GORE’S TWO FOR ONE: It’s both business...

GORE’S TWO FOR ONE: It’s both business and politicking that bring Vice President Al Gore to Orange County today. . . . This morning he tours AST Research in Fountain Valley. Gore is President Clinton’s point man on reinventing government, and he’s impressed with the computer company’s streamlining costs during phenomenal growth. At noon, it’s a $5,000-per-person luncheon at a private home in Laguna Beach. Reason: to raise money for the Democratic Party.

MORE BLUES: Organizers of last weekend’s Orange County Blues Festival, who kept calling it a “first annual,” vow they’ll be back next year. One reason: no arrests, no injuries, no security complaints. . . . And the Dana Point crowd was good, estimated at 30,000 for the three-day event. Says organizer Eric Jensen: “We couldn’t be happier. We’re definitely in the black. And that’s very rare for the first year of a production of this size.”

CUP OF PRIDE: Lilia M. Powell will get an award by the Yuban Coffee people Sunday at Centennial Park for her leadership in Latino affairs. But what has her excited, she says, is the 500 people expected to show for the park cleanup that Yuban is organizing, similar to one it did in Anaheim recently. . . . Work will include painting and refurbishing the picnic areas. Says Powell, who’s on Supervisor William Steiner’s staff: “It’s one way of showing we want to clean up our community. It’s nice to see a private partner.”

RUE DE LA PCH: How much would a million new trees beautify a town? In Huntington Beach, Councilman Ralph Bauer says that’s his goal for the city. And he knows where he’d start putting them: along Pacific Coast Highway and Beach Boulevard. Bauer is putting together a nonprofit foundation in hopes of planting that many trees over the next several years. . . . Says Bauer: “I’ve traveled the world and the beautiful trees of Paris have made a lasting impression. They are absolutely delightful.”