HATS OFF? Assemblyman Bill Morrow (R-Oceanside), who...

HATS OFF? Assemblyman Bill Morrow (R-Oceanside), who has ridden motorcycles for 30 years, convinced the Assembly Thursday, by a 42-30 vote, to repeal the state’s motorcycle helmet law. (A3) The seven Assembly members from Orange County, all Republicans, voted with the majority. . . . Police statistics show helmets reduce deaths and injuries. But Morrow, whose district covers part of South County, says helmets hamper the rider’s hearing: “I’ve ridden enough to know you’re not automatically made safer by donning a motorcycle helmet.” . . . The issue now goes to the Senate.

ON THE NOSE: Sounds like Orange County’s bankruptcy is becoming the national standard for bad financial management. It won’t be just President Clinton who’d like to punch William Safire in the nose following Safire’s national column Thursday. . . . Discussing America’s credit picture, Safire twists the knife: “America is not Orange County. Our financial word has always been rock-solid, and fooling with it erodes invaluable confidence.”

THICK & THIN: Jean and Al Reynolds of Santa Ana started traveling the country a few years ago. But Jean Reynolds can laughingly tell you: “It’s certainly been no vacation.” The two, married 45 years, are American Red Cross volunteers, who head from disaster to disaster. Thursday they left for Pennsylvania’s floods, working as a damage assessment team. . . . Says Jean Reynolds: “When we finally go back to the motel room at night dog tired, at least we’re together.”

MOVING UP: Martinez Books & Art Gallery in Santa Ana, which also includes a barber shop, is moving today from its 320-square-foot store on 3rd Street to a 3,000-square-foot shop on Main Street a block away. “My toes are curling up; I need a bigger pair of shoes,” says owner Rueben Martinez. He is getting help with the move: Members of the Boys and Girls Club of Santa Ana, where he often speaks about literature, will hand-carry his stock of 1,000 Latino books to the new store.