Who Said You Can’t Beat City Hall?

The inadvertent hex put on L.A. sports teams by the City Council has finally been removed.

It began in October 1988 when the council, gushing over the Dodgers’ World Series victory, voted to designate the City Hall steps the Plaza of Champions. After all, the council figured, championship celebrations at 1st and Spring streets had become common occurrences in the 1980s--five for the Lakers, two for the Dodgers, one for the Raiders.

So what happened? Nothing. L.A.’s sports teams went dry for more than a decade--until Monday night. Ironically, the Lakers parade today will bypass City Hall, which is being renovated. Instead, the motorcade will slow-break down Figueroa Street, ending at Staples Center.

Note to City Council members: Give L.A. a break. Please don’t designate Figueroa the Parade Route of Champions.

THE VALLEY REBOUNDS! I have to take issue with NBC sportscaster Bob Costas, who said of one wild shot by the Lakers’ Ron Harper: “Missed from here to Van Nuys.”

He’s exaggerating. From here to Studio City, maybe.

L.A., WE TOLERATE IT! The rivalry between L.A. and Orange counties seems to be getting a rest at Costa Mesa’s South Coast Repertory, which is showing the musical review, “The Education of Randy Newman.” At least, my spies tell me that no one has been heard booing during the singing of Newman’s “I Love L.A.”

SUCH A DEAL: Today’s specials for daring shoppers (see accompanying) include a not-so-tempting rebate (submitted by Edward Rasch), a sock offer that is half bad (Malathi Narayan), and a service warranty that wouldn’t cover the daily commute of some drivers (Paul Rayton).

THE STRONG ARMS OF THE LAWLESS: An LAPD diver, searching for evidence in a homicide case, thought he had found a canvas bag in the waters off Terminal Island. He couldn’t be sure because he was unable to see in the murky depths. And he was wearing gloves, preventing a tactile analysis. But as he brought the object to the surface, it suddenly began to wrap itself around his arm. It wasn’t a bag. It was an octopus.

Later, a fellow officer chastised the diver for failing to have the creature make a written statement (in ink, of course).

MARITAL PLATES (CONT.): Unlike some bitter ex-spouses whose vanity plates have appeared here, Aleta Carpenter wrote: “My former husband deserves my appreciation. The plate on my Mercedes 500SL reads: THANXX. He even likes it.”

Shirley Serna, meanwhile, recalled: “My former boss’ license plate was RITE WIFE. She was wife No. 2, but she wanted everyone to know that she was the current wife.”

UNCLEAR ON THE CONCEPT: Jerry Lerman’s Internet site https://Bonehead.Oddballs.com mentioned this column the other day, though my noggin wasn’t his target. The government folks were. Lerman cited the item in this space about a resident who received a note in the mail from the Social Security Administration saying that it didn’t have her mailing address.

ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY: Forty five years ago, Times columnist Gene Sherman reported that the college scholarship competition sponsored by the Los Angeles Publicity Club had been canceled due to the low number of qualified applicants. A Publicity Club member admitted that the competition evidently hadn’t been “sufficiently publicized.”

miscelLAny:

As further evidence of L.A.’s urban sprawl, Steve Koenig spotted apartment houses named Hollywood Heights and Los Angeles in Pretoria, South Africa.

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Steve Harvey can be reached at (800) LATIMES, Ext. 77083, by fax at (213) 237-4712, by mail at Metro, L.A. Times, 202 W. 1st St., L.A., 90012 and by e-mail at steve.harvey@latimes.com.