L.A. to Carson: as the CEO Flies?

One of the selling points for ex-super agent Michael Ovitz’s proposed NFL site, the New York Times said, is that on Sundays “Carson is 10 minutes from downtown.” Let’s see, that’s an 18-mile drive through weekend traffic to a stadium off the always fun San Diego Freeway. Perhaps Ovitz believes that everyone travels by helicopter.

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WHERE THERE’S SMOKE: A recent Metro story on the revival of Alhambra was accompanied by a photo that appeared to show at least one diner smoking inside Charlie’s Trio restaurant (see photo). This would be a violation of state laws, and owner Michael Fata says he received 10 complaints via telephone, as well as letters from 30 children and a teacher at a local school. Actually, there was no violation. The person smoking was in the outdoor seating along a sidewalk. What appears to be the interior of the restaurant in the background is actually a window reflection. So, kids, you can stop writing Fata.

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ATTENTION, ROGAINE DROPOUTS: Jerry McCloy of Monterey Park noticed a sign where drivers can apparently park their toupees (see photo).

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L.A.’S URBAN SPRAWL IS REALLY GETTING OUT OF HAND: While waiting to pick up his daughter from church the other night, Wally Wawro heard a freeway report from radio station K-Traffic (AM 1650) full of the usual stoppages. He wasn’t concerned, however. Wawro was in Rockwall, Texas. K-Traffic’s signal, although it lacks the power of the biggies such as KFI (AM 640) and KNX (AM 1070), can be heard over a wide area at night because its 1650 position is on radio’s relatively uninhabited X band (expanded band). “I also had e-mail contact with someone who heard K-Traffic in the Miami-Ft. Lauderdale area,” added Wawro, an audio engineer for a Dallas TV station. I heard the station can even be picked up in Carson.

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L.A. TRIVIATA: The 1998 edition of “California Cities, Towns and Counties” includes a city-by-city listing of the number of residents 25 or older who have bachelor’s degrees. Some examples:

* Los Angeles, 501,378

* Long Beach, 61,393

* Pasadena, 32,034

* Beverly Hills, 11,433

* Vernon, 0

In its defense, the industrial city of Vernon has an estimated population of just 80 residents.

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THE EXPERT WAS NO PROPHET: Almost two years ago, this column reported the saga of a defense expert who was trying to persuade a Malibu judge that a convicted thief should be given a reduced sentence.

“Narcissistic” types such as his client could learn “what line not to cross,” the expert asserted. Then, casting about for an example, the expert added, “Your honor, President Clinton will not make a pass at another woman.” At the time, Paula Corbin Jones’ sexual harassment lawsuit was pending, but the Monica Lewinsky scandal had not surfaced. The judge denied the motion, anyway.

miscelLAny:

Sirhan Sirhan, Rodney King and Emil Matasareanu, one of the gunmen killed in the 1997 North Hollywood shootout with police, all attended John Muir High in Pasadena.

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Steve Harvey can be reached by phone at (213) 237-7083, by fax at (213) 237-4712, by e-mail at steve.harvey@latimes.com and by mail at Metro, L.A. Times, Times Mirror Square, L.A. 90053.