Brown’s Political Panel Just Resting, Thank You

POLI SIGH--Jerry Brown’s political action committee, the Committee for the USA, is being political California-style--it’s simply laying back for a while.

“Taking a nap,” is how former Executive Director Jodie (Krajewski) Evans put it. She was one of three major staff people who left in recent months, in a move to keep expenses down.

“The committee still exists, the board still exists, but there will be no activity until probably the end of ‘85,” she said. “The goal for 1983 and 84,” Evans, who is still on the board, said, “was to have a majority of Democrats in the U.S. Senate. The board has not met in ’85 to set the goal for ‘85-86.”

And she’s still a strong supporter of the junior former Gov. Brown, Evans insisted, even though she is helping her close friend Max Palevsky with his Saturday-night dinner for Sen. Edward M. Kennedy.

TAKING NAMES--Theater owner Jimmy Nederlander wouldn’t turn over to the Music Center his mailing list from the Civic Light Opera to help sell tickets for the party honoring CLO founder Edwin Lester. But, after the release of that information in a story in The Times earlier this week, Nederlander did call up the Music Center with a contribution of $10,000, according to one of those high-placed sources.

SPEAKING UP--Diahann Carroll, “Dynasty’s” Dominique Devereaux, takes on a new role this spring. She’ll launch the Overseas Education Fund’s campaign to raise awareness of the role played by Third World women in ending world hunger. She sees the OEF job as an “opportunity to break down the stereotypical images of Third World women . . . and promote their roles as entrepreneurs and the world’s major food producers.” OEF works with Third World women to provide skills training and technical assistance and with USA women to “increase their knowledge of international issues.”

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TEMPTATION--Father Maurice Chase, giving the invocation at the $1,000-a-head fund-raising dinner for Sen. Pete Wilson on Thursday night, concluded his prayer with an interesting plea: “And, finally, Heavenly Father, may I ask you to give me the strength to resist the temptation that is strong within me tonight--the temptation to take up a collection. In the Holy Name of Jesus. Amen.”

JUST JOSE--That celebrity hair stylist, Jose Eber, debuts his new line of hair products for Faberge at his BevHills salon, Maurice Jose, early this summer, even though the products won’t be available elsewhere until August. To have one’s locks trimmed by the pigtailed Jose (pronounced Joe-Say) runs about $100. Shake your head, darling.

IRISH AYES--Wondering about the billboards around town, showing the face of an anguished child and carrying a large inscription, “PEACE,” and the line “The Ireland Fund”? Wonder no more. The signs--on Beverly near Western and in Studio City on Ventura--are an attempt to acquaint people with the fund. Headquartered in Boston, active in New England and New York, the 9-year-old fund involves such people as Dan Rooney, president of the Pittsburgh Steelers, John P. McEnroe, the N.Y.C. attorney who’s father to the tennis player, and John P. Dunfey, of the Dunfey Hotels. The fund, a spokesman said, is “an attempt to provide a vehicle for Americans to support peaceful causes that would benefit North and South, Protestant and Catholic.” More than $1 million was distributed in the last two years, according to Anthony J. F. O’Reilly, the president and CEO of H. J. Heinz Co. and the Ireland Fund’s chair.

BLUSHING BRIDES--It’s not just that June is around the corner. Abby Van Buren, everybody’s “Dear Abby,” says she’s getting lots of letters about weddings: “A surprising number of women want more than just a ceremony on their second and/or third time around. According to my mail (and she gets 15,000 letters a week) there are not as many brides in their teens and early 20s as there used to be. Women are waiting to marry. They do all the unconventional things, live an unconventional life style, but they want a traditional wedding, want to know what’s right and what’s proper. Some are living together first, but even they send for my booklet on ‘How to Have a Lovely Wedding’ because they want a traditional church wedding with all the trimmings.”

DR. K. ON HAND--Former Secretary of State Henry A. Kissinger is in town next Tuesday to speak at the United Jewish Fund Community Dinner at the Beverly Hilton. If you haven’t heard about it, it’s because of Dr. K’s wish to avoid pre-event publicity. The audience is made up of supporters--each of whom has made a minimum gift of $1,250. The United Jewish Fund supports humanitarian and social programs in L.A., Israel and around the world. Kissinger will speak on “The Current World Situation: Our Perspectives and Priorities.” Annette Shapiro is chairwoman.

FRIENDS OF PHIL BURTON--When Rep. Phil Burton died two years ago, politicos from all over the state turned out for his funeral--and made their way later in the day to Grazie Restaurant in North Beach. What happened was that everybody started to tell their favorite Phil Burton story--a roast for their just departed friend. “God, Phil would have loved this story,” was the constant refrain, as Assembly Speaker Willie Brown Jr. emceed. Former Assemblyman Walter Karabian finally stood up and said, “Let’s do it again next year, because everybody will be in a better mood.” So last year, many of the some 100-or-so people--former Rep. John Burton, Burton’s widow--who followed him into Congress, Rep. Sala Burton, political consultant Joe Cerrell--turned up at Grazie’s again. The now-annual party gets repeated Friday, April 19.

MORE BILLBOARDS--The Advocate, which bills itself as the largest national gay publication, has undertaken a first--a national campaign of billboards showing two men with their arms wrapped around each other. A spokesman for the magazine said the billboard is a first, in that it shows two men instead of one and is directed to the wider community, so that many non-gay people will see it.

HAUTE DOWN HOME--For Tom Kardashian’s birthday, he and wife Joan wanted something “different.” What caterer Sheila Mack served up to Kardashians’ guests--like O. J. and Nicole Simpson, the Rev. Don and Carol Moomaw (he’s local pastor to the Pres)--was a menu of iceberg lettuce salad with Thousand Island dressing, Jello mold, chicken-fried steak, a fabulous string bean casserole with canned French-fried onions, mashed potatoes and, for dessert: hot apple pie a la mode or Boston cream pie. Also, Chateau Lafite Rothchild, 1976. The menu was a surprise, as were the looks on guests faces when met with lots of potato chips to scoop up the onion soup dip. Is this a trend? Mack says, “I hope not.”

MR. DAVIS GOES TO WASHINGTON?--In the movies, Jimmy Stewart kept playing those guys who took on the Washington Establishment and won. Of course, now his good pal Ronald Reagan is the Establishment. In a letter sent out this week, Stewart urged fellow Republicans to support the try of State Sen. Ed Davis, who plans to run against Sen. Alan Cranston in November ’86.

Another potential Cranston opponent, Art Laffer, a professor of economics of Pepperdine, has a good friend helping him out with his explorations of the possibilities--Stephen Dart, son of the late Kitchen Cabinet member, Justin Dart.

NO BONES--For decades, the fanciest catered affair was served on just ordinary bone china. To repair this rip in the fabric of social life, L. A. party coordinator Mary Parks is branching into the luxury rental business. Now you can rent Fitz & Floyd China, crystal candlesticks, gold flatware. Of course, if you break a service plate, you replace it, at the cost of $32. Park said it will be just like a hostess having china settings for 50 in her kitchen cabinets. Is the next step rent-a-guest?

ONE WHO MUST KNOW--John Hughes, the writer-producer-director of “The Breakfast Club,” will be starting another film about teen-agers, “Pretty and Pink,” in June. But he has strong feelings about how Hollywood views kids. “I think young people are unrepresented by Hollywood. Movies for the most part have been made to exploit, not explain, youth. . . . The recent spate of teen-age movies, the very fact that they are called teen-age movies, signifies how uncaring Hollywood is.” Now you know.

GIVING CREDIBILITY--Lynne Deutch--the Melrose Avenue gift maven--says that walls lined with plaques and diplomas in offices are passe. Many people now spend more time in their place of business than their home, so they like a more personal atmosphere. One important item: picture frames. According to Deutch, photos add a sense of credibility, allowing people to reach each other on a different level.