He Can’t Sue, He Has to Fix It

A man walked out of his office in East L.A. and tripped when he stepped into a small pothole.

Two passersby who evidently didn’t recognize him chimed, “Sue the city.”

But the man responded, “I’ve got to fix a pothole.”

It was City Councilman Mike Hernandez.

A BANNER THAT WASN’T MEDIUM WELL DONE: A market in the San Gabriel Valley got a bit carried away with the food theme, observes Robert Baines of West Covina (see photo). I just hope that spelling doesn’t drive a stake into the hearts of schoolteachers everywhere.

L.A. INSULT OF THE DAY: The guidebook, “Culture Shock! China,” by Kevin Sinclair and Iris Wong, terms China the “world’s capital of traffic jams.”

The Hong Kong-based authors go on to say: “Chinese cities are beginning to resemble Los Angeles, including the smog but without the gratuitous crime and violence.”

NICOTINE-FUELED SMOG ALERT: Bill Lappen noticed a San Fernando Valley gas station whose marquee seemed to warn of a Stage 1 air pollution problem:

SMOGS R US WINSTONS CAMELS

$1.99/TAX

CROSS-CULTURAL CUISINE: In the tradition of such melting pot eateries as Alpine Deli, Genghis Cohen and, of course, Kosher Burrito, I am informed that Pasadena is the proud home of Sushi of Naples.

WHERE DOES THE DRIVER SIT? In a weekly publication, Gerson Hernandez of L.A. came upon a car offered for sale that was unclear as to whether it includes such extras as a steering wheel, seats, body, etc. (see accompanying).

SPEAKING OF SALES: Dr. Matthew Bernstein of L.A. sent along a yard sale notice that was evidently posted by the Multy family (see accompanying).

THOU SHALT NOT BE BORING: “Theater marquees are not the only source of inadvertent hilarity,” writes Scott Schmitz. “Passing several houses of worship on my way to work, I sometimes see sign boards containing mixed messages.”

At one church, Schmitz notes, there was “an unintentional commentary” on the “sermonizing skills” of the pastor. It said:

ONLY THE LOVE OF GOD

WILL GET YOU THROUGH

SUNDAY SERVICE 10:30 AM

Schmitz suspects the pastor received a bit of good-natured ribbing because by the end of the week, a period followed the word “through.”

Then there was the Burbank church marquee that said:

SUNRISE SERVICE

IN JC PARK 6:00 AM

“It took me a few days to realize,” Schmitz said, “that ‘JC’ referred to Johnny Carson and not to the founder of Christianity.”

It’s true: The former Lord of Late Night Talk Shows has a park named after him.

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Bill de Lorimier of San Gabriel notes that a horse in the sixth race at Hollywood Park ran so slowly Sunday--finishing 10th--that you would have thought it was in a slow-speed chase on the San Diego Freeway. Its name: White Bronco.

Steve Harvey can be reached by phone at (213) 237-7083, by fax at (213) 237-4712, by e-mail at steve.harvey@latimes.com and by mail at Metro, L.A. Times, Times Mirror Square, L.A. 90053.