Ooh L.A. L.A.:Southern California is the world’s...

Ooh L.A. L.A.:

Southern California is the world’s poodle capital, so it should come as no surprise that Angelenos will play a major role in Sunday’s Poodle Parade at the Santa Barbara French Festival.

The foremost four-footed celebrity present will be Mec Marsh, a miniature poodle who gained his 15 seconds of fame recently when his master filed suit after the Mezzaluna restaurant refused to allow Mec to dine there. Attorney Harold Marsh insists that Mec’s civil rights were violated at the Brentwood eatery, pointing out that pigeons are allowed to eat in restaurants.

Suffice it to say that Mec will be welcome at any of the food booths during the Bastille Day weekend celebration at Oak Park.

Another luminary at the parade will be Doren Garcia, curator of L.A.’s Museum of Modern Poodle. Garcia’s is an invitation-only shrine that houses his amazing collection of poodle memorabilia, which ranges from doggy golf club covers to doggy lamps.

Garcia, however, never has any problems dining out. He doesn’t own any dogs of the live variety.

NO, YOU CAN’T DO THAT: Rolling Hills, declared the nation’s richest city in a recent study, may be totally gated. But it’s not the only exclusive area in the Southland. There’s also El Monte--at least the complex spotted by Luis Aguilar (see photo).

LAUGH OR I’LL SUE YOU: Stand-up comic Kenny Kahn, who is also an L.A. lawyer, bills himself as the “world’s funniest attorney.” We don’t know--we’ve seen some awfully funny routines by F. Lee Bailey. But you can judge Kahn’s sense of humor at the Santa Monica Playhouse, where he’ll appear the last two weekends of this month.

By coincidence, we also received a letter signed “Anonymous Lawyer,” who gave us a list of favorite, if aged, lawyer jokes for free. (We appreciate any pro bono help.)

For instance:

Q: What do you call 1,000 lawyers at the bottom of the ocean?

A: A good start.

Q: A lawyer, a doctor and an engineer fall into the sea. Sharks devour the doctor and engineer but leave the lawyer alone. Why?

A: Professional courtesy.

And, here’s our favorite:

Q: A lawyer dog is refused service at a restaurant . . .

Whoops, you’ve already heard that one.

THE NAME FITS DEPT.: John Lyons of L.A. points out that Queen of Angels-Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center recently announced its new chief operating officer is Terry A. Bonecutter.

THE NAME DOESN’T FIT DEPT.: Perhaps you’ve wondered why the Whittier Law School was located in the Hancock Park area of L.A. Well, you can stop wondering. The school announced it is moving.

To Costa Mesa.

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L.A.’s gated communities, by the way, are becoming so well known that a Swiss magazine wrote to this newspaper asking to speak to a reporter on the subject. It seems the magazine wants to spotlight L.A. in a piece “on the process of social disintegration in the U.S.” L.A.--always leading the way. Next, we expect to get a call about poodles’ rights.