Brown, but Not Out

Jerry Brown, who as governor once refused to move into the state mansion in lieu of a cheap apartment, is now having trouble getting anyone to move into his San Francisco home.

As was mentioned here recently, Brown is finding out firsthand how strong California’s real estate market is by putting his Pacific Heights home--a former fire station--up for sale for $1.4 million.

Turns out Brown so far has had only one bite: a $1.2-million offer that he’s rejected.

His real estate agent, Florian Moore with McGuire Real Estate, said Brown is holding out for more, although he’s open to offers. She said he’s moving to a building he bought in Oakland that he is converting to an office and a home.

She said she has walked about 50 clients through the San Francisco home, which Brown bought for $1.2 million five years ago. He also spent additional money adding such things as bookshelves with a ladder.

Economics 101

Who said public colleges were cheaper than private ones?

The November issue of the investment magazine Smart Money compares the costs of 19 miscellaneous purchases--from framed diplomas to a mug with a logo on it--at Notre Dame, the University of Pennsylvania and Williams College, as well as the University of Arizona and UC Berkeley.

The hands-down winner for most expensive items: Berkeley, which might explain the school’s Golden Bear mascot.

A framed diploma at Berkeley runs $125, compared to $90 at Williams and $79.95 at Notre Dame.

A simple transcript is $15 at Cal, compared to $2 at Notre Dame, $4 at Penn and free at Williams.

A reunion dinner is $200 per person at Cal, but only $25 at Williams, $40 at Notre Dame and $45 at Penn.

A hot dog at a sports event runs $3, compared to $1 at Williams and $1.75 at Notre Dame.

Then, there are college decals. At Berkeley, they run $2.50. None of the other schools sells them for more than $1.

A Bushel of Yen

Sony Corp.’s $2.7-billion write-off on its Hollywood studio--not to mention the $510-million operating loss--has generated speculation that the studio is on the Road to Sellville, although Sony officials insist the Japanese company plans to keep it.

In any event, how much is $2.7 billion? Some examples:

* It could buy 14 million to 300 million Sony Walkmans, depending on the model.

* From 3.9 million to 5.9 million Sony MiniDisc players, depending on the model.

* From 27 to 42 movies as expensive as the flop “Last Action Hero,” depending on the budget you want to believe.

Briefly. . .

Fess Parker, the former “Davy Crockett” star turned winemaker, calls himself “King of the Wine Frontier.” . . . Infocliche watch: Universal Pictures promised to “roll out the red carpet on the information superhighway” for its new film “Junior”. . . “Earthquake Safe Sherman Oaks,” reads an ad for a San Fernando Valley apartment. Says who?