CLINTON WATCH : California Dreamin’

Not everyone thinks that recession-plagued Southern California is a great place to relax. Tourism here dropped last summer. Happily, two who plan to buck that trend are Bill and Hillary Clinton. The Clintons are expected to be frequent visitors in a Summerland beachfront house bought at least partly for the purpose by Hollywood producers and fellow Arkansans Harry Thomason and Linda Bloodworth-Thomason.

Summerland, south of Santa Barbara, is a relaxed corner of California, a good place to listen to the surf and let the cares of the world slip away. On the other hand, during the final minutes of their flight westward, the Clintons will fly over black neighborhoods of Los Angeles where teen-age unemployment stands at 42.6%. From the coast highway that leads from Point Mugu to their new retreat, they will be able to see “special agricultural workers” in the fields doing back-breaking work for the minimum wage. If a wealthy friend with a yacht (there are, yes, a few constants in presidential life) takes them for a cruise, they will be able to view Channel Island wildlife refuges that might be threatened by further offshore drilling. California expects a moderately rainy winter, but the Clintons’ retreat lies in an area that has known severe drought.

No one hopes more than we that the new President gets all the rest and recreation he needs, but as Shakespeare put it, uneasy lies the head that wears the crown. Cares pursue a President. We confess to a secret hope that at least a few, well-screened California cares may crash the Summerland gate.