CITY HALL ROUNDUP : All those dollars, so few votes.

LOSS COLUMN: Carson City Councilwoman Juanita McDonald’s upset win last week over Assemblymen Dave Elder and Richard E. Floyd was surprising to say the least.

Figure in her fund-raising disadvantage, and her victory in the 55th Assembly District’s Democratic primary becomes downright astounding.

Collectively, Elder (D-San Pedro) and Floyd (D-Carson) amassed nearly $900,000 for their campaigns in calendar year 1992, according to county election officials. That compared to less than $180,000 for McDonald.

Floyd led the field with more than $600,000, and Elder raised more than $280,000. Most striking was Floyd’s eleventh-hour fund raising. From May 17 until the June 2 election, he drummed up an astounding $127,000, mostly to finance polling and a blizzard of last-minute mailings.

Floyd says he launched the fund-raising blitz when campaign polls showed that he and Elder were losing support in the wake of the Los Angeles riots, which broke out April 29.

Said Floyd: “You just start hitting the panic button and doing the best you can. In retrospect, I think that if we had done five times that much it wouldn’t have mattered.”

DON’T GET MAD, GET EVEN: Lest anyone think McDonald will forget her supporters, the heir apparent to the South Bay Assembly seat said in a recent interview that she will take a second look at the legislation Floyd made a household name. At least in households with Harley Davidsons.

That’s right, McDonald said she will review Floyd’s landmark mandatory helmet law for motorcyclists. She said she received many complaints during the campaign that the law was rammed through the Legislature.

“The motorcyclists say they were not given a chance” to properly challenge the bill, said McDonald, who was endorsed by a political action group of California motorcyclists in last week’s election.

“I will give them an ear,” she said.

Fair enough. And expect to get an earful from Floyd.

ANOTHER L.A. CHRISTMAS TRADITION: With only 194 days until Christmas, the Port of Los Angeles isn’t going to wait until the last minute to plan its annual holiday boat parade.

This Thursday, port officials will hold a 7 p.m. get-together at their offices in San Pedro to talk about this year’s Christmas Afloat.

Why?

Well, it seems that over the years, the holiday ritual has drawn fewer and fewer boaters. So few, in fact, that there are rumblings along the waterfront that this year’s boat parade--the 10th--may be the last.

Not so, says the port’s Julia Nagano, who claims that this week’s gathering is aimed only at asking boaters and others in the harbor how to get more boats involved in the event.

“We have 5,000 boats in this harbor,” Nagano said. Yet, last year only 35 boats took part in the event, she said. “I want to know why that is and what we could do to generate more interest.”

So does the 600-member Los Angeles Boat Owners Assn., said its president pro tem, Claire Randall.

“People can’t understand” why more boats aren’t involved, Randall said. Especially, she said, when similar events in Marina del Rey, Newport Beach and other local harbors draw hundreds of boats each year.

“Something is just not being done properly,” Randall said.

Stay tuned.

BRAVE SOLES: For an area that has a lot of expertise in dealing with burning charcoal on weekends, here’s some good news. You’ll be able to walk on some flaming coal beds somewhere in the South Bay next weekend, and not just because you tipped over your barbecue.

No, this opportunity comes as part of a global enlightenment program aimed at celebrating 15 years of fire walking in America. Allegedly, people from all over the world will also be walking on burning coals Saturday, but some lucky South Bay residents will get to do it for only $100!

According to officials of Mindwalk Unlimited (we guess it’s much easier for the mind to walk over the coals), “this incredible experience teaches you to listen to your inner guidance. Enjoy life more fully than you even thought possible. Whether you walk or not, you will still receive valuable tools from this workshop that will change your life forever.”

People interested in learning more about the joys of walking barefoot on flaming coal beds exceeding 1,200 degrees Fahrenheit can call (310) 521-0182 or (310) 548-1438. The location has yet to be determined.

NEXT WEEK’S HIGHLIGHTS

Torrance: The board of trustees of the Torrance Unified School District will hold a public hearing at 8 p.m. Monday to discuss a proposal to charge homeowners $25 annually to pay for maintenance projects at local schools. The hearing will be at the Torrance High School auditorium at 2200 W. Carson Street.

El Segundo: The city will release the results of its Business Retention and Attraction Task Force survey at the City Council meeting at 7 p.m. Tuesday. About 750 business owners and managers were asked to rate the business climate in town.

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 Thursday.

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.