Only in L.A. / Paul Feldman

Cold War Fallout: Mikhail Gorbachev’s support may be melting somewhat in his homeland, but here in Los Angeles, it appears to be as solid as ice.

Baskin-Robbins officials Thursday unveiled what they billed as “the world’s largest ice cream bust of the architect of glasnost. “

The 4-foot-by-2 1/2-foot sculpture, carved for three days by downtown Biltmore Hotel chefs, was fashioned out of chocolate ice cream with white chocolate chunks. Chocolate fudge was employed for Gorbachev’s distinctive forehead birthmark.

The ice cream company listed three reasons for commissioning the 860,000-calorie bust: to salute the Soviet leader for “thawing icy relations between East and West,” to commemorate national Ice Cream Day on Sunday, and, surprise, surprise, to promote its flavor of the month, Gorba-chocolate.

Meanwhile, in Pacific Palisades, Gorbachev’s former partner in summitry, Ronald Reagan, participated in a lunchtime songfest with 70 youngsters at the Camp Ronald McDonald for Good Times. Reagan is a longtime supporter of the camp, which provides overnight recreational opportunities for children with cancer.

Clapping his hands, the ex-President joined in on upbeat versions of “This Camp is Your Camp” and “Shugey, Shugey.”

Appearing with the ex-President was his wife, Nancy, who also had sent a letter of support to the sponsors of the Gorbachev press conference, where 70 young members of local “Just Say No” clubs were invited to taste a chunk of the Soviet President’s neck.

“The love for ice cream is shared by all nations,” wrote the former First Lady. “It is a contagious feeling, and it is a wonderful alternative to drug and alcohol use. So the next time someone offers you something bad, suggest that you go have some ice cream and fun instead.”

E x-Mayor Sam Yorty raised hackles this month with his latest harangue against his five-term successor.

Interviewed in Los Angeles magazine, Yorty said that Tom Bradley “didn’t . . . do a damn thing” to bring the Olympics to Los Angeles. Yorty also boasted about his own ability to deal with two of the city’s major problems--gangs and drugs.

“I could have handled all that,” Yorty harrumphed.

Of course, Yorty’s track record as a prognosticator is spotty. The following predictions for the 1990s are taken from his 1966 biography, “Maverick Mayor”:

“Smog will be gone in Los Angeles in that happy day of the future . . . paved streets will be unnecessary . . . flying autos (will carry) suburbanites to subdivisions designed especially for ‘the air set.’ ”

Perhaps the Los Angeles Herald Examiner could have stayed in business if it had only been able to hawk its final edition for the same price that collectors are seeking to sell it for now. An ad in Sunday’s Times classified section sought $400 for a copy of the Nov. 2, 1989, newspaper, which had a list price of a quarter.

If the Herald had only been able to sell 200,000 copies at that price, it would have raked in $80 million.

miscelLAny:

There are more than 1,000 miles of red curb in the city of Los Angeles.