SOFA SEARCH: In the city’s efforts to...

SOFA SEARCH: In the city’s efforts to prevent mayhem in Huntington Beach on July 4, code enforcement officers will scour downtown Monday for discarded furniture, boxes and newspapers. . . . They want to remove combustible items that revelers may be tempted to ignite. Last year, crowds set sofas and the like afire. Said Councilman Ralph Bauer: “This eliminates the kinds of things that can be fueled for the fire and it also cleans up the neighborhood.”

MAKING AIRWAVES: Competition for the Vietnamese audience has heated up with the arrival of Vietnam California Radio (VNCR). . . . The new program is on 106.3 FM from noon to 4 p.m. weekdays. The Garden Grove station seeks to give Little Saigon Radio, the only other Vietnamese-language daily radio station, a run for its money. Said VNCR’s Dieu Le: “We live in a society that welcomes competition, and it only benefits the Vietnamese community to have choices.”

HEROIC WORDS: Fourth of July festivities at the Big A will feature a salute to local and national heroes, including U.S. Air Force Capt. Scott O’Grady, who will appear via video. . . . “He taped a special Fourth of July message for the fans of Anaheim and we’re pretty excited about that,” said Angels spokesman John Sevano. Several firefighters and a sheriff’s deputy will also be honored. The Angels face the Toronto Blue Jays.

SLIPPERY THIEF: Golfers at Leisure World in Seal Beach got a surprise last week when a diver in a wet suit emerged from a nearby lake with a load of golf balls. He told a group of curious golfers that he had a contract with the course to retrieve errant, but valuable, balls. They shrugged, but employees say the red-bearded man is an elusive golf ball thief. “It’s the second time we didn’t catch the bugger,” said Howard McCurdy, a Leisure World official.