CITY HALL ROUNDUP : The City Council appreciates you--want a certificate to prove it?

THANKYOUVERYMUCH! NEXT? Is it a coincidence or what? With an election coming up in just two months, Carson City Council members managed last week to dole out more honorary proclamations and certificates of appreciation than they have in years.

Sixteen items honoring about two dozen residents, civic groups and business leaders--including a number of campaign contributors--were packed onto the council’s agenda Tuesday night. There was more posing for pictures and shaking of hands at a single council meeting then there had been in several years, city spokeswoman Eva Gatling said.

Gatling insists that the awards have nothing to do with the fact that three incumbent council members are seeking reelection in April. Nevertheless, her office, which coordinates the presentations, is geared up for a peak season, she said.

“With five different council people doing the recognizing, five times whatever they’re doing can add up,” she said.

A GRAND OLD TRY: He may have been born on the Fourth of July, but his presidential prospects dropped dead Feb. 18.

Ron Kovic, Redondo Beach anti-war activist and subject three years ago of the movie “Born on the Fourth of July,” beat out 11 other Democratic candidates in Tuesday’s New Hampshire presidential primary.

Unfortunately, his 36 votes--.021% of the ballots cast--placed him behind 24 other candidates. Democratic front-runner Paul Tsongas collected 55,638 votes.

Even Dean Curtis of Venice, a man described by one political columnist as a “stealth candidate” because he listed only a post office box number as an address on his filing papers, garnered 43 votes.

Kovic may be a bit of a stealth candidate himself. We wanted to talk to him about his future presidential campaign plans, but there isn’t any telephone listing for either him or a campaign committee in the South Bay.

Maybe New Hampshire voters thought he wasn’t accessible enough.

SHIP-TO-SHORE: When the Greenpeace ship Rainbow Warrior departed San Pedro on Feb. 9, it left something else behind besides heightened concern about rain forest destruction, global warming and ozone depletion.

According to fire officials, the environmental group’s flagship ended its first visit to the Los Angeles area by abandoning about 50 gallons of hazardous waste--most of it photo-developing chemicals--on a port-area pier.

Martin Kasman, a hazardous waste expert with the Los Angeles County Fire Department, says Greenpeace has been cited for failing to dispose of the waste, which is still on the dock.

Greenpeace spokesman Bill Walker says the stuff was abandoned by mistake. A trash hauler that had agreed to collect it didn’t show up, and Greenpeace has had trouble finding a hauler that will do the job, he said.

“It has essentially been a series of mishaps,” Walker said Friday. Asked if the problem has caused embarrassment at Greenpeace, one of the world’s best-known environmental groups, Walker said: “We’ve never pretended we’re not human.”

KEEPING THE LID ON: Half a dozen Republican candidates for Congress are slated to appear before a GOP women’s group Tuesday on the Palos Verdes Peninsula, but don’t expect a knockdown, drag-out debate.

The Palos Verdes Peninsula Republican Women Federated will give each of the 36th Congressional District candidates five or six minutes to speak, allow time for a few questions from the audience--and that’s it.

A debate format was avoided because that might have provided too much of a good thing, organizer Helen Falconer said of the congressional forum, slated for 12:30 p.m. at the Palos Verdes Country Club.

“We don’t want Republicans taking punches at each other verbally, so we try to set it up so they don’t have the opportunity,” Falconer said. “Ronald Reagan stated the 11th Commandment many years ago: ‘Thou shalt not speak ill of another Republican.’ ”

The candidates scheduled to speak at the forum, which is open to the public, are consultant John Barbieri, attorney William Beverly (son of state Sen. Robert G. Beverly), former Assistant U.S. Atty. William Fahey, Los Angeles City Councilwoman Joan Milke Flores, GOP activist Maureen Reagan (the former President’s daughter), and Redondo Beach elementary school board member Bart Swanson.

LAST WEEK’S HIGHLIGHTS

Inglewood: The city has named a new library director: Miguel J. C. Alaniz, former city librarian in Azusa. He starts work March 16.

Manhattan Beach: The City Council honored Finance Director Merle Lundberg, who is retiring Saturday after 17 years with the city.

Redondo Beach: To help balance its tight budget, the City Council approved a number of higher fees, including doubling rates at the pier parking structure to 50 cents per half-hour. The library has also doubled its fee for overdue books from 10 cents to 20 cents a day. In addition, parking tickets will go up from $21 to $31, and residents whose burglar or fire alarms go off accidentally more than three times a year will pay $50 per response.

THIS WEEK’S HIGHLIGHTS

Manhattan Beach: A special rededication ceremony for the renovated pier will be held at 3 p.m. Saturday. Downtown merchants will provide free hot dogs and soda. Construction on the roundhouse at the end of the pier will begin in March and should be completed by the end of May.

Inglewood: The City Council will learn the names of the four finalists for police chief. The appointment, which will be made by City Manager Paul D. Eckles, could come within the next two weeks.

OTHER MEETINGS THIS WEEK

Gardena: 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, 1700 W. 162nd St., Gardena. (310) 217-9565. Televised live on Channel 22 (Paragon) and repeated 7 p.m. on the next two Sundays.

Hawthorne: 7 p.m. Monday, 4455 W. 126th St., Hawthorne. (310) 970-7902. Televised on Channel 22 (Paragon) at 7 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday and 6 p.m. Saturday.

Hermosa Beach: 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, 1315 Valley Drive, Hermosa Beach. (310) 318-0239. Televised live on Channel 3 (Multivision).

Inglewood: 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, 1 Manchester Blvd., Inglewood. (310) 412-5280. No cable telecast.

Los Angeles: 10 a.m. Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday at 200 N. Spring St., Los Angeles. In San Pedro, (310) 548-7637; in Wilmington, (310) 548-7586; in Harbor City/Harbor Gateway, (310) 548-7664; in Westchester, (310) 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. (310) 378-0383. No cable telecast.

Rolling Hills: 7:30 p.m. Monday, 2 Portuguese Bend Road, Rolling Hills. (310) 377-1521. No cable telecast.

Rolling Hills Estates: 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, 4045 Palos Verdes Drive North, Rolling Hills Estates. (310) 377-1577. Televised live on Channel 3 (Dimension).

Torrance: 7 p.m. Tuesday, 3031 Torrance Blvd., Torrance. (310) 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. on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.