DOG DAYS: Critics say county government is...

DOG DAYS: Critics say county government is going to the dogs, but this is ridiculous: Supervisor Mike Antonovich held his first adopt-a-pet session before Tuesday’s board meeting. Among the critters up for adoption: two precious kittens--one black, one white. . . . “See,� Antonovich said, holding one in each arm, “They believe in love, not war.� No word on whether the diverse pair have found a home yet.

CASTING CALL: The L.A. City Council has endorsed a plan to give away the kind of publicity only money can buy. They’ve agreed to study Valley Councilman Hal Bernson’s idea to shame “Johns� who frequent prostitutes. The idea? Show their photos on the city’s cable channel. . . . But city attorneys are worried about lawsuits (B4).

MUG SHOT: You’ve seen the photo, maybe hundreds of them over the years: Sheriff Sherman Block clutching a plaque and smiling. . . . Now, we know why. He was following a bit of sage advice from former Supervisor Kenneth Hahn. Block passed it on during a photo op at the dedication of the remodeled Santa Clarita Sheriff’s Station this week. “The first advice Kenny ever gave me was always put your hand on the plaque,� Block said. “Then they can’t cut you out of the picture.�

GUNPLAY: Police hurried to the Metrolink tracks in Northridge on Tuesday, expecting to find a guy with a gun. Make that a guy with a “high-powered rifle with cross hairs,� according to the police radio. Turns out the “rifle� was really a pump action BB gun. The gun was legal, but the guy was not. . . . He was arrested on multiple misdemeanor warrants.

RUSH: Wonder what little bro Erik Menendez meant when he testified Tuesday he felt a “rush� after killing his parents (B4)? . . . Case Detective Les Zoeller says he’s already eliminated one definition: “I didn’t take it to mean he was in a hurry.�