It’s difficult to understand why some state...

It’s difficult to understand why some state legislators want an audit of Caltrans just because the agency is spending $200,000 to enter a float in the Rose Parade. Our only complaint is that the float, which will promote ride-sharing, doesn’t capture the essence of the transportation agency.

We’d rather see a floral depiction of several isolated pillars with steel-enforcing rods sticking out. Call it: “A Salute to the Century Freeway!”

Or perhaps a series of cones blocking off the fast lane for no apparent reason during the morning rush hour: “A World of Gridlock!”

Rose Parade floats, by the way, must travel 5 1/2 miles in just over 2 hours. The question is:

Can Caltrans keep up that fast pace?

Unfortunate timing:

On the day after it was reported that a county sheriff’s deputy had kicked four elderly riders off the Metro Rail Blue Line and ticketed them because they were 20 cents short of the fare, County Supervisor Ed Edelman announced plans to honor Sheriff Sherman Block . . . for the outstanding work of the deputies on the rail system.

Attn. Agent Cooper:

We were surprised to receive a press release from a state senator identified as “Bill Leonard (R- Twin Peaks ).” A new suspect?

“He’s a fan of the (TV) show, and he was just having a little fun,” explained Allison Hayward, a spokesman for Leonard, whose office is really in Upland. “We also wanted to see if anyone read the press release.”

There is a Twin Peaks located in Leonard’s district in the San Bernardino Mountains. No log ladies are known to live there.

Mission Control to Juan Valdez:

KNBC misspelled the name of the shuttle Columbia the other day, identifying it as the “Colombia.”

The Pasadena Weekly points out that the Burbank-based Checker Cab Co. has shed the checkerboard design on its taxis in favor of solid paint jobs. Which isn’t so strange when you consider that the San Gabriel Valley’s Yellow Cabs are green.

Angeli Caffe on Melrose Avenue celebrated its sixth anniversary the other night by serving dinners free of charge. The beverages were, however, extra. One diner who ordered a glass of wine and a coffee for himself and his wife noted: “Only in a trendy L.A. restaurant could you get a free dinner and still not get out of there without spending $20.”

miscelLAny:

The first college course in film studies was established in 1929 at USC.