1990: A RETROSPECTIVE : ARRIVALS

No arrival was more anxiously awaited, or more enthusiastically received, than that of anti-apartheid leader Nelson Mandela. The long-imprisoned South African, on an eight-city tour of the U.S., addressed thousands on the steps of City Hall and at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

When USC trustees said they were engaged in a nationwide search for a new president, they meant it. Geographically speaking, they couldn’t have gone much further than to select Steven B. Sample, eight-year president of the State University of New York campus at Buffalo.

Another newcomer from New York is ex-Mets outfielder Darryl Strawberry, a Los Angeles native who signed a mega-contract with the Dodgers to begin in 1991. The Los Angeles Lakers also went more than a few miles to replace head coach Pat Riley. Their choice: Mike Dunleavy, 36, an assistant with the Milwaukee Bucks.

Finally, there was the apparent arrival of a new city--Malibu. After years of bickering with county officials, voters of the celebrity-studded seaside community approved a ballot measure to incorporate. Despite efforts by the Board of Supervisors to stall the plan, most are betting that Malibu will officially become a city in early 1991.