Sadly, No Magician Could Perform a Disappearing Act on These Vermin

Among the establishments on the county health department’s “May Restaurant Closures” list was the Magic Castle in L.A. The restaurant at the magicians’ club was shut down for two days because of “vermin infestation.”

All those magicians and no one could make the vermin disappear?

California, here I come (oink!): Controversies over the depiction of California’s grizzly bear symbol are not new.

The latest dispute involves the rodent-like creatures on signs on the Santa Monica Freeway. (Caltrans has agreed to come up with a more bearish design.)

But even the state’s first bear flag (see accompanying) had citizens growling back in 1846, William Fratzke says. He found this passage in the book, “The Elusive Eden: A New History of California”:

“The grizzly bear on the original flag, chosen as an emblem of strength and unyielding resistance, bore enough resemblance to a pig to make the artist, William Todd, the target of many a jest thereafter.”

Letter imperfect: Trini Marquez of Sky Forest, meanwhile, sent a horse riding camp’s ad that had a racy typo (see accompanying).

The Russians were here, the Russians were here: The death of free-spirited newspaper photographer Harry Watson moved ex-Times writer Chuck Hillinger to recall one of Watson’s more memorable wisecracks. Some high-ranking Soviet officials visited L.A. in the 1950s at a time when Wisconsin Republican Sen. Joseph McCarthy was making wild allegations about U.S. government officials having Communist connections.

The LAX press conference for the Soviet visitors was almost over when Watson suddenly confronted them with this question:

“Are any of you now, or have you ever been, members of the Communist Party?”

I love Pomona! The other day, with nothing better to do, I wondered whether Pomona had an official song.

And if it did not, I nominated the Brooklyn Cowboys’ recording of “Californ,’ ” inasmuch as it contains the lyric, “How I miss you, sweet Pomona / Where my journey came to end. . . .”

Well, Lilia Rodriguez, a public information officer for that burg, admits Pomona has no official city ditty, unless you count “The Goddess of Fruits March,” which was written in the 1920s in honor of Pomona for the L.A. County Fair. (Sorry, it has no lyrics.)

David Streeter, a retired librarian, recalled a 78 rpm recording of “Take Ramona to Pomona” by the Hormel All-Girl Band in the 1940s, “give or take a decade.” (Sorry, he couldn’t remember any lyrics.)

And columnist David Allen of the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin chastised me for forgetting that John Stewart sang “Back in Pomona” (“All the racehorse crowd was always there/Back in Pomona at the county fair.”)

Allen, though, is partial to “GTO,” by Ronny and the Daytonas, especially the part where Ronny warbles about how he’s going to buy a helmet, install a roll bar in his jalopy and “take it out to Pomona and let ‘em know that I’m the coolest thing around.”

Cooler than the Hormel All-Girl Band? I don’t think so.

miscelLAny: Summer is just about here and, as a public service, I offer a shot by Gabi Dendinger of Huntington Beach, taken in Joshua Tree National Park, as a reminder that you can’t just swim anywhere (see photo).