Culprit in Cat Caper, a Feline With a Rap Sheet, Leaves Library Duty Behind

I mentioned the lawsuit filed by a San Marcos man against the city of Escondido after his 55-pound dog, Kimba, was allegedly attacked by the library’s 10-pound pet cat.

The plaintiff, Richard Espinosa, said that the feline, identified as L.C., leaped from a counter and, “without provocation, began clawing Kimba, at times with all four paws.” Espinosa, who said he was too disabled to work because of anxiety attacks before the incident, blamed it for triggering another one.

His dog, he said, had to undergo $46.49 worth of treatment for scratches and punctures.

Anyway, as so often happens in lawsuits, some digging into the principals’ pasts has been carried out since my original report.

Espinosa is claiming that L.C. already had a bad reputation in dog relations--that L.C., in fact, once “drove a schnauzer away from the library, slightly injuring the dog,” the L.A. Daily Journal said.

Say it ain’t so, L.C.: Seeking the cat’s side, I went to the logical place: the animal’s personal Web site at https://www.ci.escondido.ca.us/library/libinfo/lc.htm.

I learned that L.C. stands for Library Cat (but you guessed that). While the site offered no comment about the case, it did say that L.C. has vacated the library. The cat has “found a temporary new home with one of our staff members,” an unidentified spokesperson wrote. “She is adjusting well.”

The Web site also showed several photos of a somewhat grim-visaged L.C., including one in which the animal was clawing at the ornaments on a Christmas tree--apparently without provocation.

For the Laker fan who has everything: Maybe you can’t get a seat next to Jack Nicholson to watch Shaq and Kobe. But think how impressed your friends would be to see you with a life-size dummy head of the actor (see photo).

Used in the film “The Two Jakes” (1990), it’s being offered at Lelands telephone/Internet auction on Wednesday. Bidding starts at $300. “Molded directly from his head . . . this was used for one of the final scenes when Nicholson gets blown up on a park bench,” Lelands said.

Jack sort of has that how-did-I-get-into-this-dud-movie? look on his face.

While we’re on the subject: Chuck Abronson snapped a shot of a Santa Monica panhandler’s sign that frankly revealed his motives (see photo).

You can’t take Angelenos anywhere: A diner in Sacramento’s Esquire Grill walked up to Randy Paragary, the owner, and said, “Oh, Mr. Paragary, we’re from Los Angeles and we just love your restaurant.”

The diner, according to the Bee’s irreverent columnist R.E. Graswich, chatted away for a few more moments until she noticed that Paragary was sitting with a man in uniform, Sacramento County Sheriff Lou Blanas. “Excuse me,” the woman told Paragary. “I don’t know your friend here.”

Before the owner could respond, Blanas said, “Oh, never mind me. I’m just the security guard.”

Wrote Graswich: “And by gosh, she seemed to believe him.”

miscelLAny: Kent Bridwell of West L.A. noticed a tongue-cleaning device marketed by a dentist with an appropriate name (see photo).

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Steve Harvey can be reached at (800) LA-TIMES, 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.