California IN BRIEF : VENTURA : Port Commissioner Sues

Ventura Port District Commissioner Robert (Nick) Starr filed a slander suit against board Chairman Richard Hambleton, alleging that the chairman erroneously told a city councilman that Starr is a convicted felon. Starr’s 1968 felony conviction, stemming from bribery charges filed while he was a Los Angeles harbor commissioner, was overturned by an appeals court in 1971. Starr’s failure to mention the case while he was being considered for the board has deeply divided the Ventura City Council, which appointed him, and other Port District commissioners have said they may resign if Starr is not removed. The slander suit was filed in Ventura County Superior Court.