Residents ride a wave of optimism for Riordan’s visit to the Harbor area.

ROYAL VISIT: The way people are carrying on over his plans to visit Wilmington and San Pedro on Monday, you would think Los Angeles Mayor

Richard Riordan were a foreign head of state.

Riordan is scheduled to swing through the two neighborhoods, alloting about 15 minutes to each of the several places he is scheduled to tour. The sites include Juanita’s Foods, the Banning Park Recreation Center, the Los Angeles Maritime Museum and the Harbor Department. Riordan will have lunch and then speak at San Pedro’s Dalmation-American club, formerly the Yugoslav-American Club.

The visit comes in response to an invitation from newly elected City Councilman Rudy Svorinich, who says the mayor’s willingness to come to the Harbor area early in his tenure is a good sign that he is interested in Harbor issues.

Community leaders and business people are excited with the prospect that maybe Riordan really, truly cares about them. Maybe the Harbor is going to get its fare share of city services now, they hope. Maybe downtown finally understands that Wilmington and San Pedro are, in fact, part of Los Angeles. We’ll see.

*

ANCHORS AWAY: Thanks but no thanks, the Redondo Beach City Council told Chevron Corp. last week after the petroleum giant offered to donate three anchors to promote the nautical theme of the soon-to-be-renovated municipal pier.

City staffers had recommended that the 10-foot-by-12-foot anchors, which weigh about 10 tons each, be placed at various locations in the city, including a ticket booth at the pier parking lot and a parking median on the 1800 block of South Esplanade.

Chevron had used the anchors since 1910 to secure offshore buoys.

Some council members, however, said they thought that the anchors might become targets for graffiti vandals or create liability problems for the city if someone climbed on them and hurt themselves.

And then there was the aesthetic value. Councilman Steven Colin perhaps put it best: “I just

think they were plain ugly. There just wasn’t much use for those things.”

*

MR. TABOR GOES TO WASHINGTON: Former Inglewood Councilman Daniel K. Tabor has been in Washington, boning up on economic development strategies in connection with his new job: President Clinton’s liaison to a newly created task force on revitalizing the Southland economy.

Tabor, who lost his council seat to Curren Price Jr. in a June runoff, will be working with Commerce Secretary Ron Brown, whom Clinton has assigned to spearhead federal efforts to rebuild the economy here.

Brown described Tabor’s new job as that of a super-ombudsman. The task force was organized to coordinate economic development among Southern California communities, business and state and municipal officials.

*

RABBITS AND RIBS: The South Bay Rabbit Society (and we thought whales were the species of the hour) will hold its monthly meeting in Redondo Beach on Aug. 16 at-- Chicago Ribs !

We thought it was a little ironic that a group devoted to the care and feeding of rabbits would meet in a place devoted to the careful eating of another animal.

But it appears the Rabbit Society doesn’t mind. Veterinarian Sharon Torrisi will talk about feeding and handling rabbits, how to house and train them and how to get them to socialize with other animals. Presumably not pigs and cows.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“You ask them to bring their flags--you’re lucky if they bring their pants.”

--Los Angeles County Lifeguard Lt. Ira Gruber on the cancellation, due to poor turnout, of the flag ceremony at the National Lifesaving Championships last week in Hermosa Beach.

THIS WEEK’S HIGHLIGHTS

El Segundo: Rhapsody in Green, a nonprofit conservation group, will be replanting native plants on the El Segundo dunes today from 9 a.m. to noon. The sand dunes are at 10001 Pershing Drive in Playa del Rey. For information call Jon Earl at (213) 654-5821.

Gardena: The City Council is expected to accept a $162,000 grant from the state Habitat Conservation Fund that will be used toward establishing a visitors’ center, trails, benches and photographic lookouts at the Willows Wetland Nature Center. The grant will be combined with $850,000 already received from the county for the project.

THIS WEEK’S HIGHLIGHTS

Manhattan Beach: The City Council introduced an ordinance to increase the transiency occupancy tax paid on hotel and motel rooms from 8.5% to 9%. Council members, however, decided not to make a final decision on the matter until after the November election.

Rancho Palos Verdes: The city celebrates its 20th anniversary Aug. 14 at 11 a.m. with a fair and picnic at the Ladera Linda Community Center, 32201 Forrestal Drive. There will also be a softball game at the Portuguese Bend playing field.