You can buy your ‘Free Willy’ fan a whale of a gift--with a price tag to match.

MOMMY, HOW MUCH IS. . . ?: No, kids. You can’t have that whale in the window, even if it did appear in Warner Bros.’ hit movie “Free Willy.”

That’s because the fiberglass, 20-foot whale hanging from the ceiling of The Sea gift shop in San Pedro has a price tag of--are you ready, Mom and Dad?--$8,000.

Young fans of the movie probably would not want it anyway if they knew The Sea’s replica wasn’t the mechanical whale used in several scenes in the movie. Warner Bros. used The Sea’s whale as a prop depicting a directional sign at the theme park from which Willy the whale is kidnaped.

But to the dozen or so children who, over the past two weeks, have dragged their parents into the store, the lifelike whale is a sight to behold.

“It has generated some interest,” said store manager Lynne Hansen. “It’s been sort of word of mouth. People, primarily those with children, will come in and say ‘That’s the whale that was used in the movie.’ ”

And if the kids have their hearts set on taking home something whalelike, there are two fiberglass dolphins on display. The smaller one is on sale for just $698.

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POINT TAKEN: Electrical contractor Robert Schmiedeke wanted to make a point at a recent Hawthorne City Council meeting.

During a portion of the meeting left open for public comments, the civic activist handed council members copies of a computer graphic showing a pointed index finger with the letters “B.S.” emblazoned on the palm.

“B.S. means bad solutions,” Schmiedeke explained. The council members ignored him.

The self-proclaimed gadfly then railed against a proposed utility users tax (which was defeated later that night) and the city’s support of a developer’s plan to build an apparel mart in the city.

Later, Schmiedeke acknowledged that he likes making fun of the council.

“I don’t think they are crooks,” he said. “But as I look at them, I wonder.”

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COLOR ME BAD: After a monthlong summer recess, the state Senate was shocked back into session last week by presiding officer Ralph C. Dills, a Gardena Democrat, who was wearing a Day Glo green jacket and tie with a modest white shirt.

At one point, state Sen. Don Rogers (R-Tehachapi) jokingly asked Dills if he had filed an environmental impact report to wear the brightly colored outfit. Dills, known for his eye-popping wardrobe, responded: “You’re out of order.”

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TOP GUNS: Four Hermosa Beach police officers took home six medals in the World Police and Fire Games’ shooting competition in Colorado earlier this month.

The event drew 6,000 officers and firefighters from across the globe. The pistol events require officers to run through a course, shooting at targets at varying distances. The games, which test both speed and accuracy, replicate what officers experience in the field.

Hermosa Beach Police Officer Joe Gaines won a gold medal for placing first in the overall marksman category and another for placing first in the Master class. His brother, Officer Garth Gaines, won a silver medal for placing second in another class. Both men, along with Officers Dean Menart and Matthew Cahn, won a gold medal in the four-man team shooting competition. Their team also won a gold medal in the overall team marksmanship category.

The Gaines brothers are patrol officers who also conduct weapons training for fellow officers. Menart is a detective working on a special drug task force with Redondo Beach police. Cahn recently left the department for a job with Huntington Beach police.

Hermosa Beach Cmdr. Michael Lavin said that he knew his officers were excellent marksmen, but he was surprised they did so well considering they come from a small department (34 officers) that can’t afford to sponsor a team in the competition. The officers paid their own way.

“It says a lot about the type of police officer we have working here,” Lavin said. “They have a lot of initiative.”

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“What we are seeing here is the beginning effort to get involved in mainstream politics.”

--Enrique de la Cruz, assistant director of UCLA’s Asian-American Studies Center, on Filipino-Americans’ growing political power.

LAST WEEK’S HIGHLIGHTS

Redondo Beach: The Planning Commission on Thursday unanimously approved plans for a mixed-use development at 1840 S. Pacific Coast Highway that would combine 203 residential units with retail shops and a health club.

San Pedro: The Los Angeles City Council has halted plans to redesign a softball field at Bogdanovich Recreation Center. Councilman Rudy Svorinich Jr. had urged the council to stop the plan, saying the city would save an estimated $85,000 in costs for grading and lighting the field.

THIS WEEK’S HIGHLIGHTS

Hermosa Beach: Concerns about helicopter noise and safety will be discussed Monday at a meeting sponsored by the Federal Aviation Administration and the Los Angeles Basin Helicopter and Community Compatibility Board. The meeting will be at 7 p.m. at the Hermosa Beach Kiwanis building, 2215 Valley Drive. The meeting is one of several the agencies have scheduled throughout the region.

Redondo Beach: City Atty. Jerry Goddard is seeking information on how a controversial political letter by Police Chief Roger Moulton was distributed to voters just days before the June election. The letter, which appeared under the city seal in violation of city codes, endorsed candidate Greg Hill, who was elected to the council. Moulton has been disciplined for releasing the letter to a local newspaper in his official capacity. Goddard said the investigation is an attempt to determine who is responsible for disseminating the letter as campaign literature. Moulton has not been implicated in the distribution of the letter, Goddard said.

Hawthorne: The 10th annual Hawthorne Air Faire takes off Aug. 28 and 29 at Hawthorne Municipal Airport with a visit from an astronaut and cosmonaut and plenty of military, antique, and classic aircraft and cars on display. Lt. Gen. Thomas Stafford, an Apollo astronaut, and Maj. Gen. Alexi Leonov, who was with the former Soviet Union’s Soyuz program, will tour the show. Information: (310) 970-7216.