Who were those masked intruders?Who were those...

Who were those masked intruders?

Who were those masked intruders? An Encino resident complained to police that some vandals were killing her new sod during repeated nighttime forays. “She said the suspects were rolling it up like you would a rug,” reported L.A. Police Officer Rod Gregson. “They [the suspects] were doing a neat job of rolling it up but they were killing the lawn roots.”

Gregson said the resident was so determined to catch the culprits that she “decided to stake out” the crime scene herself. Sure enough, the intruders came into view. She saw them roll up more sod, but not so much to be mischievous. They were apparently hunting for food. They were raccoons.

GOOD HEAVENS: Ted Rogers of Del Mar points out that the “Graveyard Cashier” ad he saw in a local newspaper “should dispel two of mankind’s worst fears--that there is no afterlife and that you can’t take it with you.”

FOR THE HAZ-MAT GUY WHO HAS EVERYTHING: Donald Bentley of La Puente sent along this Christmas gift suggestion, an “organic vapor half-mask respirator” that comes with seven animal nosepieces, including that of an elephant. Who knows? Maybe the device will scare away raccoons too.

A REASON TO GET OUT OF YOUR CAR IN L.A.: Robert Herman, author of “Downtown Los Angeles: A Walking Guide,” says he is aiming the book primarily at “suburban readers who can now travel downtown on our new train and subway lines.”

Herman, an urban sociology professor at Pomona College, blends an entertaining mix of sights, buildings, history, public art, restaurants--and an important concern for walkers--public rest rooms.

Some tidbits we found interesting:

* Pershing Square has no statue of Gen. John J. Pershing (though it does have one of Beethoven).

* Shoppers of ginseng in Chinatown know that one of its major sources is Wisconsin. No other state produces more of the root than Wisconsin. Those ginseng-heads.

* Complaints about immigrants to California date back at least to 1846. That year, Mexican Gov. Pio Pico declared: “We find ourselves suddenly threatened by hordes of Yankee immigrants . . . whose progress we cannot arrest.”

* The best parking deal in town? L.A. Public Library cardholders can park after 3 p.m. on weekdays or any time on weekends for $1 in the lot under the Maguire Gardens (524 S. Flower Street).

* Children in L.A. once learned the downtown street names in order, east to west, by memorizing this ditty: “From Main we Spring to Broadway and over the Hill to Olive. Wouldn’t it be Grand if we could Hope to pick a Flower that grows on Figueroa?”

* “Zanja Madre,” a courtyard of sculptures at 801 Figueroa St., has fence gates so spooky that Warner Bros. used a likeness of them in the movie, “Batman Forever.” Since then, “Zanja Madre” artist Bruce Leicester has sued the studio for not consulting with him. Holy alleged copyright infringement, Batman!

miscelLAny:

Female spectators at the Long Beach Christmas Parade gave one of their biggest cheers to the contingent of uniformed male marchers from United Parcel Service. The UPS men, you may recall, have been depicted as sex objects in TV commercials as well as on such sitcoms as “Dave’s World” and “NewsRadio.” And they do have that suggestive phone number--1-800-PICK UPS.