A Recall Move That Leaves a Person in Limbo -- Kind of Like the Election

There’s just no escaping signs of the gubernatorial wackiness. Laguna Niguel City Manager Tim Casey noticed a “Recall” button on the control board of an elevator in the state Capitol building. “We pushed it and it did nothing,” Casey said, “which may be symbolic of something.”

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Elevator politics (cont.): Actually, the button, when activated, returns the car to the first floor in the event of an emergency. This “Recall” is supported by almost everyone in both political parties, though I believe Arnold Schwarzenegger has yet to take a position on it.

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Guide to Adventurous Dining: Today’s specials du column (see accompanying) include:

* A hot dog lunch with a South American flavor -- and, alas, a boisterous guest (Mark Raeder of Cathedral City)

* A thinking man’s hamburger (Chris Ames of Woodland Hills)

* And, finally, a cereal box with the world’s most precise expiration date (Beverly Smith of Lake Forest).

More food for thought: As if we don’t have enough reasons to be proud to live in Southern California, the 2004 Guinness Book of World Records lists these records set in L.A.:

* “The farthest a marshmallow has been blown out of one person’s nostril and caught in the mouth of another person is 16 feet, 3 1/2 inches, by blower Scott Jeckel and catcher Ray Perisin.”

* “The record for flipping peanut M&Ms; from the back of one person’s ear into another person’s mouth is 16 in one minute by Mark Needle, who flipped to brother Ben.” You were through eating your breakfast anyway, right?

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Hello! Anyone home? L.A.’s City Hall was even more isolated from the rest of the world than usual Monday. Spring Street was closed to traffic for Mexican Independence Day ceremonies. First Street was fenced off.

Main Street, meanwhile, was blocked by the authorities for another event: a test evacuation of City Hall.

A reporter commented to one fire captain that if the test were at around 5 p.m., the building would clear out in 15 minutes.

“Do it on a Friday afternoon,” the captain responded, “and people would be out even quicker than that.”

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miscelLAny: In the “Duh!” awards competition, Mike Peck of North Hollywood spotted a sort of money-does-not-grow-on-trees warning (see photograph).

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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.