People and Events

Squirrels are known as savers, not spenders. So the chestnut-brown character that scurried about the offices of Los Angeles’ City Council members for two days was obviously a dangerous symbol. And not so easy to catch.

The animal was first sighted after it leaped through an open window into the quarters of Councilman Joel Wachs on Sunday. “One of our deputies locked it in our conference room,” spokesman Greg Nelson said.

The Department of Animal Regulation dispatched a small-game hunter, who left a non-lethal trap baited with sunflower seeds. The feed was still there Monday, and the animal was gone. “We figured it had gone back out the window,” Nelson said.

Then it was observed in Councilwoman Joan Milke Flores’ office Tuesday. A new Animal Regulation man arrived and promptly set out a peanut butter trap. The intruder was trapped early Tuesday evening and hauled off by animal officers, who will release it in the wild later.

“The funny thing,” Nelson said, “is the second guy from Animal Reg told us, ‘No wonder the first trap didn’t work. They don’t like sunflower seeds.’ ”

Actor Leslie Nielsen has portrayed a hilarious nitwit in such recent movies as “Airplane!” and “The Naked Gun” (in the latter, making a fool of himself in a scene shot in Los Angeles’ City Council chamber).

Would you want a man associated with those roles backing you for a real-life seat in that chamber?

Attorney Bernie Lohr-Schmidt would. On Tuesday, he announced the endorsement of Nielsen, a neighbor, in his run against incumbent Los Angeles City Councilman Michael Woo.

Explained Lohr-Schmidt’s spokesman Eric Shuman: “We’re happy to have anything to get us a little bit of attention.”

Los Angeles County Supervisor Pete Schabarum aspired to be named Transportation Secretary in the Bush Administration, and his travel credentials certainly appeared in order.

Schabarum, according to financial disclosure forms released Tuesday, listed $34,000 in gifts, including a $6,000 junket to Argentina and Chile that was paid for by South American investors. He also made trips to British Columbia, Costa Rica and the Mexican city of Cabo San Lucas in addition to several hunting expeditions, all paid for by investors and developers.

His freebies--the most showered on any supervisor--actually amounted to about $40,000. Schabarum failed to declare a two-week European trade tour, sponsored by a private group. An aide said it was an “oversight.”

Incidentally, Schabarum and each of his colleagues listed among their gifts tickets to the Academy Awards ceremonies.

As a Los Angeles city councilwoman, she helped bring the Dodgers to Los Angeles nearly 31 years ago. And Rosalind Wyman will be in Dodger Stadium on April 13 for the team’s home opener. But it took an out-of-court settlement for her to get her tickets.

Wyman sued her late husband’s law firm last summer, claiming that she was being denied her partial rights to the firm’s eight Dodger season tickets. A settlement was reached, appropriately enough, on opening day of this season.

“The seats have been divided in a manner to satisfy everyone,” said Alan Croll, who represented the law firm of Wyman, Bautzer, Rothman and Kuchel.

Attorneys for both sides refused to say how the seats will be divided. Investigative reporters have so far resisted the temptation to dig any further for the answer to that question.

It was the wrong time and wrong place to cool off in the 100-degree weather Tuesday morning:

Traffic was stalled on the eastbound Ventura Freeway when a broken sprinkler flooded three lanes with water.