CITY HALL ROUNDUP : Chivalry and politics fit to a T as Bacharach’s husband upsets recall group.

SIGNATURE SHOPPING: At first blush it seems a tale from a simpler time: The good husband defending his woman’s honor under threat of arrest.

But this story involves politics as much as chivalry. Bob Bacharach got wind that political opponents of his wife, Jacki, were gathering signatures outside a Hughes market in an attempt to oust the Rancho Palos Verdes councilwoman from office.

Bacharach donned his “Vote for Jacki” T-shirt, camped out in a lawn chair next to the recall committee members, and began his own campaigning.

Lois LaRue, a critic of the councilwoman who stopped by the table, was infuriated when Bacharach yelled that the recallers were lying. She called the Lomita Sheriff’s Station and accused Bacharach of disturbing the peace. When deputies refused to press charges, LaRue tried to place Bacharach under citizen’s arrest.

The matter is closed as far as the Sheriff’s Department is concerned. But don’t be so sure.

“I expect that there will be people at other supermarkets with petitions,” Bacharach says, “and I anticipate that I will be there too.”

TIMBER!: If a row of trees falls in the middle of Hawthorne, do they make a noise?

Yup.

Residents protested vehemently when the city axed six mature ficus trees in April to ease Hawthorne Boulevard business owners’ complaints that leaf-laden branches were blocking views of their signs. Worse still, the trees came down during national Earth Day celebrations.

How will the city handle this conundrum?

Six new trees will go where the ficuses once stood. Not just any trees, but potted crape myrtles, which have tiny purple flowers and lose their leaves in the winter.

“It’s the kind of tree you can see through,” said Joe Miller, the city’s economic development director.

ZERO-SCAPE: Torrance city officials had envisioned a refurbished Anza Avenue lined with pink-flowered shrubs.

But although $96,000 has been spent on the project, Anza Avenue is by no means abloom. Instead of the expected pink-flowered plantings, there are just bare soil and wood chips along the parkways that line the street.

Six small signs politely explain the situation to passersby: “Planting delayed due to drought.” Lying dormant is a sprinkler system installed to water the no-show shrubs.

The barren Anza Avenue borders from 190th Street to Del Amo Boulevard are the first victims of a new Torrance water-conservation program under which new plantings along city streets will be postponed until the water crisis is over.

CATALINA CAT: You’ve heard about statues being erected for generals and presidents and other two-legged heroes, but the city of Avalon is breaking new ground with a $2,800 statue of a cat.

The foot-high bronze sculpture will be installed this summer on the city pier. It honors a black-and-white tabby named Leroy, who was the mascot of the community before he died earlier this year. He was roughly two decades old.

During his heyday, Leroy would sit in store windows or stroll around Catalina with the authority of a Wrigley--the family that once owned the island.

And Leroy was no fan of the hordes of tourists who invade the island during the summer months, said Neva Jennings, president of the Avalon Humane Society. He said it best himself in a book written by Elizabeth Greison that is purportedly in the cat’s own words:

“I try never to be around in the afternoons during the summers, as the tourists are insufferable. They don’t know what it’s like for a cat like myself to walk through the jungle of their bare and oft times hairy legs.”

LAST WEEK’S HIGHLIGHTS

Gardena: The Normandie Club got permission to install a 60-foot-high, Las Vegas-style sign that can be seen from the Harbor Freeway. The poker club says the neon sign, twice as large as the current sign, is needed to compete with the Bicycle Club in Bell Gardens and the Commerce Casino in Commerce. The council also approved salary increases of 3.5% to 5% for nearly all city employees.

Hawthorne: The City Council completed two public hearings on the proposed $58.7-million budget for 1991-92 but put off final adoption until July 8 because of the absence of Councilman David York.

Hermosa Beach: The city announced a crackdown on speeding bicyclists on The Strand that will include ticketing those exceeding the 10-m.p.h. limit. Police estimate that as many as half of all cyclists pedal above the limit.

Inglewood: The City Council agreed to spend $18,000 to help pay for a gathering of Porsche owners at Hollywood Park racetrack in the fall, but some council members questioned an effort by the city to participate in next year’s Rose Bowl Parade. The parade committee has notified the city that it is the next city on the list for the coveted right to put a float in the parade.

Lawndale: Less than a month after council members insisted that they would eliminate travel costs to help balance the budget, the City Council adopted a $7.1-million spending plan that set aside $14,000 for council travel. “Just because it’s in doesn’t mean we have to use it,” said Councilwoman Carol Norman.

Redondo Beach: The City Council approved a $56-million budget for the fiscal year beginning July 1. To avoid a $1.85-million deficit, the council signed off on numerous spending cuts.

THIS WEEK’S HIGHLIGHTS

Carson: The city Redevelopment Agency is to vote Tuesday on an agreement with Carson Mall Partners that would grant the mall owners an exclusive right to negotiate with Ikea, the world’s largest furniture retailer.

El Segundo: The City Council will hold a special session on its proposed $39.6-million budget for 1991-92 on Monday at 7 p.m.

Inglewood: The City Council will consider raising the transit occupancy tax for hotel and motel guests from 10% to 12%. Also, the council will consider raising its apartment rental tax from $10 per unit to $20, as well as boosting all other business taxes by 10%.

Lawndale: The Los Angeles County Transportation Commission will present details of the proposed Green Line light-rail system to the City Council.

Redondo Beach: City Council to hold a public hearing on what to do with 66 parcels of land along Freeman Boulevard. Homeowners in the area have treated the right of way as their own, but city officials recently discovered that it belonged to the city.

Torrance: City Council to hold a public hearing and vote on whether to renew Mobil Oil Corp. franchise for four small-scale crude-oil pipelines. The city has deferred a decision on Mobil’s request to expand its major pipeline, linking the refinery to Kern County oil fields.

MEETINGS THIS WEEK

Avalon: 7 p.m. Tuesday, 209 Metropole Ave. 510-0220. Televised live on Channel 3 (Catalina Cable) and repeated Saturday morning.

Carson: 6 p.m. Tuesday, 701 E. Carson St. 830-7600. Televised at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday on Channel 26 (Continental Cablevision) and repeated the following Wednesday.

El Segundo: 7 p.m. Tuesday, 350 Main St. 322-4670. Televised live on Channel 22 (Paragon) and repeated at noon Wednesday.

Lawndale: 7 p.m. Wednesday, 14717 Burin Ave. 973-4321. Televised live on Channel 60 and repeated several times during the week.

Lomita: 7 p.m. Monday, 24300 Narbonne Ave. 325-7170. No cable telecasts.

Los Angeles: 10 a.m. Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday at 200 N. Spring St., Los Angeles. In San Pedro, 548-7637; in Wilmington, 548-7586; in Harbor City/Harbor Gateway, 548-7664; in Westchester, 641-4717. Televised live on Channel 35; meetings repeated individually at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday and collectively on Sunday starting at 10 a.m.

Manhattan Beach: 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, 1400 Highland Ave. 545-5621. Televised on Channel 3 (MultiVision) at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday.

Rancho Palos Verdes: 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Hesse Park, 29201 Hawthorne Blvd. 377-0360. Televised live on Channel 3; repeated at 7:30 p.m. the following Tuesday.

Redondo Beach: 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, 415 Diamond St. 372-1171. Televised live on Channel 8 (Century); repeated at 3 p.m. Wednesday and 6 p.m. Sunday.

Torrance: 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, 3031 Torrance Blvd. 618-5880. Televised live on Channel 22 (Paragon), and replayed at 10 p.m. Wednesdays and Thursdays, and at 10 a.m., 3 p.m. and 8 p.m. on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.