People and Events

The scene lacked the glamour of those old-time Hollywood ceremonies where stars left their imprint in fresh cement outside Grauman’s Chinese Theater.

But that didn’t stop Los Angeles City Councilman Gilbert Lindsay from making his mark Monday when city officials used fresh asphalt to launch a new anti-pothole campaign.

Lindsay joined Mayor Tom Bradley and other council members on Banning Street downtown and ceremonially shoveled asphalt into a pothole to draw attention to the annual street repair project.

When the hole was filled, Lindsay grabbed a rake and leveled out the steaming mixture for news cameras. Someone asked him if he intended to sign his name and leave his handprints in it before it hardened.

A half-dozen Department of Public Works officials looked on in horror as a smiling Lindsay turned to comply. “Mr. Lindsay! That asphalt is hot!” one of them urgently yelled.

After the experts put their foot down, Lindsay decided to do the same. He cautiously stepped on the asphalt and left the outline of his shoe.

Public Works administrators said 30 pothole patch crews will attempt to smooth over all called-in pothole complaints within 24 hours during May. Potholes may be reported to (213) 485-5661 or (818) 989-8121, Ext. 5661, they said.

Street workers smoothed over Lindsay too. As he returned to City Hall, they flattened out his footprint with a heavy roller.

Here’s an automotive endurance test that won’t be showing up in any of the new-car ads.

A 30-year-old Los Angeles woman who allegedly stole a new Toyota Corolla while on a test drive with a salesman was arrested early Monday after leading police and the California Highway Patrol on a high-speed chase to the desert town of Hesperia.

Tina Milton was apprehended after the car ran out of gas and coasted to a stop, authorities said.

Operators of Hollywood Toyota were overjoyed with the car’s performance. “It was awesome, incredible. She was going 110, 120 m.p.h., and that’s not even the fastest model we’ve got. And she got that far on only a quarter tank of gas,” enthused U.J. Polo, the car agency’s general manager.

They were not overjoyed with the salesman, however. “She locked him out when he got out to change places with her at Santa Monica and Gower,” Polo said. “He’s gone. We fired him.”

Henceforth, he said, the dealership will require salesmen to leave photocopies of prospective buyers’ driver’s licenses at the agency during test drives. Salesmen will keep the original licenses in their pockets during the ride.

“They’re gonna have to shoot the salesman to get the car from now on,” he vowed.

Cab driver Harvey Nathanson responded with an endurance run of his own late Sunday night when a pair of passengers shot him in a robbery attempt.

The 61-year-old cabbie was working on his birthday when he picked up two fares at 51st Street and Central Avenue in South-Central Los Angeles and they demanded all his cash, police said.

Nathanson was shot in the arm and back when he refused to comply.

With that, police said, Nathanson defiantly shouted to his passengers: “If I’m going to die, I’m going to take you with me!”

Then he stepped on the accelerator and rammed the cab into the front porch of a house.

The gunmen fled without any money. Nathanson was treated for his wounds at a nearby hospital. “He’s going to be OK,” Detective Wayne Abernathy said.

Most modern office buildings come equipped with fire extinguishers or ceiling sprinklers. George Mayers’ company headquarters in Vernon is equipped with its own fire engine on its roof.

Mayers used a 100-ton crane to hoist a 1948 pumper on the roof of his three-story Stacy Construction Co. building four months ago.

The brightly polished red truck was previously used in the Central California coastal village of Harmony, said Stephanie Barnes, manager of the construction company. Mayers once owned the unincorporated hamlet (population: 18) and purchased the fully operational fire engine five years ago when a subsequent owner put the town on the market, she said.

The 45-year-old office building, located at 1912 E. Vernon Ave., was previously a coffee-roasting plant. Mayers has converted part of it into an art gallery.

“George turns on the flashing red lights when he has an art show opening,” Barnes said. “It’s really spectacular.”