The Leaning Tower of South Gate was...

The Leaning Tower of South Gate was pictured here the other day, courtesy of resident John Aston.

The crooked pole, which holds up a sign for a street appropriately named Bent, has been a fixture for more than a decade.

“I figured that the landmark would remain untouched, a feature the city could be proud of,” Aston writes in a follow-up note.

But he reports that the city has since replaced the illustrious pole, no doubt fearful of an onslaught of tourists. Hence, the sad news: Bent’s now straight.

Just a bigga, bigga bigga hunk of legislation:

Elvis was nowhere to be seen on the 14th anniversary of his death, but his voice could be heard throughout City Hall Friday at the City Council’s scheduled starting time of 10 a.m. Councilman John Ferraro’s office had piped in a tape of the King’s greatest hits.

“Love Me Tender” seemed especially appropriate, considering all the arguing among the council members this week. And, inasmuch as only three members were present at 10 a.m., another of Presley’s standards was also timely: “It’s Now or Never.”

Man Oh Manolete:

Artesia holds an annual bullfight at a religious festival at which the matadors “stick” the animals--but not in the traditional sense. Instead, the beasts find themselves carrying spears and swords that are fastened by Velcro strips.

Speaking of modern touches:

A small boy excitedly spotted a rabbit’s foot in a curio shop in Northridge, then paused suspiciously to ask his mother:

“Do they come in this color?”

The foot was blue.

Economic indicators not cited by the government:

Gary Robb of L.A. came upon a restaurant that offers an early-bird special good from 2 p.m. until . . . closing.

More gloomy indicators:

“Desperate upper-middle-class Encino family garage sale,” says a sign taped to a pole in Encino.

“Needs money. It was either sell the sailboat and airplane or else these wonderful items. . . .”

Perhaps they should start carrying a blue rabbit’s foot.

miscelAny:

A 117-year-old tower atop a cliff in San Pedro’s Point Fermin Park is the last wooden lighthouse in California. Out of service for more half a century, it’s leased to the city by the U.S. Coast Guard and is the residence of Julian Jimenez, the park maintenance supervisor.