CITY HALL ROUNDUP : Ship-lovers can take home a piece of an aircraft carrier slated to be scrapped.

YOU CAN TAKE IT WITH YOU: It’s always sad to see a proud ship scrapped for metal. But this week, you can take home a piece of a historic aircraft carrier during a special ceremony in which people can order a slice of fish along with a hunk of the flight deck.

The tribute is slated for the Bon Homme Richard, a U.S. vessel that saw extensive service in World War II, Korea and Vietnam.

On Saturday, Southwest Recycling Inc. will sponsor the event on Terminal Island, in which former crew members and ship aficionados can buy parts of the Bonnie Dick. The Essex class aircraft carrier will be open to the public from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., and a Navy chaplain will preside over a memorial service later in the day.

The cost of this special, pre-scrapping ceremony is $15 per person ($7.50 for shipmates under 12). Other pieces of Navy memorabilia will also be on hand. For more information, call (310) 519-0600, Ext. 506.

It is an aircraft carrier, so chances are that there will be ship parts for everybody. We just hope they don’t run out of fish.

CHIPS AHOY: Well so much for those floating casinos in Santa Monica Bay. Just when it appeared that people might be able to gamble away the recession blues off the coast of Catalina, those lawmakers in Sacramento torpedoed the plan.

Domestic cruise line operators, who had lobbied legislators to uphold a federal law that allows gaming on American ships in waters three miles beyond shore, instead heard from state officials that allowing offshore gambling might lure a brood of organized crime figures into the industry.

Such fears apparently prompted the lawmakers to pass the so-called Conroy bill, which overrides key portions of the federal statutes that allow offshore gambling. So for now, at least, Californians will have to rely on Reno, Las Vegas, Lotto and “Wheel of Fortune” to satisfy their gambling fever.

LEGAL TRADE: Is Inglewood Councilman Garland Hardeman trading in his badge for a briefcase? He is among 375 students studying for law degrees at the University of West Los Angeles in Inglewood.

Hardeman is on a stress disability leave from the Los Angeles Police Department, where, in the wake of the Rodney G. King beating last year, he ruffled more than a few feathers with comments about racism in the department.

Despite his affiliation with the university, though, Hardeman is not taking credit for the school’s recent move from Culver City to Inglewood. The university, which educates lawyers and paralegals, has purchased the site of the now-defunct Northrop Institute of Technology at the corner of Aviation Boulevard and West Arbor Vitae Street.

Hardeman says he does not yet know if he will permanently leave police work. That, he said, depends on how well he recovers from the stress and isolation he said he has suffered as a result of being one of the few black officers to speak out about his department’s shortcomings.

STOCKS AND VONS: And just in case you wondered whether the South Bay was still reeling from the recession, we bring you this scintillating statistic.

Smith’s Food & Drug Centers opened its new Torrance store last week and found more than a few people willing to work as checkers, stock clerks, bag boys and company vice presidents. In all, the supermarket chain reported that it received nearly 3,000 applications for the 100 positions available at the new store.

That figure would have been even further inflated if Smith’s had managed to purchase the old Sears store in Inglewood following months of negotiations with city officials. But Vons Companies Inc. swooped in last week and bought the site, which it plans to turn into a superstore.

If Vons is smart, they might considering hiring a personnel assistant just to read resumes. They’re going to need one.

THIS WEEK’S HIGHLIGHTS

Inglewood: City Councilman Daniel Tabor will hold a community meeting Saturday on the proposed $100-million expansion plan at Hollywood Park. The meeting is set for 4 p.m. at Darby Park, 3400 W. Arbor Vitae St. The proposed expansion calls for a card club, which must win voter approval before it can operate.

MEETINGS THIS WEEK

Gardena: 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, 1700 W. 162nd St., Gardena. (310) 217-9565. Televised live on Channel 22 (Paragon) and repeated at 7 p.m. on the next two Sundays.

Hawthorne: 7 p.m. Monday, 4455 W. 126th St., Hawthorne. (310) 970-7902. Televised on Channel 22 (Paragon) at 7 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday and 6 p.m. Saturday.

Hermosa Beach: 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, 1315 Valley Drive, Hermosa Beach. (310) 318-0239. Televised live on Channel 3 (Multivision).

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

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.

Palos Verdes Estates: 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, 340 Palos Verdes Drive W., Palos Verdes Estates. (310) 378-0383. No cable telecast.

Rolling Hills: 7:30 p.m. Monday, 2 Portuguese Bend Road, Rolling Hills. (310) 377-1521. No cable telecast.

Rolling Hills Estates: 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, 4045 Palos Verdes Drive North, Rolling Hills Estates. (310) 377-1577. Televised live on Channel 3 (Dimension).

Torrance: 7 p.m. Tuesday, 3031 Torrance Blvd., Torrance. (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.