Throwing the Book at This Person Probably Left Ears Ringing

Talk about getting a wrong number! The police log of the Los Alamitos News-Enterprise carried a report that an “upstairs tenant, who had been evicted, became upset and threw a Yellow Pages at another person.”

Sell a Girl Scout cookie--go to jail? No, that’s NOT the law in the People’s Republic of Santa Monica. It was all a misunderstanding. The controversy started with “a grocery store manager’s comment after being cited by the city for an unpermitted outdoor art sale,” explained the city manager’s office.

Two store managers then decided against allowing the Scouts to sell in front of their stores.

But, the city emphasized, Santa Monica’s “focus is only on unlawful commercial activity.”

Now where are those Thin Mints?

Has he dug himself into a hole? It’s always risky to make generalizations, but I believe that only one candidate in Tuesday’s primary combined his campaign Web site with a ferret legalization site-- ferretsanon.com (see photo).

That would be Pat Wright, the Libertarian nominee for lieutenant governor. His beef: It’s illegal to own ferrets anywhere in California, including Santa Monica.

Inasmuch as he received less than 1% of the vote Tuesday, Wright has some work to do mobilizing more support.

But I do notice that incumbent Democrat Cruz Bustamante and Republican challenger Bruce McPherson have so far weaseled out of taking a position on this vital issue.

Beat L.A.! That’s the cry that resounds through sports stadia when teams from the City of Angels play elsewhere. And it seems to be the theme whenever an ex-L.A. mayor runs for governor. Tom Bradley failed (twice), as did Sam Yorty. I just hope that Richard Riordan doesn’t make the same career decision that Yorty did after his losing effort for the state job. Sam then ran for president in 1972.

The election (cont.): I thought that was a low blow by Riordan rival Bill Simon paying a visit to Philippe’s restaurant the other day. Ninety-four-year-old Philippe’s is, of course, a rival of another landmark, the 82-year-old Original Pantry Cafe, which is owned by Riordan.

Speaking of sour notes: Bill Gibson of San Clemente discovered there’s finally a place where you can take out your aggressions against annoying singers (see accompanying).

More alphabet soup: Continuing our acronymal sandwich discussion, Jeff Tritch of Eagle Rock recalled eating a BLAST made of bacon, lettuce, avocado and tomato, on squaw bread.

Actor’s lament: In his cyber column, entertainer Phil Proctor offered a colleague’s update of Shakespeare as a comment on the labor situation in show biz: “All the world’s a stage, and there’s still no work.”

miscelLAny: The police log in Marina del Rey’s Argonaut newspaper reported this accusation: “Defrauding an innkeeper. A suspect received a tattoo on the left hip and refused to pay $140 for the service.” Not sure I’d have the nerve to defraud a man wielding a big needle.

*

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.