What? They think this is a fun...

What? They think this is a fun place or something? An Interior Department employee told a hearing on government waste how she had saved taxpayers $500 in air fare on a trip from Washington to Camarillo by taking a frequent-flier discount. The hitch was that she was required to take a Saturday night stay-over.

The worker, Edythe Ferguson, who was investigating a discrimination complaint, stayed with friends during the weekend. But when she put in for the standard $38 per diem for that period, it was rejected.

Ferguson suspects her superiors thought she was trying to wangle a government-paid weekend in the Golden State.

On the contrary. “I hate California,” Ferguson said.

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We’ll never knock the Channel 7 news again: The musical theme for Eyewitness News, that dramatic, something-must-be-happening-somewhere jingle, originally was part of the score for the film, “Cool Hand Luke.” No joke. We rented the 1967 movie the other night and we’re speaking as an ear-witness.

Battle for the Valley: We’re seeing signs of fatigue on the part of both incumbent Joy Picus and challenger Laura Chick in their grueling City Council race. KCAL (Channel 9) news played a tape the other night that appeared to show Picus dozing during a council meeting.

Meanwhile, Jim Matthews of Reseda sent along a flyer from Chick inviting residents to a campaign function at a home “near the intersection of Victory and Van Owen.” It’s Vanowen and it doesn’t intersect Victory, Matthews points out.

The tension on both sides is understandable as they wait to see which is endorsed by President Clinton.

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Folded oldie: We love nostalgia as much as anyone but we’re a bit surprised to see that some L.A. taxis are still advertising radio station KBLA (“Smart News”). The all-business news station went out of business almost a year and a half ago.

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Scent of a Felon: That’s how the L.A. Daily Journal headlined a story about a break-in of a Goleta drugstore by thieves, who escaped with $5,000 worth of perfume and colognes. During the ensuing chase, the thieves tossed the bottles and vials at the police cars, “leaving an aromatic trail along 140 miles of Southern California freeways before being captured in Long Beach.”

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Touchy-feely property: Nancy Mazie came across a classified ad for a house in Altadena that was described as “secluded, emotional & woodsy.” And we’ll just bet that that house loves California.

miscelLAny:

Beginning this month, a program on Comedy Central, the all-comedy cable network, will (seriously) sell condom products via a toll-free telephone line (1-800-9-CONDOM) for the first time ever on television. The program, “The 800 Club,” is a parody of home shopping shows.