CITY HALL ROUNDUP : In Torrance, a part of the old downtown helps bring in the new.

OFF THE WALL: If you missed collecting a chunk of the Berlin Wall, don’t despair: You can still own a small piece of Torrance.

Dozens of red bricks were hand-delivered last week to newspapers and journals throughout the Los Angeles area, each emblazoned with this piece of wisdom:

The Berlin Wall

The Iron Curtain

And Now,

Old Torrance

Tied with twine to each brick was an invitation to cocktails, dinner and a walking tour with the developers of the Downtown Torrance project that is replacing older shops and apartments with condominiums, a retail plaza and underground parking.

Some critics predicted that the $44-million project, which calls for tearing down 11 buildings, would destroy the old-style flavor of the downtown area. But a project spokeswoman says the bricks actually symbolize positive changes now under way in Old Torrance.

“This is a city (Old Torrance) that was basically just going to fade out and die, and now it’s being totally rejuvenated,” said Valerie Farrar, who is with the marketing and communications firm representing project developers Gascon Mar Ltd. and ANA Real Estate U.S.A. Inc.

The Los Angeles Conservancy’s director of preservation issues, Barbara Hoff, said she is not familiar with Old Torrance. But she noted that although the Berlin Wall came down, “They’re not taking down Old Berlin.” Some cities have attempted to preserve their downtowns, she said, pointing to the rehabilitated buildings of Old Pasadena.

But Torrance, it seems, is no Pasadena.

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PAY AT THE WINDOW: Asking the City Council in Rolling Hills Estates to change an old law can be a costly proposition, Chris Bredesen discovered. All he wants is to install a drive-through service window at his Burger King restaurant on Hawthorne Boulevard, but it turns out that is against the law.

It’s OK for banks to provide drive-up windows in the upscale bedroom city, but Ordinance 1853 forbids a fast-food restaurant from offering the same service. The law was passed 20 years ago to keep fast-food joints from cluttering the rural ambience, officials explained.

Bredesen’s attorney, David Brown, last week asked the council to change the law and paid a $600 fee to expedite matters.

Now it’s in the hands of the council.

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UP THE RIVER: Try as they might, Port of Los Angeles officials will likely have a tough time persuading the Los Angeles City Council that the Harbor Department should not turn over some $44 million to the city so it can weather yet another budget crisis.

After all, the Legislature recently changed state law just to allow Los Angeles and other cities to tap their ports for funds. Besides, the Port of L.A. is flush with money, whereas the city faces a new deficit of more than $100 million because of the recession and the new state budget.

Nevertheless, port officials advanced plenty of worries last week about turning over up to 25% of their budget reserves to the city. It may not be legal, they said, under an age-old law that restricts harbor funds for port-related activities. And even if it is legal, they added, it could upset the port’s credit rating and lead bondholders to take their money and run.

But those concerns may not pass muster with folks at City Hall. After a closed-door briefing for the commission by city staff and private bond counsel, the word downtown was that the port’s concerns, while legitimate, were relatively insignificant.

In other words, watch for those millions to sail north and set anchor at City Hall.

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WHERE COPS ARE TOPS: Residents of Lennox have long complained about a lack of police protection and have pleaded with the Sheriff’s Department to assign more deputies to fighting crime and gangs there. Now comes this: Because of budget problems, there is a proposal to close the Lennox sheriff’s station altogether.

Community activists are furious, and say they may launch a petition drive to keep the sheriff’s station open.

“The criminals will move freely through the community” if the station is closed, said Hector Carrio, a Lennox school board trustee. “This is the most affected area (by crime) in all of the South Bay. People are in a state of panic. It would be a mistake on the part of the Sheriff’s Department” to close the station.

In addition to the Lennox station, sheriff’s facilities in Altadena, Lynwood, Malibu, Pico Rivera and San Dimas might be closed.

In March, continuing violence in Lennox had so alarmed residents that they unsuccessfully petitioned Supervisor Kenneth Hahn and Sheriff Sherman Block to permanently increase the number of deputies at the Lennox station.

LAST WEEK’S HIGHLIGHTS

The San Pedro Peninsula Chamber of Commerce named Dolores Canizales as its executive director this week. Canizales, 33, formerly served as chief executive officer of the Greater Hollywood Chamber of Commerce in Florida.

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.

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.

Lomita: 7 p.m. Monday, 24300 Narbonne Ave. (310) 325-7110. 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.

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 N., 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.