Winning Platform: Among the GOP delegates in...

Winning Platform: Among the GOP delegates in San Diego pleased with the anti-abortion language in the party platform was Sharon Runner of Lancaster. “It’s a winning platform,” Runner said, noting that the language has been in the platform for 12 years and has helped elect GOP congressmen, senators and governors. . . . Besides, Runner said, “the grass-roots conservatives want it in there and they are the worker bees.”

No Litmus Test: Runner added, however, that abortion doesn’t have to be the only issue for the GOP. “I don’t think it’s the major issue for Republicans. . . . It doesn’t have to be a litmus test for Republicans.” Alternate delegate Rita Burleson, an aide to Rep. Howard “Buck” McKeon of Santa Clarita, agreed that the party can and does accept different opinions on abortion. “We’re not going to agree on everything,” she said. “It’s about tolerance.”

Stealing Beauty: Dividing the San Fernando and Simi valleys are the picturesque Santa Susana Mountains, which increasingly are being defaced by graffiti. . . . Still, the vandalism hasn’t deterred hikers such as Pedro Lobo of Simi Valley, above, who on a recent early morning hike paused to take in a spectacular view of the San Fernando Valley. See Valley Gallery (B12).

Taking Off: Those waiting for a big resurgence in the local real estate market may have to wait a little longer, according to new statistics from the San Fernando Valley Assn. of Realtors. . . . The association reported that sales of single-family homes in the Valley remained unchanged from last year and prices remained stable. Most sales were concentrated in the lower-priced segment of the market. (D7A).