard by a man with an assault rifle.

“There is really no legitimate reason to possess that gun. It’s an assault weapon and, let’s get honest, it was designed to kill people,” said Ventura Police Sgt. George Morris.

Police throughout the state are buying back the guns to destroy them, Morris said. For each Sporter turned in, the owner will receive a check for $230, Morris said.

The guns must hold at least 20 rounds of ammunition and have been purchased between Jan. 1, 1992, and Dec. 19, 1997.

Morris said Ventura police have already received two phone calls from Sporter owners looking for a place to unload their weapons before the new year.

Despite the fact that there are thousands of gun owners in the county, the sergeant said he doesn’t expect a lot of Sporter owners to come forward.

“These are the kind of weapons a lot of crooks carry, so you’re not going to get your Bloods or your Crips coming in” for a rebate, he said.

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Police in Camarillo are searching for a few people who want to throw a party.

For the third consecutive year, police are celebrating National Night Out, an evening designed to get people out of their houses to meet their neighbors, said Sheriff’s Senior Deputy Jim Aguirre.

“It’s what gets us out there to meet the people in the community and gets them to meet each other. It lets people know who lives in their neighborhoods and who doesn’t belong there,” Aguirre said.

Neighborhood Watch groups throughout Camarillo will host block parties July 31, some as simple as a street barbecue, some more elaborate and including rides for children and bands.

Officers and city and county officials will roam from party to party and meet with residents, Aguirre said. Specialized officers, such as the bomb squad, bicycle and motorcycle cops, and search-and-rescue and dive team members, also will make the rounds. McGruff, the national police mascot whose slogan is “Take a Bite Out of Crime,” will also be on hand.

So far, 35 neighborhoods have signed up to throw a bash, and Aguirre said he needs about 15 more.

The theme of this year’s event is “Take a Night Out Against Crime.” It will be held from 5 to 9 p.m.

Call Aguirre to sign up at 388-5130.

Times staff writer Tina Dirmann contributed to this report. Holly Wolcott can be reached at holly.wolcott@latimes.com.