More dirt on the tractor: The trailer’s useless, but at least the city can dump it.

WEIGHTY ISSUE: A Torrance municipal employees union last year called the purchase of a massive, little-used city tractor a prime example of how the city wastes money. And this year, the saga surrounding the machinery has continued to take bizarre turns.

Purchased in 1990 for $104,000, the 46,000-pound tractor turned out to be too heavy for the city’s trailers to carry to jobs around the city. And with its wide-track bottom, the loader moves too slowly to travel the city on its own, officials said.

Recently, city officials purchased a $19,000 trailer they thought would be strong enough to do the job. Alas, the trailer didn’t meet the city’s transportation regulations.

Last week, city officials said the trailer will be returned to the Long Beach equipment dealership that sold it.

And the tractor? The Caterpillar 953 is resting peacefully in the Torrance City Yard. It might be sold, perhaps at a loss, or traded for a smaller tractor. “It’s just developed into a major snafu,” Mayor Katy Geissert said.

RAT PATROL: The good news is now that the drought is over, the rats who thrive in South Bay storm drains may stay there. At least that’s the theory Manhattan Beach officials have been advancing lately, after a rash of rat sightings were reported in the downtown restaurant district last summer.

According to exterminators, the rats were just searching for food and water. And because the storm drains were bone dry, they headed for the surface streets. City officials are hoping the recent downpours may curtail the nighttime animals’ forays above ground.

“Since we’ve had all this rain, who knows, maybe we won’t see the rats anymore,” City Manager Bill Smith said. Just in case the rat theory doesn’t hold water, the City Council has set aside $2,000 for an exterminator to kill the little varmints.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT: A group of South Bay restaurateurs passed up the usual gourmet cuisine to lunch at a Torrance fast-food eatery this week.

The outing was organized by the South Bay/LA Chapter of the California Restaurant Assn. to demonstrate its confidence in Jack in the Box restaurants.

Earlier this year, two children died and dozens of others fell ill after eating tainted hamburger meat from a Jack in the Box restaurant in the Pacific Northwest.

“I’m putting my integrity where my mouth is,” said Michael Franks, owner of South Bay’s Chez Melange and Caffe Misto. “I had a sourdough burger. It was very good.”

The group tasted something from every part of the chain’s menu.

Asked if the restaurant was nervous about the reactions of sophisticated palates to fast food, a Jack in the Box spokesman replied: “We’d match our food with the finest food anywhere.” Well, let’s not get carried away.

SPEED DIALING: A nonprofit group of South Bay industry representatives has joined a computer network to improve communication with residents in case of an industrial emergency.

The idea is to relay recorded emergency instructions by telephone to residents of Carson and Wilmington and to portions of San Pedro, Long Beach and Los Angeles County.

The network could deliver as many as 3,000 messages per hour and would supplement evacuation efforts by law enforcement officers going door-to-door.

Participating agencies include the Los Angeles city and county fire departments, the sheriff’s Carson station and the Los Angeles Police Department’s Harbor Area station.

However, the network does not have access to unlisted numbers. Officials are appealing to residents to provide such phone numbers, which would be kept in confidence, said Tomi Van de Brooke, a Shell Oil representative and a spokeswoman for the South Bay Community Awareness Emergency Response organization.

The group is paying for the program. Residents can mail their unlisted numbers, along with addresses, to: Community Alert Network, 301 Nott St., Schenectady, N.Y., 12305-1039.

THE GAMBLER: Inglewood is gambling again on the proposed card club at Hollywood Park to pull the city out of the worst budget crisis since 1978’s Proposition 13.

Along with City Manager Paul Eckles, department heads and other executives have agreed to forgo their promised raises until the club starts bringing in $250,000 a month in revenues.

The club, still unlicensed by the state, is not expected to open until early 1994. If the City Council ratifies the agreement on Tuesday, Eckles can ask other bargaining groups to postpone pay hikes.

Under the terms of Eckles’ contract, he would be giving up a cost-of-living raise in July and a 5% pay hike in January, which would have been at least $8,700 on his $175,000-a-year salary.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“Some of these shipmasters speak only to God. They won’t take information or advice from mere mortals.”

Capt. John Guest of the Marine Exchange, a ship-tracking service in San Pedro.

LAST WEEK’S CITY HALL HIGHLIGHTS

El Segundo: As expected, the Los Angeles Air Force Base was not among bases recommended for closure or realignment by the Defense Department. Although bases may be added to the list by the independent Defense Base Closure and Realignment Commission, observers said they believe that the base will stay off the list. The Long Beach Naval Shipyard, whose closure could have hurt San Pedro and Wilmington businesses, also was spared.

THIS WEEK’S CITY HALL HIGHLIGHTS

Inglewood: The City Council will vote Tuesday whether to adopt a proposed ordinance that would govern operations at Hollywood Park’s card club. The park says it will open the club in early 1994. Introduced two weeks ago, the ordinance would allow the park to pay the city about $3 million upfront in exchange for a break on its monthly taxes for up to five years. The city is looking for instant cash, given its ongoing budget deficits.

Torrance: The City Council on Tuesday will consider appointing one of three city treasurer applicants. The appointment will fill the position vacated by Thomas C. Rupert, who retired last month.