TOUGH SELL: Mayor Richard Riordan pitched Valley...

TOUGH SELL: Mayor Richard Riordan pitched Valley business leaders on his plan to beef up the thinly stretched LAPD (above), but even the pro-police entrepreneurs are wary. Their attitude: Prove City Hall is already spending all their taxes wisely before they’ll consider paying more for additional officers (B8). . . . Unless voters accept that argument, the Valley will continue resisting higher taxes, they said.

PRAY, GO: That standoff at the Sikh temple in North Hollywood is headed toward a showdown (B1). Temple directors got a court order ousting dissidents they say took it over violently. The dissidents begged for time Wednesday to complete a prayer ceremony. . . . Police warned them to leave by noon today or face arrest.

BOOZE LID: That Sacramento hearing on liquor sales (B17) is closely watched by the big contingent of Valley activists on the issue, who favor city control over outlets in addition to state licensing. . . . Local control gives them leverage to impose conditions like forbidding sale of single beer cans or putting guards in parking lots to chase drug dealers.

NOW YOU SEE IT: Who has seen a stealth bomber fly? Darn near nobody, outside the Air Force. And not just because they’re supposed to be hard to get a bead on. The bat-winged B-2 has never flown in public . . . until Saturday, when it will perform for 250,000-plus spectators expected at the annual Edwards Air Force Base air show (B20).

TAKE THAT, GRANDMA! His grandmother scoffed when 5-year-old Wilbert Smith declared his goal: to become a better football player than his father, a former high school All-American. But Smith, now a senior at Montclair Prep in Van Nuys, won the generational challenge. He’s now the state’s leading rusher and scorer, with 25 touchdowns in six games (C8).

Fewer Officers

In the Valley, the ratio of officers to residents is lower than in many major cities, with about one officer for every 1,000 residents. Even Los Angeles as a whole has a better ratio. Valley: 1.1 per 1,000 Los Angeles: 2.2 per 1,000 New York: 3.8 per 1,000 Chicago: 4.1 per 1,000 Source: LAPD