Big scissors to fill

The Los Angeles County supervisors used to have five giant ceremonial scissors — one each — for ribbon-cuttings and other essential events in the life of a district elected official. Only two remain, "closely guarded implements, ferried to events in custom-crafted cases and quickly packed away once the TV cameras have gone home." Says Randy Bittner, one of the keepers: "We have to more or less guard them now. The guys never take their eyes off them.” The county's Internal Services Division works out an East Los Angeles hangar. Read more.