The Los Angeles Times has always been the Phil Rizzuto of big-city dailies, a “homer” that can’t help but root for the locals. In 1934, the paper claimed that “no place on Earth offers greater security to life and greater freedom from natural disasters than Southern California” – and it still hasn’t run a retraction. And when the paper’s blinkered gaze falls upon our fair city, it’s obvious the Times is not a-changin’. In an October 17 “Southern California Living” think piece – certainly an inherent contradiction – the paper posits L.A. as the cultural center of the universe, citing personal testimony from an actor and a producer who says, “It’s all coming from here, whether it’s the porn industry or surfwear.” New York can live without such base businesses, but an October 8 article claims, “There’s room for two cities on the U.S. fashion map.” Fighting words! Alas, the challenge was inspired by L.A. mayor Richard Riordan’s appearance at “CaliforniaMart.” But the final insult was calling the Hamptons “a glitzy metaphor for the ‘90s infatuation with celebrity, status, and new money.” Now, what city does that remind us of?