NOBODY CAN TELL: Architect Robert L. Earl...

NOBODY CAN TELL: Architect Robert L. Earl suggests that fire-wary Laguna Beach residents forced to rebuild (N1) may want to abandon wood framing and consider lightweight steel. Or even concrete blocks--known as cinder block. “They don’t burn,” says Earl of these unconventional materials. . . . Earl, whose firm has designed many Laguna Beach homes, says the image of an unadorned cinder-block house may not be a pretty one. But you can’t tell what the walls are made of once they are covered with stucco or other siding material.

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NO PARTY LINE: County supervisor is a nonpartisan position, but you rarely find Democrats supporting Republicans for the job. Or vice versa. But state Sen. Marian Bergeson (R-Newport Beach) is such a popular choice to succeed Supervisor Thomas F. Riley after next year’s election, even Assemblyman Tom Umberg of Garden Grove--a Democrat-- endorsed her Friday. . . . Says Umberg: “She’s always fought hard for the county’s interests in the state Capitol.”

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FOR DON: Former Dodger Duke Snider, above, has been a regular at the annual Don Drysdale charity golf tournament, which starts Thursday at Pelican Hill. Snider also appears Sunday at the three-day “Hall of Fame” autograph show at The City Shopping Center named for the late pitcher. The show has 54 Hall of Famers in all from several sports, such as Yogi Berra, Elvin Hayes and Deacon Jones. Promoters have a $12 ceiling on all autographs.

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BREAKING INTO SONG: The Brea Improv will change its all-comedy format after the first of the year to include big-name concert acts on Monday nights. Comedy is doing well, says manager Robert Hartman. But the club was recently remodeled to include an expanded stage and new sound and lighting systems. And Hartman says the area needs a music place. He isn’t too worried about bumping up against the county’s only full-time concert club, the Coach House--it’s 52 miles away.