Actually, neither side is acquitting itself very...

Actually, neither side is acquitting itself very well: Talk about a confusing mayoral race. Amid the disclosures of Richard Riordan’s three arrests, opponent Mike Woo is running a commercial that maintains he should be elected on “the strength of his convictions.”

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Greenies: We mentioned the legend recounted in the book “Rumor!” that green M & Ms are aphrodisiacs. David Mikkelson of the San Fernando Valley Folklore Society points out that its manufacturer is aware of all the whispering.

A brochure of questions that the company is frequently asked says: “We cannot explain any extraordinary ‘powers’ attributed to this color, either scientifically or medically.”

You’ll notice that Mars, rather than denying the existence of the candy’s “powers,” says simply that it can’t “explain” them. We’ll bet the San Fernando Valley Folklore Society noticed, those rascals.

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Fortunately, the toilets are anchored to the floor: Henry Clarke spotted this sign o’ the times in a restroom of the Santa Monica Public Library.

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Continuing our Guide to the Restrooms of the Southland: A colleague visited Denim & Diamonds, a country-Western nightclub in Santa Monica, and was surprised to find that the men’s restroom was stocked not only with various toiletries but with a dozen brands of chewing tobacco--”chaw by the can, chaw by the packet, chaw by the pouch.” Apparently, there’s nothing like a sexy plug in the cheek to impress a cowgirl.

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Dueling Vals: Veteran Angelenos know that when you mention “The Valley,” you’re referring to the San Fernando variety, home of Valley Girls, Ridgemont High, and, of course, the San Fernando Valley Folklore Society.

Somehow, the other Valley--the one out San Gabriel way--has lagged behind, image-wise. Which is why we weren’t surprised to see that a press release from the San Gabriel Valley Assn. of Cities lists its headquarters as Sherman Oaks.

Mystery of the Day: A memorial? A piece of art? A forgetful paperboy’s bike? All photographer Paul Cate knows of this curiosity in Rancho Palos Verdes is that “the shoes have been attached to this 10-speed, which has been attached to this rock pillar since about the mid-’80s, maybe longer.”

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Budget-slashing in Hollywood: A production company rep, with feverish visions of a movie of the week, called The Times after reading Miles Corwin’s piece about some fingerprints that may have been matched up in a 30-year-old murder case.

“Can you fax me a copy of the story?” the rep asked.

“What city are you based in?” Corwin asked.

“L.A.” he answered.

The poor rep explained that he’d left his copy at home.

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You know how Orange County feels about left-wingers: Universal Studios staged a “Back to the Future” fantasy in which a Babe Ruth character threw out the first pitch before an Angels game at Anaheim Stadium. Only this Babe Ruth threw right-handed.

miscelLAny:

The Los Angeles Salsa, a new pro soccer team, plays its home games at Cal State Fullerton. That would be like the L.A. Rams moving to Orange County.