The Los Angeles Times from Los Angeles, California • Page 201

i) tii inifi mii ti i ft vi'mv mi'fTTfrif' 1D West County Edition Serving Ventura, Oxnard, Camarillo, Port Hueneme, Ojai, Santa Paula, Fillmore and surrounding areas. Also: Los Angeles County News, Editorials and Weather Go Angetc imes TUESDAY, JANUARY 3, 1995 VC WESTCCt SECTION cou NTY I' If r- rq fel 'Enormous' Mountain Lion Kills Dog on Porch of Home I Neuman, 44, who stood just 18 inches away as the beast killed his pet. "If I hadn't seen it, I wouldn't have believed it. Our dog was a heavy dog, and this cat just jumped off the porch with it." The dog's death was the latest in a recent string of mountain lion encounters around the state. On Dec.

10, a 58-year-old woman was killed while hiking in San Diego County. And in April, a 40-year-old woman was killed while jogging near Sacramento. In both cases, the lions were hunted and killed. State officials temporarily closed a Moorpark area park Sept. 9 after a mountain lion threatened two horseback riders.

Horses survived two lion attacks in Agoura in May. A lion was killed last year on the Santa Paula Freeway near Fillmore, and lions were also seen crossing the Ventura Freeway on the Conejo Grade east of Camarillo. State Fish and Game wardens have issued warnings recently about hungry mountain lions prowling backcoun- Please see LION, B2 Fillmore: Game wardens mount search for cat, which ran off with 75-pound husky in its jaws. Predator also may have taken calves. By MACK REED TIMES STAFF WRITER Game wardens searched Monday for a mountain lion that killed a Fillmore screenwriter's 75-pound Siberian husky and may have taken nine calves from a neighbor's herd.

Paul Glen Neuman said he awoke at 1 a.m. Monday to find a huge mountain lion crouched on his front porch, teeth sunk into the neck of his howling dog, Brittany. Neuman screamed. But the lion bit down, leaped over the porch rail and vanished into the shadows of a nearby orange grove with the dog's limp body in its jaws. "This thing was enormous, it was just absolutely enormous its head was the size of a medium pizza," said ANNE CUSACK Los Angeles Times Bob Foulsham, 80, shares a love of mechanics with Caregiver volunteer Frank Whitney, 63.

Program Provides Companionship for the Elderly Aging: Caregiver volunteers spend time each week socializing with or helping seniors do chores or errands. Close friendships often result. STAYING IN TOUCH: Former congressman Robert J. Lago-marsino still keeps in touch with friends and followers. For the past 14 months, he has published a four-page newsletter to express his conservative views about local politics and national issues.

Rep. Mike Huf-fington is a favorite target. Bl I VUfterW, 5 Pier Closes Again as Pilings Snap Spectators gathered at the beach to watch surf pound the Ventura Pier. The high waves damaged the pier and forced its closure. By CONSTANCE SOMMER TIMES STAFF WRITER This is why Mary Lou and Bob Foulsham need Frank Whitney: To hang a picture on the wall.

To fix the antique clock when it breaks down. To show up every Thursday morning, like he says he will, to make the elderly couple laugh and be their friend in a world that can seem increasingly filled with worries. "He's our guardian angel," says Mary Lou, .78, beaming at the man they met after they called Caregivers. The Ventura -based, interfaith Caregivers matches elderly county residents with younger volunteers, on the theory that a little extra help and companionship can go a long way toward keeping many older people productive and independent. "Our point is to provide a continuing match, with the goal of keeping people out of nursing homes," said Pat Meredith, Caregivers' executive director.

"Just to have someone to talk to on the telephone makes an enormous difference." 1 An applicant must be at least 60 years old to receive a Caregiver. Caregivers themselves range from teen-agers to the healthy, mobile elderly. In fact, Meredith said, many volunteers are retired people with time to spare. A Caregiver worker interviews prospective re-j cipients and volunteers before they enter the program, learning as much as possible about each person in order to make the best match. At the minimum, volunteers are expected tq spend a few hours each week with elderly clients; doing anything from socializing to changing light bulbs to driving them to the doctor's office.

But Meredith said many matches work so well that the volunteers end up spending much more time than they had planned. For Whitney and the Foulshams, the 6-month -old match came about because Bob Foulsham was lonely. Please see CARE, Bi ''rL'i kS.iM.in i ro.M.ii..0i'iu U. Ijl.lli )' 'I ir -4 1 CAT KILLS DOG: A mountain lion killed a Fillmore family's dog on their doorstep early Monday morning and ran off with its prey, prompting a search. Bl SLAMMED: Towering waves knock 14 wooden support poles from beneath the planked walkway of the Ventura Pier, shutting it down for the second time in two weeks.

Bl AIAMJIAWM- I ROSE PARADE: A towering carnation-covered astronaut whacked giant golf balls into space from the lunar surface, ancient gods played ball Aztec-style and an elephant tried some hang-gliding as floats in the sports-minded running of the 106th Rose Parade rumbled down Pasadena streets. Al SUCCESSION: Before there is any crisis, Congress should look for a better way to replace an incapacitated President. B6 LATINOS: The Postal Service is faulted for issuing a "Legends of the West" stamp series that doesn't include one pioneer of Mexican heritage. B7 For Monday, Jan. 2 FANTASY 5 Winning Number: 4-9-13-22-32 DECCO Winning Card: Hearts: Queen Clubs: 4 0 Diamonds: King Spades: 5 DAILY 3 Winning Numbers: 0-4-0 TlmesUne 808-8463 Super Lotto 5610 Dally 3 5620 Decco Cards 5630 Fantasy 5 5640 For same-day results, call TlmesUne.

From the BOS area code, call (818) 808-8463. IS; VhH Photos by FRANK WIESE Los Angelea Times High waves damaged support pilings of the Ventura Pier, forcing closure for the second time in two weeks. More Damage Feared With New Storm's Arrival Today mi I i Lagomarsino Still Voicing Opinions Via His Newsletter Politics: The former congressman publishes the monthly missive to circulate his conservative views to friends and subscribers. Rep. Huffington is a favorite target.

By KENNETH R. WEISS TIMES STAFF WRITER Seated in the wood-beamed study of his oceanfront home, Robert J. Lagomarsino spends several hours each week poring over periodicals and jotting down his thoughts on yollow legal pads. Once a month, the former congressman whittles down these writings for another issue of "Bob Lagomarsino, Report Opinions," a newsletter he mails to 300 friends and paying subscribers across Ventura and Santa Barbara counties. The four-page report looks a lot like the newsletter Lagomarsino used to send his constituents during his 18 years in Congress, explaining his votes and extolling his accomplishments.

Now that he's no longer in office, Lagomarsino fills it with his own personal brand of conservative insights into local politics and national affairs. He uses it as a platform to endorse candidates, applaud his friends and tweak the man who unseated him: Rep. Mike Huffington. "It has been very rewarding," said Lagomarsino, 68, who lives in the gated community of Solimar, up the coast from Ventura. "The writing part is easy; it is kind of enjoyable." He has clearly had the most fun taking shots at Please tee OPINION, B3 2 By JULIE FIELDS TIMES STAFF WRITER For the second time in two weeks, the Ventura Pier was closed Monday after towering waves knocked 14 wooden support poles from beneath the planked walkway.

The pounding surf from 10 to 15 feet high left two sections of the 122-year-old pier particularly vulnerable to swells expected to hit Ventura County today as a storm arrives. Near shore, only two pilings were left to support a stretch of walkway previously held up by 10 poles. "I'm concerned," said John Betonte, maintenance manager for the city of Ventura. "But there's little you can do about it when the surfs up. If we get another series of waves in the 12- to 14-foot range, we could have some more damage." Despite the enormous swells, state lifeguards said they had made no rescues by Monday afternoon, and boaters experienced few serious problems.

The Ventura Harbor Patrol towed in just one boat after it struck a jetty. The large waves and the sight of 60-foot logs snapping like Tinkertoys drew hundreds of gawkers to Ventura's beachfront promenade. "It's kind of mesmerizing," said bicyclist Jonathan Youngman, 40, who stood near three pilings that washed ashore. "I should be home doing chores, but I just can't go away." Others expressed surprise that the 1,958 -foot -long pier now blocked by a chain-link fence was closed again so soon. Weather B4 Classifieds B5 Pounding surf tore support pilings from this section of the Ventura Pier, weakening the structure.

City officials closed the structure Dec. 19, after the first large swell of the winter knocked out 10 wooden supports. In all, 14 were replaced and the pier reopened last Thursday. The recent battering follows a reconstruction in 1993. Much of the pier had been closed for six years because of storm damage.

Please see WAVES, B2 On the Record "This thing was enormous. It was just absolutely enormous its head was the size of a medium pizza." Paul Glen Neuman Fillmore resident describing a mountain Hon that killed his dog Monday morning. Bl.