Tom Bradley, criticized for leaving L.A. to...

Tom Bradley, criticized for leaving L.A. to fly to Asia, didn’t have such an uplifting return, either. As he was flying in, his car was towed away from LAX--by the airport police, not the LAPD.

His driver had illegally parked it at the curb.

“Our strict security measures (instituted during the Persian Gulf crisis) are still in effect,” said airport spokeswoman Diane Reesman.

The mayor didn’t have to hitchhike. Reesman said airport personnel drove him to the lot where his car was being held prisoner.

We hate to bring it up, but Bradley’s car was towed from the Tom Bradley International Terminal.

City Council members dress respectably and generally behave themselves in public. So they were initially taken aback to receive invitations for an appearance by Gov. Pete Wilson that had a line drawn through the portion that said “Reception” (see photo).

Some council aides talked of boycotting the event, which is the official opening of Wilson’s L.A. office next week.

But there was no snub, a spokesman for the governor said.

“It was a misprint,” the spokesman said. “There is no reception.”

To show how cost-conscious the governor is, Wilson’s office just crossed out the line rather than printing up new invitations.

“It’s still kind of tacky,” said Michele St. Clair, an aide to Councilwoman Joy Picus.

The invites, by the way, contained a second boo-boo, referring to the “Ronald Reagan State Office Building.” As the builders themselves revealed when that edifice was dedicated, the word office was purposely omitted from the name. They didn’t want it to become known as the “Reagan SOB.”

In his “L.A. Musical History Tour,” author Art Fein lists such rock ‘n’ roll landmarks as Barney’s Beanery in West Hollywood, where legend has it that Janis Joplin “hit Jim Morrison with a Southern Comfort bottle.” Since Fein asks for contributions for a second edition, we humbly offer these:

1. The world’s first rock seance at Ren-Mar Studios, Hollywood. Jimi Hendrix’ spirit failed to appear.

2. Michael Jackson’s hair catching on fire during a commercial taping at the Shrine Auditorium.

3. The unusual cancellation of a Sports Arena concert by the group Poison, whose hits include “Open Up and Say Ah.” Reason: Its lead singer had bruised vocal chords.

4. The 15-mile-long traffic jam caused by disc jockey Rick Dees, who broadcast his show from a Ventura Freeway overpass in Encino. He offered $100 prizes to any motorist who heard Dees describe his or her car and then doubled back to Dees’ mobile unit.

5. Hawthorne High, where Beach Boy Brian Wilson was given a failing grade in music composition for the song that later became “Surfin’ USA.”

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Boy Scout Troop No. 1 of Van Nuys, founded in 1913 and sponsored for all 78 years by the First United Methodist Church of Van Nuys, is the oldest troop west of the Mississippi.