Political indicators: Clinton Street is just seven...

Political indicators: Clinton Street is just seven blocks from White House Place in mid-town L.A.--a lot closer to the magic name than Bush Way, which is in the political hinterlands of Culver City.

What is White House Place (see photo) doing near the corner of Beverly and Vermont? City records say it was so named in 1917, apparently after a building at the since-vanished Bimini Baths.

Those searching for symbolism in this troubled era might note that White House Place is a dead-end street.

Dueling demonstrations: Supporters of Bill Clinton gathered on the City Hall steps along 1st Street for a noontime rally Wednesday--along with a group of Perot supporters who favor the formation of a third political party.

“The city booked us both on the same steps at the same time,” complained Gayl West of the Perot group, American Voter Revolution.

In a show of strength, the Clintonites forced the Perotistas to regroup on City Hall’s south lawn. There, the Perotistas had to listen to taunts from Ski Demski, the chairman of the so-called American Anti-Perot movement who is trying to have the businessman’s name removed from ballots across the nation.

Of course, we’re sure there would have been no retreat if Tom (“Billy Jack”) Laughlin had galloped up to City Hall on time. But Laughlin, who is supporting the third-party forces, showed up late to make a speech.

One other arrival was Larry Green, who can usually be found on the corner of Melrose and Highland, holding up signs espousing various causes.

Green announced he is running for mayor.

Of L.A.--we think.

The serious need not apply: Bernard Mesco of Playa del Rey forwarded an ad from a local newspaper for a job that seems to involve plenty of leisure activity.

Yesterday’s news: Michael Saltzman and other readers called to point out that the cover of Wednesday’s edition of Daily Variety said, “Tuesday, August 26.”

And not a drop to drink: Stan Sieger of Pasadena, noting a story about the relative lack of women’s rest rooms in the giant Mall of America in Minnesota, says it must have been created “by the same people who designed Dodger Stadium.” Sieger, who obviously has a good memory, was referring to a plumbing shortage at the stadium’s opening 30 years ago--a shortage of drinking fountains.

Back then, Times columnist Sid Ziff was told by a Mrs. Sidney Goodstein that when she asked where she could get a drink of water, a Dodger employee

told her she was welcome to use any

one of the taps in the ladies’

rooms.

So many dehydrated fans complained that the City Health Department investigated, finding only two drinking fountains in the entire stadium: one in each team dugout.

The Dodgers were ordered to install some water fountains for the spectators. While one city councilman theorized that the team had been trying to stimulate beer sales, we like to think that the organization was just an early adherent of water conservation.

Mural, mural, on the wall: So the National Park Service has vetoed plans for an 80-foot-tall mural of singer Michael Jackson on the historically designated El Capitan Theatre

in Hollywood. One can almost hear the strains of Jackson’s

“Beat It.”

miscelLAny:

In keeping with L.A.’s rootless image, the city’s professional baseball team at the turn of the century was known as the Tourists.