CITY HALL ROUNDUP : Redondo Beach council squeals a bit, hams it up, then lets pint-sized porker stay.

‘THEY OINK’: There was a whole lot of squawking in Redondo Beach last year over the “Chicken Lady,” who kept a flock of the feathered creatures in her back yard. With that in the past, the City Council last week moved on to a meatier issue--pigs.

Resident Kay Donald sought approval from the city to keep a Vietnamese potbellied pig penned up at her home. The pig--a miniature porker known scientifically as Sus scrofa bittatus-- is to be a pet for her 11-year-old son, Greg.

Councilwoman Kay Horrell thought the proposal was hogwash: “They’re as cute as can be, but don’t kid yourself. They oink. . . . I move that we absolutely deny pigs in Redondo Beach.”

But the photos Donald included with her application were so cute. And she included backup information that said the pigs are quiet, neat and do not have an offensive body odor or carry fleas. After several attempts at porcine humor--including one quip that Donald and the Chicken Lady could get together to serve up bacon and eggs--council members granted the animal six months of residency, with extensions if the pig is a good neighbor.

SHARKS OUT OF WATER: Carson’s Tiger Sharks youth swim team was left up a creek in July when the City Council decided it would cut costs by closing the pool at Winfield Scott Park during the fall and winter months.

To keep the program operating, the team and its parents association faced the prospect of raising more than $40,000 on their own for such costs as utilities and pool maintenance. The pool, where the team had its practices and meets, was slated to close Oct. 12.

But the group never threw in the towel, stalling the closure until last Wednesday’s City Council meeting, when the team persuaded council members to keep the pool open for another 45 days while the parents association seeks other funding sources.

A final decision on the swim program will be made at the first council meeting in December.

CENTER AXED: The California Conservation Corps has operated a live-in center in San Pedro since 1978 for young men and women involved in corps projects ranging from roadside landscaping to the coastal cleanup after last year’s Huntington Beach oil spill.

On Friday, however, the agency said the Ft. MacArthur facility was one of two residential centers statewide that will close in January as a result of state budget cuts. The other is the Butte Fire Center in Butte County.

Agency officials said the San Pedro center was picked because it needs substantial repair work and the city of Los Angeles, which owns the site, is reluctant to offer the agency a long-term lease.

“The city is uncertain about what its plans are for that area,” said corps spokeswoman Susanne Levitsky. “It’s hard for us to put a tremendous amount of repairs into the place, given that uncertainty.”

Levitsky added that the South Bay will still be served by some corps members who live in the area. But she acknowledged that closing the residential center will mean less work locally by the agency, which puts men and women aged 18 to 23 to work on natural resources and emergency assistance projects throughout the state.

MAN-HAT-GONE: Some thought it clever. Others didn’t get it. One woman was offended by it.

Last week, the controversial rebus put up as part of Manhattan Beach’s public arts program--showing a man, a hat and the word “tan”--was nixed by the City Council.

The arts program leases a variety of artworks and places them in parks, inside libraries and along roadways throughout the city. If the work catches on in the community, the city reserves the option to buy. That wasn’t the case with the controversial MAN-HAT-TAN sculpture affixed on poles along Manhattan Beach Boulevard.

When its lease expired last week, the council decided against spending $9,500 to replace the wooden figures with metal ones. A plan to protect the wood with enamel for $1,200 also failed, meaning the the rebus’ days are numbered.

LAST WEEK’S HIGHLIGHTS

Carson: Voters will be asked whether they want to choose the city’s mayor--an appointive, largely ceremonial post annually fought over by City Council factions. The council this week approved putting a measure on next April’s municipal ballot that would make the mayor’s post an elective one.

El Segundo: The City Council agreed to purchase a $15,000 anti-theft system for the city library on Mariposa Avenue. Library book thefts cost the city roughly $10,000 a year.

Hawthorne: The City Council approved a $1-million settlement with Loretta Brown and Naymon Williams, who filed a $10-million civil rights lawsuit against the city after their schizophrenic son was shot to death by a Hawthorne police officer last year.

Manhattan Beach: The City Council hired a consultant for $39,000 to study the city’s retirement and salary structures for managers. The audit comes after council members learned that former City Manager David J. Thompson was to receive $50,000 more a year in retirement than he did while he was working for the city. Earlier, the council voted to reduce Thompson’s retirement benefits.

Rancho Palos Verdes: The City Council gave final approval to the Kajima Development Corp.’s plan to build 63 homes on 59 acres at the southwest corner of Crest and Highridge roads.

Redondo Beach: The Environmental and Utilities Commission, which monitors recycling, trash collection and the operation of the city’s public utilities, has been renamed the Resource Conservation Commission and expanded from seven to 10 members.

THIS WEEK’S HIGHLIGHTS

Hermosa Beach: The City Council will have a public hearing at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday on a proposal to replace the city Police Department with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. The Hermosa Beach Police Officers Assn. issued a report Friday that disputed contentions by sheriff’s officials that deputies are cheaper than the current Hermosa Beach force; 1315 Valley Drive, Hermosa Beach. 318-0239. Televised live on Channel 3 (Multivision).

Lawndale: In an effort to cut down on the amount of garbage taken to area landfills, the City Council will have a public hearing at 7 p.m. Thursday on a trash reduction and recycling proposal; 14717 Burin Ave. 973-4321. Televised live on Channel 60 and repeated several times during the week.

OTHER COUNCIL MEETINGS THIS WEEK

Gardena: 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, 1700 W. 162nd St., Gardena. 217-9565. Televised live on Channel 22 (Paragon) and repeated at 7 p.m. on the two following Sundays.

Inglewood: 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, 1 Manchester Blvd., Inglewood. 412-5280. No cable telecast.

Los Angeles: 10 a.m. Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday at 200 N. Spring St., Los Angeles. In San Pedro, 548-7637; in Wilmington, 548-7586; in Harbor City/Harbor Gateway, 548-7664; in Westchester, 641-4717. Televised live on Channel 35; meetings repeated individually at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday and collectively on Sunday starting at 10 a.m.

Palos Verdes Estates: 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, 340 Palos Verdes Drive West, Palos Verdes Estates. 378-0383. No cable telecast.

Rolling Hills Estates: 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, 4045 Palos Verdes Drive North, Rolling Hills Estates. 377-1577. Televised live on Channel 3 (Dimension).

Torrance: 7 p.m. Tuesday, 3031 Torrance Blvd., Torrance. 618-5880. Televised live on Channel 22 (Paragon), and replayed at 10 p.m. Wednesdays and Thursdays, and at 10 a.m., 3 p.m. and 8 p.m. Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.