Thrown for a Loop, Into the Slammer

Talk about trashing yourself. Barbara Boyne sent me an article about a young Corona man who threw some litter out of a car window -- and hit a patrol car.

That was just the start of his problems. Officers pulled over the litterbug and his fellow passenger and discovered that the car had been stolen, the Riverside Press-Enterprise reported. The two were also carrying about 60 grams of methamphetamine, officers said.

So off to jail they went, but at least they weren’t tempted to do any more littering. The back windows in the patrol car don’t roll down.

With friends like this ... : Assemblywoman Cindy Montanez (D-San Fernando) lost her bid for a state Senate seat, and I don’t think her cause was helped by the pre-election mailer that Todd Kolman of Van Nuys and other residents received from Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa (see accompanying).

Thanks for the warning: “This is from a supermarket ad in New Hampshire,” Daniel Fink of L.A. wrote. “In L.A. no one would advertise anything as ‘ugly’ ” (see accompanying).

You say tomatoes ... : No, I’m not making the same mistake I did awhile back when I made fun of an ad that said, “Local Bananas (except Apple),” only to be told by dozens of readers that there is such a thing as an apple banana.

So I did some investigating this time and found out that “ugly tomato” is a term used in the industry to describe a type that has a wrinkled or misshapen appearance. Not beautiful but tasty. Just don’t ask me whether it’s a fruit or a vegetable.

Unreal estate: After reading the puzzling final sentence of a house ad, Dee Brown of Woodland Hills asked: “Can you still get a permit for an outhouse in L.A. County?” (see accompanying).

Cue the “Twilight Zone” music: You could excuse Randall Kaplin of Van Nuys if he began to think he saw 6-6-06 everywhere he looked last week (see accompanying).

Mystery business: On the Riverside Freeway, Mary Ann Galante spotted a commercial van with the words “Busy Babies” on the side. Underneath were the words “New and Quality Resale.” “So what are they selling?” she asked.

Clothes, I hope.

miscelLAny: Interesting that L.A. County residents did not vote for “Lower Taxes” in great numbers. That would be assessor candidate John Loew, who had his middle name legally changed a few years ago (see accompanying). He received just 22% of the vote. Will he go one step further and become John No Taxes Loew next?

Steve Harvey can be reached at (800) LATIMES, 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.