Faced with the sometimes choppy waters of ethnic politics, the Los Angeles City Council on Wednesday could have used the navigating prowess of Christopher Columbus and the negotiating skills of Cesar Chavez. The touchy issue at hand: whether to allow 2,000 city employees to take Cesar Chavez Day as a paid city holiday instead of Columbus Day. The proposal drew a storm of protest from the Italian American community, including a letter of opposition signed by former Dodger Manager Tommy Lasorda, actor Joe Mantegna and Democratic strategist Joe Cerrell, among others. Italian Americans do not oppose declaring Cesar Chavez's birthday...