Block Beautification Is Permissible Any Old Time
Government bureaucrats may be a bit slow to act, but don’t give up on them! Just the other day, a Street Maintenance Bureau worker left a message with Joe Shea of Hollywood to talk about his community group’s permit request for a block beautification plan.
Unsure what plan the worker meant, Shea asked, “When is that dated?”
The worker responded, “Uh, 10/15 . . . oh . . . 1993.”
No harm done. Shea’s group, the Ivar Hill Community Assn., had already gone ahead and cleaned up the neighborhood without the permit.
Five and a half years ago.
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CHECK OUT THE CELEBRITY: While President Clinton was visiting L.A., Atty. Gen. Janet Reno was in the Riverside County town of Idyllwild for a bit of hiking over the Fourth of July weekend. She told reporters of an incident at the town parade that put things “in perspective” for her. She said a couple were “overheard to comment, with reference to me, ‘Gee, she looks familiar.’ ‘Yeah, I think so, too,’ said the husband. The wife said, ‘I think she is the checkout person at the local market.’ ”
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DINING GUIDE FOR THE ADVENTUROUS: Now that there are no Fourth of July leftovers left, let’s explore other possibilities (see accompanying). Ellen Schmidt of Tujunga found a pizza that evidently came with a meat or meatless crust. Which didn’t seem much more appetizing than the married folks’ dish.
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NAILED (CONT.): I mentioned a customer who wondered whether a manicurist’s shop was being monitored by a motorcycle cop. Reason: Soon after she left, she was pulled over for failure to wear a seat belt. She was ticketed despite her explanation that her nails were still wet and that she lived just a couple of blocks away.
Don’t think this controversy is just going to dry up. I’ve heard from Nailpro magazine, a trade publication for manicurists, which plans to talk to the customer and the nail-painter.
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THE L.A. STOOGERS: An item here related that a Dodger fan who won a prize had the same name as one of the Three Stooges--Larry Fine (Curly). Which prompted me to compare the stumbling team to the Stooges in terms of comic relief. No Dodger fans complained to me. In fact, film buff Lee Harris drew more connections. He pointed out that the Stooges’ Fine was a tremendous Dodger fan all his life. And he noted that Dodger broadcaster Rick Monday is sometimes called “Moe.”
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QUOTH THE INTERNET: Several readers have sent me what purports to be a list of dumb city laws. I was able to verify just one ordinance--that, at the turn of the century, it was illegal to drive more than 2,000 sheep down Hollywood Boulevard. But, the city of Baldwin Park tells me that, despite what the Internet list says, it does not have a law banning the riding of a bicycle in a swimming pool.
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MAYBE IT’S JUST A COINCIDENCE . . . : But the other night, AMC aired a 1956 film starring Burt Lancaster, “The Rainmaker.”
miscelLAny:
Edison International Field, home of the Anaheim Angels, will offer two tickets for the price of one to any Edison customer who shows up at Thursday’s game with the utility’s bill. This could start a trend among sports venues. Perhaps Busch Stadium will make a comparable offer to any St. Louis fan who shows up with an empty beer can.
