Emmys Too Hot a Ticket for Fan of ‘West Wing’

Los Angeles Mayor James K. Hahn rooted for his favorite television show, “West Wing,” to do well at the Emmy Awards last week, but he ended up doing so from his home in San Pedro instead of an orchestra seat at the Shrine Auditorium.

Hahn’s office said before last week’s Emmy Awards that the mayor would attend. And then, hours later, came word that he would not attend after all.

It turns out the first notice was sent out to the press before the Los Angeles Ethics Commission had a chance to weigh in on the issue.

The panel’s staff advised Hahn at the 11th hour that he could not accept free tickets from the Emmy Awards because he had recently signed a $40,000 waiver of city fees for the show.

City law prohibits receiving gifts worth more than $100 from a restricted source, which is someone materially benefiting from an action taken by the official in the previous nine months.

With Emmy tickets valued at $400 to $1,700, Hahn could have gone only if he had paid the difference between the fair market value and the $100 limitation, said LeeAnn Pelham, executive director of the Ethics Commission.

When asked why Hahn decided not to attend, a spokeswoman cited illness in the family.

Maybe it was an allergic reaction to paying $1,600 for a ticket.

Davis Gives Reporters a ‘West Wing’ Break

As the annual Sacramento bill-signing frenzy draws to a close, Gov. Gray Davis, his staff and the Capitol press corps are growing weary.

So one day last week, administration officials promised reporters a treat: an early exit, no late bombshells landing right at deadline.

In an e-mail, press secretary Steve Maviglio revealed a second purpose behind his thoughtful gesture: to allow reporters to get “ready for the season premiere of ‘The West Wing.’ ”

First Lady Sharon Davis no doubt endorsed the move. The NBC drama is her favorite show. Because her husband hopes to wind up there?

No. Because it’s “inspiring” and “captures the conflicts that arise in decision-making.”

Aides say the guv’s a fan too.

Cry in San Francisco: ‘Reelect Gore’

It’s been two years since George W. Bush was declared the victor over Al Gore in a trouble-plagued election, but Gore’s supporters in California are not letting the controversy rest.

That was clear when Gore spoke last week in San Francisco, a staunchly Democratic city in this strongly Democratic state.

When he arrived, a group in the fourth row took up an a cappella chorus of “Hail to the Chief.” Gore smiled then, clowning around, threw back his arms with an expression on his face like, “What are ya gonna do?”

A voice in the crowd called out, “Who is that idiot and what is he doing in Al Gore’s house?” The ex-veep threw back his head with an expression of mock shock as if to say, “Yikes!”

After he finished, the session was thrown open for questions. One of the audience members began, “Had you been elected president ...” at which point someone shouted out, “He was!”

The audience erupted into cheers and applause and many in the crowd took up the chant, “He was! He was! He was!” Another voice shouted, “Reelect Gore!”

“I love this group!” Gore exclaimed. “It’s great to be back in California.”

California Party Fun Includes Air Guitar

About 500 wistful Californians and Golden State wannabes swarmed Washington’s Capitol Hill Club last week for the annual “California Party,” hosted by Reps. Dana Rohrabacher of Huntington Beach and David Dreier of San Dimas.

Entertaining amid inflatable palm trees, beach balls and cacti were Dean Torrence, half of the twosome Jan & Dean; guitarist extraordinaire Jeff “Skunk” Baxter, and members of the original Beach Boys’ backup band.

On the menu was sushi, Mexican food and aged agave tequila. Rohrabacher’s wife, Rhonda, DJ’d for dancers downstairs while Australian Ambassador Michael Thawley judged an air-guitar contest upstairs.

The winner: Rohrabacher spokesman Aaron Lewis, who gyrated to Baxter’s rendition of “Johnny B. Goode.”

Secession Leader Was Improperly Registered

Gene La Pietra, the leader of the Hollywood secession campaign, was improperly registered to vote for a decade at the address of a disco he owns in Hollywood rather than at his residence, which is required by law.

La Pietra, who has given $1.4 million to the secession effort so far and hopes to be Hollywood’s first mayor, says he was told by a private attorney, who has since died, that registering to vote at a business office is allowable in cases where personal security is at risk.

In 1992 there was a series of violent robberies of Hollywood nightclub owners, including an incident in which a neighbor of La Pietra was taken to the club by a robber while an acquaintance held the owner’s family hostage, La Pietra said.

“I chose to register at my place of employment,” La Pietra said, referring to the address for Circus Disco.

La Pietra said the police urged him to change all his public records to remove his residential address, and an attorney confirmed that the action was legal.

Bad advice, says Kris Heffron of the Los Angeles County registrar-recorder’s office, who said voters are required by law to register to vote with the residential address.

“We don’t allow a registration from a business address,” Heffron said.

If a voter has personal safety concerns, he or she should request that the residential address be kept confidential, not register at a business address, Heffron said. In running for Hollywood City Council, he re-registered to vote using his residential address on July 24.

Heffron said it is unlikely that her office would act because La Pietra is complying with the law.

Andrew Glazier of the anti-secession group HALO said it was a sign of La Pietra’s arrogance.

“It’s politics as usual. He thinks he is above the law,” Glazier said.

Underwear Auction to Fuel Campaign

Hollywood City Council candidate Angelyne, whose curvaceous figure adorns billboards all over Los Angeles, has come across a potentially effective way to finance her campaign: She plans to auction off her underwear.

In a telephone interview, Angelyne said sales are “great.” But she wouldn’t say how much the campaign had raised, responding only: “It’s sort of a gauche subject for me. I don’t think it’s good luck to tabulate....”

Asked what size an autographed Angelyne bra is, she said she had them specially made because her waist and torso are so small and her bosom, well, isn’t.

“You know what you should do? You should buy one and measure!” she added.

Points taken:

* An Orange County judge ruled that a Huntington Beach city attorney candidate left the most important word off her campaign literature: for. The signs for Jennifer McGrath simply said her name and the office she’s seeking. Leaving out “for” between the two was deceptive, ruled Superior Court Judge James P. Gray. Plenty of other candidates use sparse campaign verbiage (Seen those Bill Simon/governor signs?). But McGrath, a deputy city attorney who has her boss’ endorsement, didn’t appeal the decision lest a higher court agree, creating a new rule for candidates statewide.

* Missouri may be the “show me” state, but politicians there apparently see California as the “show me the money” state. Some weeks after Missouri Republican senatorial candidate Jim Talent came west for a fund-raiser, his Democratic opponent, Sen. Jean Carnahan, will be here this week. Carnahan’s reelection campaign is benefiting from a fund-raiser to be hosted in Los Angeles by the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee and Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.). The Oct. 5 event at a private home is expected to draw a large Hollywood crowd.

* The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors has ordered the registrar to hold mock elections to work out any kinks that might exist in the county’s touch screen voting system. The decision came after such problems plagued Florida’s Democratic primary Sept. 10.

* Downtown Los Angeles developer Ira Yellin recently died, but his name will live on in a very public way if Councilwoman Jan Perry has her way. Perry has asked the council to name the intersection of 3rd Street and Broadway as “Ira Yellin Square.”

You Can Quote Me

“It may well be that they are sensing that this isn’t going to win and they prefer not to have this loss on their resume.”

--Political scientist Sherry Bebitch Jeffe talking about the decision of political consulting firm Goddard Claussen to resign last week from the San Fernando Valley and Hollywood secession campaigns.

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Taking aim at a weapon: Los Angeles City Councilman Nate Holden examines a sniper rifle as Councilman Tom LaBonge looks on before a preliminary vote by the council to ban the sale and civilian possession of .50-caliber rifles, which are used by SWAT police officers and members of the military.

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Nita Lelyveld, Jenifer Warren, Mark Z. Barabak and Jean O. Pasco contributed to this week’s column. Patt Morrison is on vacation.