WORK OF ART’S: Plaster instead of pastrami,...

WORK OF ART’S: Plaster instead of pastrami, architects instead of actors. Such is the new way of life for Art Ginsburg, owner of Art’s Deli in Studio City, destroyed by fire after the quake. Art vows to reopen by early June. . . . Pressed to make a deli suggestion for people who can’t wait till then, Art proved he knows diplomacy too: “All delis are good.”

HELPING HUNTER: Holly Hunter may win the Oscar next month for her role as a mute woman in “The Piano.” If so, a piece of the statue should go to Darlene Allen Wittman, a Pierce College teacher, who helped Hunter with hand signs (B3). . . . Wittman has also translated live performances of “Hamlet” for deaf people at Cal State Northridge. She loved that work “because I got to do all of the roles. And how often does a woman get a role like Hamlet?”

LUCKY COURT: The Cal State Northridge Matadors returned to their home floor Tuesday (C10), which, unlike many campus structures affected by the quake, didn’t fare that poorly. A few dozen light fixtures were replaced, and the basketball goals, which had moved 18 inches, were reset. . . . “The gym was one of the luckier ones,” a CSUN official said.

FIRST DIBS: The renter has discovered an important ally--the Los Angeles City Council. On Tuesday, the council voted to require landlords to give tenants of earthquake-damaged apartments the first right to return to their units. . . . But the ordinance may face a legal challenge from disgruntled owners. (B1)

ON THE AIR: Things could be worse for KCSN-FM (88.5), the Cal State Northridge radio station. In fact, they were just a few weeks ago. The station had to operate from a campus tent with very little equipment. Soon, however, other Los Angeles stations came to the rescue, lending sound boards, mobile units and antennas. . . . Now, KCSN broadcasts from a student dormitory and has returned to full programming.