GETTING PRETTY: When oil wells and pipelines...

GETTING PRETTY: When oil wells and pipelines were removed from Huntington Beach’s Blufftop Park two years ago, left in their place were patches of unsightly barren ground that marred the beauty of the ocean overlook. But city officials soon hope to take care of the problem. . . . Plans are to plant grass and add palms to cover up those spots, at a cost of just over $1 million. That money will include straightening out a curvy bicycle trail and creating a separate trail for walkers.

AND EVEN PRETTIER? They seem to be everywhere, the Huntington Beach pier, the Westminster Mall, the art shows in Laguna Beach--and people seem glad to see them. CalPAW ‘94, the group trying to put the California Parks and Wildlife initiative on the June 1994 ballot, says it should easily reach the needed 650,000 statewide signatures. The measure would pump $2 billion into funding open spaces. CalPAW ‘94’s Orange County spokeswoman, Leslie Robinson, suggests: “It will help us preserve the reason why most of us want to live in California.”

JIM’S YEAR? Street & Smith’s pro football preview doesn’t predict the Rams doing much to improve their 6-10 record from last season. But it does have kind words for often-criticized Jim Everett: “Few quarterbacks throw prettier passes than Everett when he’s on. One of football’s most durable performers, Everett has started every game for five straight years.” . . . Everett is just 118 passing yards shy of Roman Gabriel’s Ram record of 22,223.

GALA FOR SALE? No wonder the Newport Beach Dukes of TeamTennis have renamed their annual charity auction the Jack Lindquist Gala. Lindquist, president of Disneyland, twice has bid for and won the big-ticket item, a trip to Wimbledon. Other items up for bid at the $125-a-plate dinner today in Newport Beach, which benefits in part the Orange County Sports Hall of Fame, include tickets to the Super Bowl, the Bowe/Holyfield II fight, as well as trips to EuroDisney and Hawaii and a 1993 Ford Explorer.