COMFORTS OF HOME: The government is trying...

COMFORTS OF HOME: The government is trying to make it easier for immigrants to get their citizenship. For the first time, the Immigration and Naturalization Service will conduct final interviews--for those who have passed their citizenship test--at the Hermandad Mexicana Nacional Legal Center in Santa Ana. The nonprofit Latino legal advice center already has nearly 700 immigrants ready for interviewing. . . . Says center spokesman Jay Lindsey: “The applicants will feel more comfortable doing the interviews closer to home.”

UNDERCUT TIME: Raising landfill rates was part of the county’s bankruptcy cost-recovery scheme. Now it’s facing some competition. La Paz County Landfill in Arizona has sent letters to all 31 cities here advertising its rate of $30 per ton--the county is at $35. It’s setting up meetings here too. . . . Says La Paz County Supervisor Greg Upton, a former Orange County resident: “We’re aware of all the actions Orange County supervisors take. We’re in business, that’s the bottom line.”

MAIN MAN: Tax accountant Joseph Vu of Westminster says Vietnamese American businesses “want to be more mainstream in Orange County.” And he’s quick to add: “Orange County’s economy needs a boost, and we want to help.” . . . Vu is director of the first Vietnamese American Business Expo. It kicks off in Huntington Beach on Monday and includes events all week in a number of local cities. It ends with a two-day exhibition for the public at the county fairgrounds next weekend.

HAPPIER TRAIL: The jungle and mountain Ho Chi Minh Trail was once the major pathway for enemy forces into South Vietnam. But 20 years later, it’s a tourist attraction. The Santa Ana-based VivaUSA is taking 22 tourists on the first U.S.-organized motorcycle tour of Vietnam in February--for $4,999 each. And the Ho Chi Minh Trail--many areas too remote for tour buses--is one of the highlights. Says VivaUSA’s Twee Pham: “Motorcyclists always want to go where big cars cannot.”