CITY HALL ROUNDUP : Perhaps the Grand Canyon and Inglewood should trade publicity?

MIXED REVIEWS: As the movie “Grand Canyon” continues to pile up accolades from critics, grass-roots grumbling about the film continues.

First, residents of image-conscious Inglewood protested the portrayal of their city in the movie’s gritty, gang-ridden opening scenes. Their cries were so vigorous that the City Council then demanded an apology from director Lawrence Kasdan and threatened to ban future filming on city streets. Local lawmakers are still waiting for a response from Kasdan, who is abroad until later this week.

Now a Los Angeles resident is crying foul. He says the location of the controversial opening scenes, purported in the movie to be Inglewood, is actually an area of Los Angeles near the intersection of Exposition Boulevard and Buckingham Road.

And at the real Grand Canyon, folks aren’t exactly clicking their hiking boots together with glee--even though the canyon came out in a positive light.

Officials at the mile-deep chasm said visitation has been so strong without the movie--4.2 million people in 1991--that they don’t need a plug from 20th Century Fox.

“It’s getting more and more difficult to maintain the environment with the amount of visitors,” park spokeswoman Maureen Oltrogge said. “Roads and trails are being impacted. We’re seeing more pollution in the park. We aren’t really trying to bring more people in.”

SWINGIN’ IN THE RAIN: During sunny days, the Radisson Golf Course in Manhattan Beach is overrun with golfers. But when a rainstorm hits, the nine-hole course becomes the city’s storm water retention basin.

The city operates large pumps at the course that kick in automatically after heavy rains, removing water from the fairways and sending it to sea, said Duane Beaver, the city’s assistant director of public services. He said that during the recent barrage of storms, while other areas were overrun with floodwaters, Manhattan Beach’s system worked like an ace.

DON’T HAVE A COW, MAN: Hawthorne Mayor Steve Andersen blew his top this week over a letter from an El Segundo lobbyist that Andersen says portrayed his fair city as a junior player in efforts to keep the Los Angeles Air Force Base from moving out of the South Bay.

The letter, which was addressed to several city administrators, laid out a lobbying strategy in the South Bay’s attempt to hold onto the base, which the Air Force has threatened to close unless cheaper housing can be provided for its personnel. To help coordinate their efforts, the lobbyist said he would consider El Segundo City Manager Ronald E. Cano as the decision maker.

But Andersen, who responded as if he had been slapped in the face, described the letter at a City Council meeting Monday night as insulting.

“Hawthorne is a coequal partner and maybe, maybe the preeminent partner,” Andersen fumed. “We are the agency that has experience with redevelopment. (El Segundo) doesn’t even know how to put one together. We are the agency that has successfully developed things, not the city of El Segundo.”

Soon after his outburst, Andersen tried to soften the blow: “I’m not slamming the city of El Segundo. They have a lot of nice, big buildings.”

Cano, who insisted that El Segundo has always considered Hawthorne a key player in the process, was bewildered by Andersen’s remarks.

“The comment gets me by surprise,” Cano said. “We don’t care who takes the lead; we just want to ensure the Air Force stays here. This is something that we can’t let our egos get in the way of.”

LAST WEEK’S HIGHLIGHTS

Los Angeles: Declaring that there are many state issues she wants to tackle, Assemblywoman Gwen Moore (D-Los Angeles) announced Friday that she will seek reelection instead of running for Congress. Moore, first elected to the Assembly in 1978, has been among those mentioned as a possible candidate for the congressional seat being vacated by Rep. Mervyn M. Dymally (D-Compton).

Manhattan Beach: The city announced that it has hired a finance director, Eunice Kramer, who has been El Segundo’s financial services manager for two years. She will begin the $6,000-a-month post April 1.

Palos Verdes Estates: The City Council awarded $24,000 to a consultant to improve a 3,500-foot pedestrian path on the median strip of Palos Verdes Drive West between Via Coronel and Bluff Cove. The work will extend a 3,200-foot path already under construction from Paseo Lunado North to Via Coronel. When the state-funded project is completed in May, residents will have a 1.6-mile jogging and walking trail.

San Pedro: The Los Angeles City Council urged park commissioners to halt their plans to convert the old Cabrillo Beach Bathhouse into a commercial development. The action follows complaints by San Pedro residents that the proposed renovation would increase area traffic and take away almost an acre of beachfront for parking.

THIS WEEK’S HIGHLIGHTS

Inglewood: The city is expected to announce its new police chief at a Monday press conference. Sources say the new chief will be Oliver M. Thompson, chief deputy in the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department. The former chief, Ray Johnson, is now director of the state Office of Criminal Justice Planning. The City Council will meet at 7 p.m. Tuesday, 1 Manchester Blvd. (310) 412-5280. No cable telecast.

Manhattan Beach: The City Council is expected to deny a claim filed by former City Manager David Thompson that accuses the city of illegally reducing his benefits, disparaging him in public and causing him emotional distress. The claim, a precursor to a lawsuit, stems from Thompson’s controversial retirement package, which was initially $50,000 greater than his final year’s salary. 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, 1400 Highland Ave. (310) 545-5621. Televised on Channel 3 (MultiVision) at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday.

Torrance: Two incumbents and eight challengers will face off Tuesday in a highly spirited contest for three at-large seats on the City Council. No City Council meeting is scheduled.

OTHER COUNCIL MEETINGS THIS WEEK

Avalon: 7 p.m. Tuesday, 209 Metropole. (310) 510-0220. Televised live on Channel 3 (Catalina Cable) and repeated Saturday morning.

Carson: 6 p.m. Tuesday, 701 E. Carson St. (310) 830-7600. Televised at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday on Channel 26 (Continental Cablevision) and repeated the next Wednesday.

El Segundo: 7 p.m. Tuesday, 350 Main St. (310) 322-4670. Televised live on Channel 22 (Paragon) and repeated at noon Wednesday.

Lawndale: 7 p.m. Thursday, 14717 Burin Ave. (310) 973-4321. Televised live on Channel 60 and repeated several times during the week.

Lomita: 7 p.m. Monday, 24300 Narbonne Ave. (310) 325-7170. No cable telecasts.

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.

Rancho Palos Verdes: 7 p.m. Tuesday, Hesse Park, 29201 Hawthorne Blvd. (310) 377-0360. Televised live on Channel 3; repeated at 7:30 p.m. the following Tuesday.

Redondo Beach: 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, 415 Diamond St. (310) 372-1171. Televised live on Channel 8 (Century); repeated at 3 p.m. Wednesday and 6 p.m. Sunday.