FIRST OFF . . .

Fresh from an 18-day working tour of the Soviet Union, San Diego Mayor Maureen O’Connor has announced a tentative agreement with the Soviet Ministry of Culture for a major Soviet arts festival in San Diego as early as next year. Among the festival’s possible attractions: exhibits of ancient icons from the Georgian Museum of Fine Art in Tbilisi and six priceless Faberge eggs, plus a joint performance of Mussorgsky’s “Boris Godounov” by Soviet singers and the San Diego Opera. “We did in two weeks what usually takes two years,” O’Connor said upon her return to San Diego on Tuesday night. “This was a crossroads for the city. It means we are going from an also-ran city to a cultural power.” O’Connor said Soviet cultural officials steered her south from established Moscow and Leningrad attractions to Georgia, a folk art and music center. The festival will be financed by San Diego’s hotel room tax and by private donations, including a $1-million donation from philanthropist and San Diego Padres owner Joan Kroc.