Visual protection: Some affluent Belmont Shore residents...

Visual protection: Some affluent Belmont Shore residents were unhappy to hear that a new business in the neighborhood planned to sell condoms, fancy lingerie and assorted novelties. But a spokesman for Long Beach Councilman Doug Drummond said Tuesday that Drummond has worked out a compromise of sorts. The owners have canceled plans to display condoms in the window. And, they’ve agreed that the storefront will not show off the shop’s name: The Rubber Tree.

Paging Gov. Moonbeam: Meanwhile, on Melrose Ave, a photograph of Jerry Brown disappeared from the front window of the El Adobe Cafe, where it has held an honored position since 1974. That’s the eatery where Brown and then-girlfriend Linda Ronstadt used to huddle.

Did the removal also follow a protest by residents? Or was it an indication that Jerry had scrapped plans to run for President in 1996? Neither, actually.

“It was just my mother’s way of getting his attention,” explained Patricia Pike, daughter of owner Lucy Casado, a local political activist. “She wanted to talk to him about some candidates but she hasn’t been able to get ahold of him. Sometimes, Jerry has to refocus a little bit. He came in the night after we took down the picture.”

Is the photo going back up?

“My mother’s not sure,” said Pike. “She’s a big fan of Ross Perot.”

Moonbeam memories: When state Treasurer Kathleen Brown, Jerry’s sister, ran for a seat on the Los Angeles school board several years ago, she brought over one of her posters to put in El Adobe’s window, Patricia Pike recalled.

“Jerry told her, ‘You get your own restaurant,”’ Pike said. “And she did. They both laughed about it. But he kind of meant it too.”

Reagan Trees, II: Two ficus saplings died several months ago at the Ronald Reagan State Building and their spots have been occupied ever since by less-sightly orange traffic cones (see photo). Now that the state has a budget again, two replacements are expected to be set in place adjacent to the bust of the ex-President--the one who said that if you’ve seen one redwood, you’ve seen them all.

He just can’t shake that reputation: Steven Grossman sent along a clipping from a San Gabriel Valley newspaper that quoted Vice President Dan Quayle as saying: “I am going to continue to talke about tradtional values.” Commented Grossman: “I guess he can’t spell even when he speaks.”

miscelLAny:

Forget about the Dodgers. The L.A. Olympic Seniors team, paced by 75-year-old outfielder Sam Lubarsky, recently swept the softball World Series in Detroit for players age 70 and above.