Constituent Sniffs Out Questionable Use of Government Funds

The mail that comes into local congressional offices runs the gamut from angry diatribes against illegal immigration to queries about veterans benefits. Then there is the occasional letter that really stands out--like the one concerning nose picking that arrived recently in the mailbox of Rep. Carlos J. Moorhead (R-Glendale).

That’s right, nose picking.

The correspondent complained that a recent study, funded entirely by tax dollars, probed the practice of proboscis play.

“I want to see this funding stopped--and now,” the writer said.

Moorhead staffers took the matter seriously, tracking down the February 1995 issue of the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, which delves into rhinotillexomania, as the obsessive form of nose picking is known.

“This first population survey of nose picking suggests that it is an almost universal practice in adults but one that would not be considered pathologic for most,” conclude the authors, Dr. James W. Jefferson and Dr. Trent D. Thompson. “For some, however, the condition may meet the criteria of a disorder--rhinotillexomania.”

To study the practice, the researchers mailed 1,000 questionnaires to residents of Dane County, Wis., requesting anonymous responses. Two hundred fifty-four people wrote back, 91% of whom were nose pickers. Two subjects spent between 15 and 30 minutes picking their noses, and one respondent spent more than two hours a day fiddling with his or her nose. For two others, “perforation of the nasal septum was a complication.” Moorhead aides have yet to track down the funding source for the study. But stay tuned.

If at First You Don’t Secede

What do you get if the Valley secedes from Los Angeles?

Just another gigantic city, argued one Valley resident Wednesday night at an Encino Property Owners Assn. community forum on the whys and wherefores of secession.

“A city of 1.3 million will be as unwieldy and undemocratic as Los Angeles is now,” said Stanley Kesselman, a retired attorney from Encino. “You’d just have different councilmen.”

Kesselman’s kind of Valley town would be more manageable, not to mention more upscale.

Why not get Encino, Sherman Oaks and Studio City together and secede from Los Angeles--and the rest of the Valley? Kesselman asked. That way, he said, the right-sized burg could do creative things, like Burbank and Santa Monica do now.

It took Kesselman but a second after the meeting to come up with a name for his new home: Mountain Valley.

Speaking of Secession

Assemblywoman Paula Boland (R-Granada Hills) got some unexpected help for her Valley secession bill the other day when State Sen. Herschel Rosenthal (D-Van Nuys) broke ranks with fellow Democrats and said he would support it.

His help is especially useful, because Rosenthal’s vote could be decisive in getting the legislation out of the Senate Local Government Committee, which is controlled by Democrats, as is the upper house.

If the vote is close on the Senate floor, Rosenthal said he even might lobby for the bill’s passage.

Rosenthal said he supports the measure because it allows Valley residents a say in their own fate. As the law now stands, the Los Angeles City Council has veto power over any area that seeks to secede and form its own municipality.

While he supports the bill, he is not in favor of the Valley seceding from Los Angeles.

“I’m in favor of people voting,” said Rosenthal.

The bill has passed its only Assembly committee hurdle and is expected to reach the Assembly floor within two weeks. With Assembly Republicans in the majority, Boland is reasonably confident that her measure will find success there.

Blow Hards

The campaign to reelect Los Angeles City Councilman Marvin Braude is in full swing.

That was evident this week, when he called a news conference to announce that he was giving up $426,000 of his own salary over the next five years to fund projects in his district, which stretches from the west San Fernando Valley to Pacific Palisades.

While such altruism may appeal to many voters, Braude made a move this week that may lose him the gardener vote.

On Monday, after a hearing before the council’s environmental committee, he recommended that the city make it illegal to operate a gasoline-powered leaf blower within 500 feet of a home, in essence outlawing the oversize hair driers.

Braude said he has been trying to outlaw the machines for nearly 10 years and has held back because gardeners had promised to find ways to reduce the noise and smoke.

“But the problem has gotten worse,” he said.

A group of about 50 gardeners dismissed the complaints, saying the blowers are only used in short bursts and reduce the time it takes them to do their work.

The leader of the gardeners’ group showed his disdain for Braude’s proposal at the hearing by wearing a T-shirt that said: “Use a Blower, Go to Jail.”

On the Grill

In the past week, Mayor Richard Riordan has had to answer some tough questions regarding the conduct of top aide Mike Keeley, who admitted leaking confidential legal documents to opposing attorneys.

But hizzoner was not expecting the grilling he got Thursday, when he answered questions from a group of sixth-graders during a visit to Adat Ari El Temple in North Hollywood.

After lunch and songs from a children’s choir, Riordan fielded questions from the audience.

The first boy started with a softball, asking how the city came up with its slogan “Together we’re the best. Los Angeles.” Riordan said that an advertising firm came up with the slogan as a way to encourage the city’s diverse population to work together.

A teenager then threw the mayor a hardball, asking: “What are you doing about the sinkholes in Hollywood?”

With a nervous laugh, Riordan responded: “Did Tom Hayden put you up to this?” referring to the assemblyman and potential mayoral challenger who has harshly criticized Riordan’s handling of transit issues.

The mayor said the sinkholes have been repaired and Hollywood is undergoing many improvements.

Later, another boy challenged the mayor, asking: “What are you doing about L.A.’s pollution?” To which Riordan responded: “Will somebody tell these kids to ask an easy question?”

Home Rule

Democratic movers and shakers in the Valley’s Region 13 have opened an office in Van Nuys and formed a political action committee to help elect their own in November, starting with the president and going down the ticket.

The idea is to raise money for the Valley and make decisions about the Valley right here . . . in the Valley.

“Before, we’ve always raised money here and given it to the party,” said spokeswoman Suzanne Lewis.

Region 13 encompasses four Assembly districts, two state Senate districts and three congressional seats. All but one seat are currently held by Democrats.

An advisory group of Democratic Club leaders will run the grass-roots operation, called the Permanent Precinct Program Project. The office opens Wednesday at 14921 Burbank Blvd. in Van Nuys.

Lacey reported from Washington, D.C. Hill-Holtzman and Martin reported from Los Angeles.