Waves Downtown Could Be a Boon for Undertow Trucks

John Rouse figures that the numerous surfboard-toting commuters you spotted in downtown L.A. on Monday were responding to the stunning advisory from the National Weather Service (see accompanying).

Oddly enough, no waves were seen in the Civic Center. Just the usual ocean of traffic.

Unclear on the concept: Kathleen Lally-Arena of Culver City chanced upon a for-sale ad for a male Pomeranian amid conflicting reports of its reproductive abilities -- and the usual misspelling (see accompanying).

Keeping out the barbarians: As Bob Pool reported the other day, El Segundo’s City Council voted against naming reading rooms at the city’s public library in honor of authors Jack London and Agatha Christie.

Councilman John Gaines pointed out that London “was a world renowned communist.” And Mayor Kelly McDowell said that Christie “is a legendary mystery writer. But she has no connection with El Segundo.”

Leaving aside the question of London, who wrote such subversive tomes as “The Call of the Wild” and “White Fang,” I was struck by the mayor’s remarks about Christie’s lack of a connection with El Segundo.

I spent the whole weekend trying to think of a prominent author who did have a connection with El Segundo.

The closest I could come was Michael Katz, author of a mystery set near the city (see accompanying).

It’s OK to be No. 2, honest! I’ve long suspected that the often testy attitude of El Segundo is somehow related to its name, which means “the second” in Spanish.

Some natives cling to the myth that it was originally “El Segundo a Nada” (or “El Segundo, Second to None”).

But the gritty truth is that the name refers to the fact that it was the site of Standard Oil’s second refinery in California.

At times the city seems to resent that implied secondary status. A few years ago it launched a series of billboards ridiculing L.A. (see photo).

Then there was the giant “Unsafe for Jets” sign on a hillside that El Segundo aimed at users of Los Angeles International Airport.

I just hope we don’t see any “Jack London Unsafe” signs next.

miscelLAny: Jane Schlosberg of San Diego spotted the following sign on the Corona del Mar Freeway in Newport Beach: “Litter Removal Next 2 Miles: Dr. Domanskis / Plastic Surgeon.” Even Newport Beach freeways get makeovers.

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