After initially proclaiming that the Monterey Park...

After initially proclaiming that the Monterey Park Dependency Court would be the country’s first “child-sensitive courthouse,” L.A. County officials have changed their verdict.

Not that the judges ever considered emulating children’s dentists by dressing up like clowns and handing out candy canes or anything.

No, the plan called for the jurists in that building, now under construction, to sit on six-inch platforms, which were presumably less intimidating than the standard 18-inch variety.

Problem is, when a mock courtroom with six-inch furniture was tried out, it drew negative comments, such as “toy courtroom,” from the participants.

“We have to maintain the dignity of the courtroom,” explained Jaime Corrall, presiding judge for the Dependency Court, which opted for a 12-inch height.

The Board of Supervisors agreed after a debate highlighted by Ed Edelman’s objection that he and the other supes sit at the six-inch height and it’s dignified enough for them .

“What are we going to tell the public,” lamented colleague Kenneth Hahn, “when they ask why the Board of Supervisors in the largest county in America debated so long whether a rise should be 12 inches or nine inches or six or three?”

We don’t know, Mr. Supervisor, but we expect an explanation on our desk by 5 p.m. today.

Lists of the Day:

Doggie Sunglasses is a product for canines caught up in the Hollywood whirl or who have been placed in the federal witness protection program. The pooch glasses differ from human shades in that they have:

1--An extra-wide bridge for the snout.

2--Longer, upward-angled “arms” to fit around the ears.

3--A multicolored cinch strap that slips under the chin.

The problem, as we see it, however, is that Doggie Sunglasses, like human sunglasses, also:

1--Steam up if you pant.

2--Lack drool-proof lenses.

3--Come in no tasty flavors.

The radio traffic reporters ignore it day after day, but there’s a gridlock on the 105 Freeway in Lynwood every morning. Maybe it goes unnoticed because the cars only belong to workers who leave them there during the continuing construction on the 105, also known as the Century Freeway. And you thought the Santa Ana Freeway was the world’s biggest outdoor parking lot.

Donna Carroll of Sunland, meanwhile, chanced upon a non-fan of the San Diego Freeway at the Van Nuys Flyaway parking lot. Carroll points out that the car owner, true to his or her word, had taken the shuttle to LAX to avoid the dreaded 405.

miscelLAny:

Of the more than 5,000 ornate merry-go-rounds built earlier in the century during the heyday of carousels, fewer than 250 survive, including antique versions operating at the Santa Monica Pier and Long Beach’s Shoreline Village.