COMMUTER TOWN: Hank Carrillo has a theory...

COMMUTER TOWN: Hank Carrillo has a theory about why Fillmore (pop. 12,001) has the highest percentage of car-poolers in Ventura County: “People are more willing to ride with people they know, and everybody tends to know each other here,” said Carrillo, director of the Fillmore Chamber of Commerce. . . . Being 20 to 35 miles from job centers in Ventura, Santa Clarita and the San Fernando Valley also discourages solo commutes. . . . Two-thirds of Fillmore’s labor force works outside the city.

RIDING TO WORK

Percentage of workers who carpool:

Fillmore: 25.7 Oxnard: 24.0 Santa Paula: 23.0 Port Hueneme: 17.5 Moorpark: 14.9 Simi Valley: 14.9 Ojai: 13.2 Camarillo: 11.7 Ventura: 11.3 Thousand Oaks: 11.2

Source: U.S. Census

LATEST LINE: Crime went down last year in several county cities, judging by recent stats. But it’s on the rise again this week--in the form of Super Bowl office pools. . . . “They’re all illegal lotteries,” said Deputy Dist. Atty. Gregory W. Brose. And playing any role in such a scheme--preparing a betting sheet, drawing numbers, asking a co-worker to join in--is a misdemeanor worth up to six months in jail. . . . But Brose can’t recall any Ventura County prosecutions. . . . Amount bet in Nevada on the last Super Bowl: $56 million.

GRIM CRUSADER: Speaking of Super Bowl Sunday, it’s one of Yvon Chouinard’s favorite days. “I can surf Rincon without the crowd,” said Chouinard, founder of Ventura’s Patagonia Inc. . . . Enjoying the outdoors has been his life’s work, but he’s given up on saving the planet--he’d just like to delay its demise (E1). . . . “It’s completely hopeless. Civilization is out of control.”

ORAL REPORT: Leodes Van Buren of Newbury Park High, all-time leading pass receiver in California high school football, made an oral commitment to attend the University of Colorado moments after getting word that he had achieved a qualifying score on the Scholastic Aptitude Test. The first day high school seniors may sign a letter of intent with Division I schools is Feb. 2. . . . Van Buren caught 269 passes for 4,446 yards in his career at Newbury Park and helped the Panthers to a 14-0 record and the Southern Section Division III championship this past season. (C8)