<i> Snapshots of life in the Golden State.</i> : Court Candidate at Peace With ‘60s War Opposition

On the national level, Bill Clinton’s campaign for President was rocked by revelations about his draft status during the Vietnam War.

But in San Francisco, attorney Barry Melton, lead guitarist for the rock band Country Joe and the Fish during the late 1960s, says he is unconcerned that his musical opposition to the draft will stifle his campaign for Municipal Court judge.

When the Fish strode to national prominence, their signature tune was “I Feel Like I’m Fixin’ To Die Rag,” which began: “And it’s one, two, three, what are we fighting for? Don’t ask me, I don’t give a damn, next stop is Vietnam.”

Says the former Fish, who has faced the scales of justice as a criminal lawyer for the past decade: “That was between the ages of 17 and 23. I readily confess to having been that age, and living at that time. To me, what I was doing was politically and socially relevant.

“I mean, certainly, if Tom Hayden can get elected (to the state Assembly) in Santa Monica, Barry Melton can get elected in San Francisco.”

BIG CITY BLUES

Too far out: One businessman concerned about the unorthodox nature of San Francisco is Hyatt Hotels President Darryl Hartley-Leonard.

In an address this month, Hartley-Leonard warned that The City could lose its popularity as a travel destination if it fails to modify its image.

“There can be a fine line between being admired for trend-setting and vilified for being out of touch with reality, for being extremists,” he told civic and tourism industry leaders. “The folks from Tuscaloosa are a lot more conservative than you. We need to reassure them that San Francisco isn’t really such a far-out place after all.”

His advice: Lay low on topics of national controversy.

“Try to consider the financial ramifications,” he said, “when you take stands on issues like the grape boycott, or conscientious objectors during one of the least controversial wars in American history.”

Richter scale reverberations: More than two years after the Loma Prieta earthquake, old downtown Santa Cruz has suffered another tremor.

The State Historical Resources Commission is recommending that federal officials delete the district from the National Register of Historic Places because too many buildings were destroyed in the quake.

Cynthia Howse, a historian for the commission, said the action is regrettable but necessary.

“Federal regulations are pretty clear on what a historic district is--it’s a collection of buildings that convey a strong sense of past time and place,” Howse said. “So many contributing buildings were lost in the earthquake that the area lost its sense of historic environment.”

NAME GAME

When Dr. Lakshmanan Sathyavagiswaran was appointed Los Angeles County Coroner, Richard B. Dixon, the county’s chief administrative officer, declared “even he has never pronounced his last name for me.”

Not only is the India native’s name long and difficult to spell, its letters appear to add up to more points on a Scrabble game board than those of any other California public official.

Even notables with Zs (worth 10 points) and Xs (8 points) pale in comparison. Los Angeles City Council member Zev Yaroslavsky, for example, is worth 39 points, Rep. Barbara Boxer, 27 points.

Following is a Scrabble value chart for some prominent Californians:

POINT NAME FIELD VALUE Lakshmanan Sathyavagiswaran L.A. County Coroner 48 Charles Quackenbush State Assemblyman (San Jose) 43 Gaddi Vasquez Orange County Supervisor 36 Wayne Gretzky L.A. Kings 35 Mervyn Dymally Congress 30 Sonny Bono U.S. Senate Candidate 14 Cher Entertainer 9

GOVERNMENT INSIDER

Political peace officers: The head of the state Fair Political Practices Commission wants peace officer status--including a badge and possibly a gun--for his investigators who track down political wrongdoing.

Ben Davidian said his sleuths, responsible for following paper trails, have become increasingly uncomfortable about entering industrial areas or calling on residences at night.

Some have been threatened and are in “potential danger,” said Davidian, who will sponsor legislation. Some are leaving to take posts with other, higher-paying government entities whose investigators carry badges.

Among the agencies whose investigators boast such peace officer status are the secretary of state, Horse Racing Board and the departments of employment development, corporations, housing and consumer affairs.

EXIT LINE

“Newspapers are products of human beings--reflecting all their shortcomings as well as their talents, their myopia as well as their broader vision.”

--From a San Francisco Examiner editorial last week apologizing to readers for the paper’s support 50 years ago of the wartime internment of Japanese-Americans.