Even in the health-conscious Southland, police couldn’t...

Even in the health-conscious Southland, police couldn’t help but be curious about the man they spotted running in the night along a downtown L.A. street. He explained that he was just out jogging. He was clad only in jockey shorts.

Further investigation revealed he was the prisoner who had hopped out of a police van as it pulled up at Parker Center minutes earlier. Somewhere along the way, he ditched his clothes. Fortunately, authorities had a new outfit ready for him.

Lamest local campaign ploy?

An early favorite is the rambling letter sent by county Assessor John Lynch, via the city attorney’s office, to Howard Keel. No, not Howard Keel, the film star.

This Keel is a 29-year-old Inglewood man who was sentenced to 10 days of cleaning up freeways after pleading guilty to rowdy behavior at a Raiders game.

“There is some hope that you may benefit, . . .” Lynch wrote, adding that Keel might be able to find “the same kind of starring roles once associated with the Howard Keel.”

Lynch then offered a nonsensical comparison to his election opponent, Kenneth P. Hahn, who has forced the assessor into a surprise runoff. Apparently many voters in the primary mistakenly thought that this Hahn, an employee in the assessor’s office, was county Supervisor Kenneth Hahn, who is no relation.

“Kenneth P. has done pretty good with his celebrity moniker,” asserted Lynch, who, by the way, is believed to have set a record for county officeholders by affixing his name to 17 doors in the assessor’s offices.

Speaking of coincidences, Lynch’s press secretary is Paul Neuman. No relation to the salad-dressing impresario.

People keep slapping titles on Santa Monica. Sunset Magazine proclaimed it “Art City” recently. Earlier this week, someone hung a banner along the Santa Monica Freeway that said: “Welcome to Santa Monica, ‘Home of the Homeless.’ ” Opponents of its liberal polices have, of course, also labeled the town “The People’s Republic of Santa Monica.”

But one title not being thrown Santa Monica’s way is “Dining Capital”--at least not in Joan and Carl Stromquist’s new book, “Southern California Beach Recipe.” They list the recipes of 30 restaurants. Santa Monica merited only two entries. Step aside, Main Street and Ocean Avenue, for the new local king of cuisine, with three mentions--San Pedro.

Marilyn Marrs forwarded a Domino’s Pizza ad (see photo) that was sent to San Fernando Valley households. She wonders if the delivery people can really keep their promise to deliver within 30 minutes from the state of Washington.

miscelLAny:

Howard Singer became the first--and so far only--person to drive a car from the mainland to Catalina in August, 1978. His Aquicar averaged 3 m.p.h.