BRIEFLY : POLICE ARREST 2 MEN IN HOLDUP OF STORE.

NORTH HOLLYWOOD - Two men were arrested on suspicion of armed robbery Monday after one suspect posed as a security guard to rob a Home Base store while the other acted as lookout, police said.

The manager of the Home Base store at 12727 Sherman Way was unlocking the doors for employees at 5 a.m. when a man dressed in a security uniform followed him in and pulled a gun, Los Angeles Police Department spokesman David Martinez said.

While the staff took cover, the manager locked himself in a security camera room, where he called police for help.

While forcing two employees to open a safe, the suspect hit one worker over the head with his gun, Martinez said. Police arrived on the scene and first arrested the alleged lookout in the parking lot and later the suspect in the store.

The names of suspects and victims were unavailable, Martinez said. The man hit over the head was treated on the scene and released.

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Homeless agency gets program grant

The Los Angeles region's main homeless agency received a $44.9 million grant from the federal government Monday to advance wide-ranging programs designed to help the area's homeless re-enter mainstream society.

The Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, which is run jointly by the city and county, will divvy up the Housing and Urban Development award among nearly 75 local organizations that provide services to the homeless.

Vice President Al Gore and Housing Secretary Andrew Cuomo announced $865 million in grants nationally as part of a so-called Continuum of Care effort that moves beyond just offering emergency shelter to the homeless.

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County OKs curbs on billboard ads

Alcohol, tobacco and phone-sex advertising on billboards will be restricted in unincorporated areas of the county starting in February, under a decision made Monday by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors.

The panel approved a new ordinance banning such billboards within 1,000 feet of residential homes, schools, parks, playgrounds, recreational centers and churches. Supervisor Gloria Molina, who authored the ordinance, said she hopes other government agencies in Los Angeles County use the new law as a model.

``I am hoping to reduce the degree to which we make smoking, drinking and advertising sex attractive to minors,'' she said.

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Phoenix company buys Glendale mall

Vestar Development Co. of Phoenix has completed the purchase of the Glendale Fashion Center, clearing the way for a total rebuilding of the aging mall with 265,000 square feet of revamped retail space, officials announced Monday.

The center on Glendale Avenue, to be completed in early 1999, will feature a Barnes & Noble bookstore, Cost Plus, Staples, Longs Drug, Petco and other stores and restaurants including a California Pizza Kitchen.