MTA Departure: With a $1-billion hole in...

MTA Departure: With a $1-billion hole in its budget, the MTA now has another hole in its executive ranks. . . . Sources say the transportation agency quietly dismissed longtime treasurer Les Porter at the end of December. An MTA spokesman would only say Porter “doesn’t work here anymore.” On Thursday, one candidate for the job of interim MTA chief exec withdrew and another emerged (B8).

And the Winner . . . Memo to Cal State Northridge football fans from Athletic Director Paul Bubb: hold your horses. . . . Bubb, under some fire for the pace of CSUN’s search for a new coach, says the top candidates will be here next week and a hiring is about a week away (C10). . . . The finalists: Valley College Coach Jim Fenwick, Missouri associate head coach Skip Hall and former Wake Forest defensive coordinator Chris Allen.

G’Day, Mate: Donald W. Henry, the former receiver in the case involving alleged land fraud by Marshall Redman, missed a court date this week to explain his handling of victims’ funds. . . . Henry, above, used to live in Calabasas but has gone to Australia. Superior Court Judge Robert H. O’Brien wants Henry in court Jan. 17, or “I’ll send [Sheriff] Sherman Block to Australia to get him.”

Political Punch: Last week’s death of consultant Paul Clarke leaves the Valley without one of its most astute political observers and greatest wits, reports today’s Political Briefing (B1).