CLIQUES

Forget banging on a tom-tom in some far-off forest. We Valley-dwellers take our male bonding where we can get it. For me and the three other guys who make up the Saturday morning bull session-cum- kaffeeklatsch we’ve christened the Picasso Pops, that happens to be a parking lot in Northridge.

Jim Steinberg of Tarzana is a 44-year-old real estate developer. Al Rabinowitz, 51, lives in Woodland Hills and works as a film editor and post-production supervisor. Paul Jacobson, 47, is a math teacher from Northridge. I am a free-lance writer from Granada Hills. The likelihood of our paths crossing was never great. But our daughters take painting lessons at Art Class Inc., and after a few waiting-around conversations, we began discussing politics, the economy, anything. That was eight months ago.

“It’s amazing how little opportunity there is in this culture to do what we’re doing,” says Jacobson. “You go through your entire day without ever dealing with people who don’t have another agenda.” Rabinowitz is glad to hang out with non-show-biz types for a change. For Steinberg, the payoff is the opportunity to kvell over our children’s accomplishments. “I think some of the parents involved with Little League should drop by,” he says. “