HOSPITAL CLOSURE: Gov. Pete Wilson will recommend...

HOSPITAL CLOSURE: Gov. Pete Wilson will recommend to the Legislature that the 60-year-old Camarillo State Hospital be shut down this year, The Times has learned (B1). . . . With more than 1,500 jobs and an annual payroll of more than $80 million at stake, city officials say they plan to aggressively lobby legislators to save the hospital. . . . Assemblyman Nao Takasugi (R-Oxnard) said he will join the effort. “I’ve seen the good work that goes on there, and it would be a shame to have to close that up.”

MUSICAL CHAIRS: For the past year, Ventura County Supervisor Maggie Kildee has served as board chairwoman. . . . Her chief responsibilities in that role have been to keep the board’s meetings running smoothly and to represent the county at major events. . . . Kildee will turn over the job today to Supervisor Frank Schillo, who said he is looking forward to his new duties. “I look at it as an opportunity to take a leadership role in some things I haven’t been involved in before.”

HOT SPOT: OK, so Ventura County doesn’t have a major theme park or world-famous landmark like the Golden Gate Bridge to help attract big tourism bucks. . . . Yet, local tourism brought in a whopping $727 million to the county in 1993 (D5A). . . . Boosters said they are hoping to build on their past success by focusing more advertising on vacationers looking for short-term jaunts. . . . Said John Walters, of the Ventura Chamber of Commerce: “The trend in the travel industry is away from two-week vacations and more toward weekend getaways.”

EXTRA CREDIT: Forget bake sales--the Ventura County Schools Federal Credit Union has come up with a new way to raise money for schools (B1). . . . The credit union plans to offer a school credit card. Every time a cardholder makes a purchase, the credit union will donate 22 cents to a local school. . . . County schools chief Charles Weis likes the idea. “We think this is a much more logical way to raise supplemental money for the schools.”