BUSY SIGNAL: Who could blame County Administrative...

BUSY SIGNAL: Who could blame County Administrative Officer Ernie Schneider for canceling the Jan. 19 meeting of the county’s Regional Advisory and Planning Council? He’s been a little busy. Schneider wrote to its members this week that “my staff’s time has been largely devoted to . . . the county’s financial crisis.” But Schneider adds that he doesn’t consider the advisory and planning council--which gives cost-cutting advice to local governments--just another bureaucratic agency. . . . Serious discussion, he says, of its “future role (is) important and needs to occur.”

WAX INCLUDED? Santa Ana Unified School District’s freeze on funding new projects--due to the bond crisis--hits hard to students who want to attend an upcoming college prep seminar at Cal State Fullerton. Its four high schools need $100 each to assure their students can attend. . . . Trustee Sal Mendoza told students this week he’d pay $100 out of his own pocket “if you’ll wash my car.” One student took him up on it. The board voted to somehow find the rest of the money needed.

WET WELCOME: Assemblywoman Doris Allen (R-Cypress) is returning from Sacramento today, but not just to take a relaxing weekend away from the capital. The rains pummeling the county this month hit her where it hurts--at home. This is the first chance she’s had to return. . . . Says Allen: “My living room was flooded and so was my garage. Water even got inside my car.”

SORRY, WRONG NUMBER: It was sort of funny to some--but not to Westminster Councilwoman Margie L. Rice--that her telephone number was incorrectly listed on a newsletter sent out to households of all the city’s 80,000 residents. The phone number listed for her actually belonged to Craig Schweisinger--the former councilman she beat in a bitterly fought campaign. . . . City officials managed to paste over the error on some of the copies. Says a city spokeswoman: “Of all the mistakes that could happen, this was very unfortunate.”