When the applause died down after a...

When the applause died down after a solo by trumpeter Ashley Williams, several people at the Spring Swing festival in Pasadena ran for the exit.

“The bandstand was situated next to a parking structure, three or four stories high,” explained spokeswoman Maria Hoffman. “When Ashley hit a high note, about 10 to 20 car alarms went off.”

As we mentioned Wednesday, the city of Rancho Palos Verdes is upset over a resident who refused to apply for a permit before displaying an earth sculpture of a nude woman above Hawthorne Boulevard.

The controversy recalls in many ways the saga of the “Pink Lady of Malibu.” The 60-foot-tall painting of a naked maiden appeared in 1966 above the tunnel on Malibu Canyon Road.

Spectators gathered by the hundreds to gaze at the dancing figure and admire the acrobatic artistry of its creator, a Northridge artist who had hung by ropes attached to trees higher up the hill.

But officialdom viewed the “Pink Lady” as a trespasser on county property. Workers first tried to blow her away with high-powered hoses. Then they applied paint remover, which only darkened her rosy complexion.

“Just paint a bikini on her,” one spectator suggested as a compromise. Petitions were circulated in her support.

Alas, as The Times’ Jack Smith wrote, county workers eventually armed themselves with spray guns and, “like insects,” crawled over “her ears, her lips, her shoulders, her bosom, her hips, her knees, inch by inch masking her flesh. . . .”

As for the “Naked Lady of Rancho Palos Verdes,” Bob Benard, the city’s environmental services director, said he’s heard arguments on both sides over the crucial permit. But, sensitive as these times are, he’s heard only one objection over the “content” of the earthy sculpture.

He declined to say whether it came from a Moral Majority type objecting to the nudity, a feminist objecting to the exploitation, a dermatologist objecting to the idea of lying in the sun all day, or, perhaps, a swimsuit salesman fearing a trend.

Don’t fax me--I’ll fax you:

Two years ago, Assemblyman Richard Katz proposed making unsolicited fax ads a misdemeanor. The bill was so watered down in the state Senate that the Sylmar Democrat allowed it to die.

The issue is back in the news now that Anaheim businessman Jim Morrissey has filed suit in small claims court against a computer consultant who advertises by fax. Morrissey wants $5 in damages, explaining “it’s the principle.”

Eleven states outlaw unsolicited faxes. A survey taken by California’s Public Utilities Commission found that 79% of those polled felt that fax senders should obtain written permission before transmitting unrequested material.

Katz says that he’s considering reintroducing his bill. “It’s absurd that (the recipient) absorbs all the costs of their (senders’) marketing,” he said (via telephone).

If the litigious Walt Disney Co., whose latest suit is against 123 retailers and distributors, wants to update the jingle for the “Mickey Mouse Club” TV show, it could begin this way:

M-I-C

SEE you in court!

K-E-Y

WHY? Because we’re suing you!

miscelLAny:

L.A. City Councilman Ernani Bernardi once led a Big-Band group called “Noni Bernardi and His Orchestra.”