A budding rock star, no doubt: The...

A budding rock star, no doubt: The South Pasadena Review newspaper’s weekly police blotter listed one call “concerning a woman screaming.” An investigation determined that it actually was a case of “a woman practicing singing.”

And we promise not to throw them on your lawn: Mike Mamakos of Sherman Oaks noticed the other day that The Times seemed to say it had expanded the duties of its delivery people.

More on L.A.’s mom: We recently mentioned a 1933 City Hall directory that listed the position of “Mother, City.” As it turns out, she didn’t outrank the mayor and police chief, as we had guessed.

But hers was an important position. Further research indicates that the city mother dealt with the cases of needy citizens, especially orphans, brought to the attention of the police.

It says something about modern society that when Elizabeth Fiske retired as city mother in 1964, her post was disbanded, a reporter wrote, because “the creation of new social agencies (had) preempted its responsibilities.”

The battle for the hearts and phones of drivers: The freeways have become a battlefield, not just for motorists, but for ratings-hungry KNX and KFWB. The all-news radio stations are trying to recruit commuters with car phones into their armies of amateur traffic reporters.

KNX scored a recent propaganda victory when its Sultan of the Sig-Alert, Bill Keene, was given a star on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame. The station has been holding a Tipsters Ball at holiday time for its phone correspondents for several years.

KFWB is fighting back, offering monthly cash prizes of $98, as well as holiday vacations, to drivers who sign up and receive a special code number. KFWB has proclaimed July “Mobile Phone Force Recruitment Month,” offering newcomers a chance to win yet another car phone in a drawing.

KNX still seems to attract more celebrity tipsters, including Chevy Chase, Ernest Borgnine and Roger Mahony. Yes, Cardinal Roger Mahony. Once, after Keene mentioned that Mahony had just phoned in a Ventura Freeway advisory from his limousine, the then-archbishop wrote Keene to point out that his “humble limousine” was, in fact, a 10-year-old sedan.

Exit lines: Since political dropout Ross Perot made his bombshell announcement, the newest parlor game is listing the memorable sign-offs of other notables, ranging from Julius Caesar to Rhett Butler.

Let’s not forget L.A.’s contribution. It was on Nov. 7, 1962, at the Beverly Hilton Hotel that a losing gubernatorial candidate proclaimed:

“You won’t have Nixon to kick around anymore because, gentlemen, this is my last press conference.”

And it was--until the New Nixon came along.

miscelLAny:

Rocco Catena of L.A. phoned to add Jungleland of Thousand Oaks to our list of vanished amusement parks. Legend has it that the flocks of parrots seen occasionally in the skies of L.A. are related to some birds that escaped from Jungleland as it was being shut down several years ago.