Spectacular Sunsets Add Even More Holiday Color

Bright lights and colorful displays may mark the season, but the real show, according to meteorologists and beach strollers, has been the recent series of dazzling, kaleidoscopic sunsets of green, pink, orange, red and yellow hues.

Scientists say the gorgeous twilight scenes occur most frequently in the winter when Santa Ana winds push low-level moisture offshore. Light from the setting sun refracts through the dewy air, scattering bits of color throughout the sky.

“Air pollution is also blown offshore, which can also make for some good aesthetics,” said Clay Morgan, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.

Also contributing to the sparkling dusks: the 1992 volcanic eruption of Mount Pinatubo, which left dust and debris in the stratosphere, and clouds 25,000 feet high that remain bright long after sundown, thanks to the dry offshore winds.

With the ocean beneath, Morgan said, such sunsets cannot be beat.

“A sunset over the Midwest is just not comparable to these spectacular sunsets over the Pacific,” he said.

GOING WITH THE FLOW: Over the years, the Bodywork Emporium, a Santa Monica retailer of massage therapy equipment, has received more than a few offbeat requests for massage tables.

Some clients want to know if the contraptions can hold horses or are suitable for dog and pet massage. One channeler preferred a wood frame table with a “freer energy flow” rather than one made of aluminum. Others put the tables to uses including weightlifting, yoga, hands-on healing--even displaying crystals at new-age health conventions.

Said the Emporium’s Margi

Cicci: “People walk by and think they can use them for anything. We’ve had several homeless people buy them as beds.”

ALREADY RUNNING: Rancho Palos Verdes Councilwoman Susan Brooks--who has not yet conceded the race she ran this year against Rep. Jane Harman (D-Rolling Hills)--says she plans to run again for the congressional seat in 1996.

Brooks could have a few challengers for the Republican nomination in the 36th District, which hugs the coast from San Pedro to Venice.

Rancho Palos Verdes psychiatrist Irwin Savodnik said that he will decide within a month whether he will run. Savodnik spent more than $50,000 of his own money in this year’s Republican primary but was forced to drop out because he had switched his party affiliation too late to qualify for the ballot.

“It’s going to be a very serious race next time,” Savodnik said. “We’re going to put a lot of money in the campaign and we’re going to raise a lot of money.”

Another potential contender is Los Angeles developer John Morris, who made an unsuccessful bid for state controller this year.

“Many people thought Jane Harman was invincible,” Morris said. “They saw how well Susan did and said, ‘Gee, (Harman) can be knocked off.’ It should have been a Republican seat, and with a good candidate, it will be a Republican seat.”