The ‘80s: It Worked Out Fine : New Year’s: The last workday of the decade was an off-day for many, a recuperation day for some and a mad dash to close out business for others.

Seated near a trickling fountain in the ornate indoor courtyard of Los Angeles’ Biltmore hotel, attorney Michael R. Sullivan was celebrating, not litigating, on the final regular workday of the 1980s.

For a dozen members of his staff, the decisions to be made Friday were no more difficult than selecting an appetizer. They sat laughing and talking under leafy palms. By 2 o’clock, a waiter was bringing more beer and wine.

“Everybody has a couple drinks, a few hors d’oeuvres, and that’s it for the year,” Sullivan said with a smile. “Rather than let people sit around (in the office) and wish they were somewhere else, I let them be somewhere else.”

Sullivan’s employees were among the fortunate Friday. The last workday of the year was an off-day for many, a kick-back-and-recuperate day for some--and a hectic mad dash to close out business for others.

Freeway traffic was light. Mall traffic was heavy. Caterers and restaurants were gearing up for the New Year’s rush. So were police and firefighters.

Former President Ronald Reagan and wife Nancy departed for a year-ending bash in Palm Springs--a yearly ritual. At City Hall, embattled Mayor Tom Bradley--who agreed to a $20,000 settlement on Thursday for alleged conflict-of-interest violations--spent the morning celebrating his 72nd birthday.

Nearly 40 members of Bradley’s staff sang “Happy Birthday.” The mayor was surprised with two sweaters, a scarf and a hat.

“He’s in wonderful spirits,” an aide said of the mayor.

For tax reasons, real-estate transactions and other banking matters had to be rushed through. Robert W. Kummer Jr., chairman of 1st Business Bank downtown, said the 8-year-old institution would mark a milestone by reaching $500 million in assets. He predicted that his day would not end until 6 or 6:30 p.m..

“We just sent a messenger out to El Monte with a check for $1.8 million,” he said, citing one crucial last-minute transaction involving pension funds. “It has to be recorded by Dec. 31.”

Los Angeles city and county offices were open. At a few, it scarcely seemed that way. But at the county marriage license department, about 120 marriages were expected by day’s end, roughly double the normal workload.

Ten or 15 couples at a time filled the noisy office.

“They just keep on coming,” clerk Walter Fernandez said. “Some of them are getting married for tax reasons, some are getting married just to be married through the holidays. It’ll be continual till about 8 o’clock, when we close this place.”

In San Pedro, members of California’s largest commercial fishing fleet were scheduled in for the weekend, but not before trying to land a few last tuna. As many as 12 or 15 boats were still as far away as San Diego or Monterey. Unlike 1988, when the tuna came in at up to 800 pounds apiece, it had so far been a Sorry Charlie year.

“It hasn’t been fantastic,” said Terry Hoinsky, president of the Fisherman’s Union of America. “They’ve been out most of the week, since the day after Christmas. Hopefully, they’ll catch some tuna out there. They need it.”

In Pasadena, earthquake specialist Lucile Jones of the U.S. Geological Survey learned that the government was giving employees the afternoon off. But she was planning to hang around her office on the campus of Caltech to wrap up a scientific paper she began with a colleague eight months ago: “Anomalously Deep Crustal Earthquakes in the Ventura Basin, Southern California.”

“It was a psychological deadline to have it done in ‘89,” Jones said.

Jones’ colleagues, however, were taking advantage of the free afternoon, despite a recent rash of magnitude-3 and -4 earthquakes along the San Jacinto Fault. “We did check to make sure a couple people are going to be in town over the weekend,” Jones added.

It was a small precaution in case the Big One should hit.

Attorney William R. Moore, who occupies the 19th floor of the One Wilshire building downtown, found his thoughts in Dayton, Ohio, where his clients recently put a $3-million roof on a new government building.

Unfortunately, the roof leaked, and Moore found himself defending a suit brought by “pointy-headed bureaucrats” who want the whole roof replaced.

“Another day, another claim,” he said. “There’s nothing particularly exciting going on here. The office Christmas party was last week. That was the main thing.”

Beverly Hills hairdresser Cristophe was concerned more with impending holiday bashes. The stylist, who charges $150 a head and doesn’t use a last name, said his afternoon was frantic.

“It will be going full-blast till the 31st at 8:30 at night; that’s when we’ll be closing,” he said. “We’ll be doing hair and makeup and putting these people together for parties. A lot of people are going black-tie (on New Year’s) and they need to look extra sharp.”

Like many restaurant managers, Darla Emmons of Bernard’s was preparing for a bash, this one a Dom Perignon, $199-a-person event planned for 200 guests. The red table-top roses had given way to white. Party hats were coming in, along with pheasant, beef tenderloin and caviar.

“We’ve been preparing a week for it,” said Emmons, assistant manager of Bernard’s. “It’s very relaxed today.”

Hospitals and jails were handling the normal busy workload. At Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, 30 new babies were expected on the year’s final three days.

At the county coroner’s office, work continued around the clock, as it always does.

“Yesterday we had, in 24 hours, 76 dead,” spokesman Bob Dambacher said. “The day before we had 80 dead. With us (today) is no different than yesterday or next month.”

Deputy Dist. Atty. Elden Fox sat in a room at Beverly Hills Municipal Court thinking of his old nemesis, Zsa Zsa Gabor.

As of midday, he said, the actress had not put up the $10,000 she was ordered to pay by the end of the year to the Beverly Hills Police Department after her conviction for slapping a motorcycle officer.

“Maybe on the last work day of 1989 she’s going to be in violation of probation,” Fox said. “I’m going to be checking on that.”

But Gabor’s husband, Prince Frederick von Anhalt of Germany, insisted that the money was paid late Thursday. “We spent Christmas in Europe,” he said. “That’s actually why we came in . . . (to) pay the thing. Otherwise we would have stayed a little longer in Europe.”

Gabor spent the day battling a head cold and preparing for a black-tie party Friday night at her Bel-Air home, a simple event for about 20 friends, von Anhalt said.

Unlike New York’s Wall Street, where the year’s last workday traditionally produces a shower of spent calendars, Los Angeles’ downtown skyscrapers--in keeping with the climate--produced only a faint sprinkle of celebratory litter.