We think we shall never see ....

We think we shall never see . . . : It was then-Gov. Ronald Reagan who declared, “When you’ve seen one redwood, you’ve seen them all.”

We don’t know how the former President feels about other species. But he wouldn’t be able to see either ficus tree flanking his bronze bust in the atrium of the Ronald Reagan State Building downtown. The trees were declared dead this week and chopped down by state lumberjacks. The stumps were left covered, somewhat inelegantly, by orange cones on Wednesday.

It’s too bad that no one thought to come to the Reagan trees’ rescue with water from the Tom Bradley Fountain at the New Otani Hotel. Oh, that’s right. The Bradley fountain is dry.

Minding their p’s and q’s: Parents of children trying to learn the alphabet are advised to keep their little ones away from Long Beach Harbor.

Imagine how confused the kids would be to travel counterclockwise around the harbor and encounter Piers B, C, D and E, in that order, followed by Pier A. After Pier A, they would come upon Piers F and G, followed by Pier J. Piers H and I are absent, having apparently sunk Atlantis-like.

Just another example of Southern California’s instinct for well-thought-out planning.

“An engineering study found that people find it confusing to move about in the area,” said a harbor spokeswoman.

Based on that study--and rather than risk disgrace on “Sesame Street”--the city’s Harbor Commission gave its A-OK to a motion to put its piers in order.

List of the Week: The new pier designations won’t be revealed until next month, but we have it on the QT from the spokeswoman that the following letter changes are under consideration. Please follow along with the accompanying map. You may be tested later.

Pier A: Becomes Pier F.

Pier B: Becomes Pier E.

Pier C: Also becomes Pier E.

Pier D: Remains Pier D.

Pier E: Becomes Pier T. (Seriously.)

Pier G: Remains Pier G.

Queen Mary area: Becomes Pier H (Pier Q would have been too obvious).

Next week: Join Jacques Cousteau in the search for the new Piers A-C.

Tipster of the Week: Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies were alerted Wednesday about the forced landing of a single-engine Cessna on old California 99 south of Gorman. They were alerted by the pilot, himself, who got out of the 1947 craft uninjured and trudged to a nearby pay phone. A county spokesman said the pilot also left a note on his windshield “saying he was based out of Santa Monica and he would be back tomorrow to pick up the plane.”

Let’s hope the note prevents a parking ticket.

Standoff: We mentioned Tuesday that Emmett Dalton, the outlaw-turned-real estate agent, spent his final years in L.A. The 1928 phone book lists Dalton living at 1928 Hillhurst Avenue in Los Feliz. He wasn’t the only retired gunfighter in town. But, unfortunately, there is no record of whether Dalton ever bumped into the fellow who was living that year at 4000 1/2 W. 17th Street, near the corner of Washington and Crenshaw boulevards--Wyatt Earp.

miscelLAny:

Cal State Long Beach’s original name was Los Angeles-Orange County State College.