People’s Choice Awards : Magicians, Beauty Queens Put Pizazz Into City Council’s Fridays

It’s the “Gong Show” without the gong, the “Academy Awards” without the glitz, a weekly variety show where admission is free, the speeches a bit flat and proclamations are handed out like candy.

Welcome to Fridays at Los Angeles City Hall, where normally staid meetings of the City Council take on a carnival air.

On this day, there might be cheerleaders dancing down the center aisle, 6-year-old singers struggling to hold a note or a magician catching a bullet in his teeth.

Such official hoopla, designed to reach out to visiting dignitaries and residents alike, could not have been in the minds of the city’s founders when they etched above the entrance to the cathedral-like council chambers these weighty words: “Law Is Reason Without Passion.”

On a Friday, it seems, just about anything goes.

“I wouldn’t be surprised to see Ed McMahon show up some Friday to preside over council,” council aide Katharine Macdonald said.

The host of “Star Search” has yet to make an appearance, but at last Friday’s meeting, half a dozen beauty queens did. Chinatown Queen Cindy Fong, with her court of princesses, appeared the model of decorum. But she acknowledged privately that she was a bundle of nerves while accepting official city kudos.

“You have to hold your nervousness inside you,” she said. “It’s a bit overwhelming, but what an honor.”

City Hall regulars, who refer to the weekly extravaganza as “Circus Day,” have their favorite recollections. Years ago, 10 people dressed up like chocolate-chip cookies danced in the chambers to promote a local bakery. A Dodger Stadium peanut vendor once demonstrated his skill by tossing bags to council members. A super-hero named Radian Man stopped by in his leotard and tights to inspire black youth.

“After being honored by the council, Radian Man got on TV and in the papers,” said his creator, James Mays. “It was quite a thrill.”

In a way, this day is the council’s version of show and tell, where each member struts to the podium to introduce the next act. All of this is broadcast to half a million homes via the city’s cable channel.

“One of our greatest assets in this city is our people,” said Councilman Mike Hernandez, who uses the sessions to highlight his district’s cultural diversity. “When I see something I like in my district, I bring the people in for the rest of the council to see. To the kids and others who are recognized it’s a big thing.”

Councilman Mark Ridley-Thomas, who last Friday honored a community group known as the Doheny Neighbors, agreed.

“At first glance these honors may appear frivolous, but they are not,” he said. “This is a way to put a human face on government. It revives civic consciousness. Without this, government would lose much of its meaning.”

On some days, the presentations are so full of pizazz that even hardened bureaucrats are oohing and aahhing.

A hush fell over the crowd the day then-Councilman Art Snyder fired a gun in the chambers. Helping a magician with a very tricky trick, Snyder pulled the trigger of a pistol and the magician seemingly snatched a bullet from midair.

There has been a longstanding fascination with beauty queens.

The late Councilman Gil Lindsay frequently posed with such honorees and, high heels or not, they would tower at his side. With numerous local competitions churning out queens, winners are continuously stopping by the chambers for a smile and a wave.

When famous entertainers are honored, like rap star Hammer, the chamber’s wood benches are crammed with fans. Johnny Carson apparently considered his visit too solemn for a monologue, but old-timers recall that Jonathan Winters brought down the chambers with his wit.

Of course, most Fridays feature nary a celebrity. More typical was the meeting in December when the San Pedro High School football team, marching band and drill team flooded the chambers to accept official honors for winning the city championship.

On the same day, Hernandez took the podium to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the repeal of the Chinese Exclusion Act, Council President John Ferraro honored the Rev. Sang Tae Kim of the Alliance Holiness Theological Seminary in Seoul, and Councilwoman Jackie Goldberg read the names of all 20 children in the visiting Burlington School choir.

Last year, the city handed out more than 10,000 commendations and other certificates prepared by its four calligraphers. The snazziest documents run $40 each--including labor--and are very suitable for framing.

One recent honoree was Dan Waters, a veteran employee who was retiring as general manager of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power.

He had been browbeaten by council members when he appeared before the body last fall, just after a tense strike by DWP employees.

But last month, days before he was to retire, Waters was treated like a departing hero. Like all honorees, he posed for pictures, gave a brief speech and received an official city commendation.

“Most of the times I appeared before this body,” he quipped, “weren’t anywhere near as pleasant as today.”