CITY HALL ROUNDUP : If it doesn’t have fins or flippers, don’t expect aid from the Harbor Department.

GIMME SHELTER: Try as it might, the Los Angeles Harbor Department can’t seem to shake its image as an agency more interested in profits than people.

Take last week’s City Council meeting, when the port was surprisingly dragged into a debate over what to do with the San Pedro animal shelter, an aged facility facing elimination for want of money.

Before the council decided to temporarily spare the shelter, one San Pedro resident asked lawmakers why they don’t pressure the port to pony up the money to fix up the facility. After all, she said, the port brings in millions of dollars each year and surely could spare the change to save the shelter.

Eureka, responded Councilman Zev Yaroslavsky. “She just gave me a great idea,” he told colleagues. “Why doesn’t the harbor pay for this?

“They pollute the hell out of San Pedro,” Yaroslavsky said. “Why don’t they do something good once in awhile.”

Chimed in Harbor area Councilwoman Joan Milke Flores: “That’s a good idea. I’m sure my district would love it.”

A port spokesperson said later that the idea has been broached before but that the department can’t pay for shelter repairs unless the funding can be justified under the guidelines of the state Tidelands Trust, which requires that port revenues be used only for commerce, navigation and fisheries.

Hey, there’s an idea. What if they brought in some goldfish to the shelter?

MY FAVORITE LOMITIAN: The federal government’s latest head count reveals there are 19,382 Lomitians living in the South Bay--but don’t bother running for cover or calling the tabloids.

Lomitian is just one way--albeit, an unofficial one--of referring to residents of Lomita. Here are a few more unauthorized names for South Bayans:

Hermosans are the beachcombers who dwell south of the Manhattanites. Carsonians live a few miles inland near the San Diego Freeway. Torrancians may sound like exotic spiders but couldn’t they also be those who surround the Mobil Oil refinery? And there are also Inglewoodians, Lawndalians and Gardenans.

But what about the folks from Redondo Beach, Lennox and Rolling Hills Estates? Don’t even ask.

MOTLEY CREW: The award for strangest guest list this year goes to the Austro-California Club in Torrance, which last week sent out invites to the “Alpine Village Forum” to political candidates, business leaders and even selected members of the press.

Indeed, this is a group that believes in hearing disparate voices. Former President Ronald Reagan got an invite, as did Michael Mitoma, Carson’s controversial mayor, FBI Special Agent Jack Keller, members of the Gray Panthers, high school principals, a representative of the Rape Hotline and, not to be left out, the National Rifle Assn.

No word yet on who, if anybody, actually showed up at the event. But if this group ever has a dinner party, you better bring your flak jacket.

LAST WEEK’S HIGHLIGHTS

Rolling Hills: The City Council has chosen Gordana Swanson as mayor and Jody Murdock as mayor pro tem. The office of mayor is rotated annually among council members. Swanson, who is running for the county Board of Supervisors, has been on the council for 16 years. She succeeds Godfrey Pernell and has served as mayor twice before.

Palos Verdes Estates: The City Council on Tuesday voted unanimously to move ahead with the construction of a storm drain at Malaga Canyon. The drain is being advertised for formal bids. City officials have set a price limitation of $80,000. The project will be awarded at the end of May, and construction should be completed in September.

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 following Wednesday.

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

Inglewood: 7 p.m. Tuesday, 1 Manchester Blvd. (310) 412-5280. No cable telecast.

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.

Manhattan Beach: 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, 1400 Highland Ave. (310) 545-5621. Televised on Channel 3 (MultiVision) at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday.

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.

Torrance: 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, 3031 Torrance Blvd. (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.