Nation’s Gaze at Baseball Could Affect S.F. Rebound

When baseball tries again this afternoon to play the World Series at Candlestick Park, the image sent across the land by television cameras could help dictate how quickly the San Francisco area lures back the tourists essential to recovery from the deadly Oct. 17 earthquake.

Conventions and tourists are crucial to the economy of San Francisco, which is no longer the financial center of the West Coast and has even lost its status as the Bay Area’s largest city to San Jose. A trouble-free game is being counted on by mayor Art Agnos and others to persuade travelers the city is once again a safe and fun place to visit.

“We are ready,” Agnos said Thursday. “The World Series will go on as if nothing had happened. I think that the city is back. People are ready to resume life as normal.”

The first line of offense in San Francisco’s campaign to persuade travelers to return is Candlestick itself, the oldest major league baseball park in use on the West Coast. Agnos and stadium officials said structural inspections have found the park is in fine shape and would be safe if another quake hits.

“God forbid anything happens,” Agnos said at a stadium news conference Thursday. “But if it does, this (Candlestick) is the best place to be.”

At the news conference, baseball commissioner Francis T. (Fay) Vincent announced a $1.4 million gift to quake relief efforts. Each major league team would contribute $50,000, with the San Francisco Giants and Oakland Athletics--the World Series rivals--each giving $100,000.

The gift will go toward helping defray the costs of earthquake aid, which has mounted in the 10 days since the 7.1-magnitude quake centered near Santa Cruz. Officials know of at least $7 billion in property damage, plus untold costs for police, fire, rescue and medical care and the lost wages of workers whose jobs vanished in the quake. At least 63 people have died.

President Bush, at the White House, signed a bill that would provide up to $3.45 billion in aid for earthquake victims. The bill passed Congress Wednesday.

At Candlestick Thursday, the Giants worked out before reporters under sunny skies while officials sought to prepare the public for the game. Fifteen structural engineers and three architects have inspected the ballpark since the 7.1 magnitude quake and concluded it to be safe, stadium manager John Lind said.

“We’ve put the (safety) issue behind us,” he said.

Two concrete staircases that were cracked in last week’s quake have been rebuilt--using concrete that dries in four hours. Damage was found in the concrete covers over only three of the 91 steel girder A-frames that support the stadium, said Jerry Anderson, a San Francisco architect retained by the city who led reporters on a tour Thursday.

Towers Checked

Anderson said a steeplejack checked each of the nine light towers--which many spectators said swayed dramatically during the quake--and shook every one of the 75 to 100 lights in each tower.

“Hey, we made sure,” said Anderson.

Afternoon traffic in the Bay Area was more congested Thursday than earlier in the week, when many commuters turned to transit or stayed home. “It’s bad all over--people are going back to their cars,” California Highway Patrol Sgt. Jim Mattos said.

To help speed traffic this afternoon, fans were asked to arrive two hours early and be in their seats by 5 p.m. There will be a moment of silence at 5:04 p.m., the same minute that the quake struck. The game is scheduled to start at 5:31 p.m.

Trucks will be parked at gates to accept donations of food, and turnstiles will have pre-addressed envelopes for checks for earthquake victims. Boy Scouts will accept the donations.

Efforts were also made to make the stadium safer in the event there is another quake. All 350 ushers and security guards were equipped with flashlights in case the lights go out. If the power does fail, it should take eight minutes to restore the lights using backup sources. Fans should wait for instructions on the public-address system, which is now connected to a diesel-powered backup generator, Lind said.

The World Series would cross the bay to the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum if the sixth or seventh games are needed, and Oakland Mayor Lionel Wilson said the stadium is ready.

“Our stadium is in good shape,” Wilson said. “We suffered little or no damage.”

One potential conflict appeared resolved Thursday when the Rolling Stones agreed to delay their scheduled concerts at the Oakland Coliseum if necessary to accommodate baseball.

Concert promoter Bill Graham had said earlier that five days were required to prepare the stadium for the Stones’ Nov. 4 and Nov. 5 concerts. But the crews would not have the alloted time if the World Series lasts six or seven games, which would be played Oct. 31 and Nov. 1.

But after a meeting Thursday, Graham said that the Stones--who are on a national concert tour--would keep to their schedule if the sixth game is played. The Oakland concerts would be delayed one day each if the seventh series game is played. If rain delays the games the concerts may be canceled.

(The World Series lasts only as long as needed for one team to win four games. The Athletics had won the first two games before the series was disrupted.)

The quake came at an especially bad time for the San Francisco economy. October is typically the busiest month for conventions in San Francisco, and with the World Series in town most hotels were full. Many visitors had to stay as far away as San Jose, about 50 miles from San Francisco, said Mark House, an associate with Laventhol and Horwath, an accounting and consulting firm that analyzes the hotel industry.

But many travelers fled after the Oct. 17 quake, and analysts estimate that San Francisco hotels are at about 70% capacity now.

Seven conventions are under way now (two others have been postponed). But business remains off by 50% to 85% at Fisherman’s Wharf, the tourist area on the bay front that suffered very little physical damage. “You could shoot a cannon through the wharf area,” said Alessandro Baccari, executive secretary of the Fisherman’s Wharf Assn.

He said that as many as half of the 30,000 people who work in the wharf area may be laid off if business doesn’t improve soon. The San Francisco Convention and Visitors Bureau says that 8 of every 10 visitors end up at Fisherman’s Wharf.

October is usually the busiest month at Maxwell’s, but the restaurant has laid off about 40 employees since the quake.

“All of a sudden you could get a table by the window any night,” general manager Carl Nardi said. “Business is picking up slowly. We’re starting to get reservations for the weekend so we’re beginning to feel more comfortable. But we still have a long way to go.”

45% Full

The Marriott Hotel near the wharf was booked on Oct. 17, the evening of the quake, but now is only 45% full. Bob Darchi, director of marketing, said he doesn’t expect business to pick up before the slow season begins around Thanksgiving.

“We’ve had no structural damage at all, and the city’s OK,” Darchi said. “But people outside San Francisco think the whole city’s in ruins so they’re staying away.”

On Pier 39, another popular waterfront tourist area, business is down about 30%, said Kathy Paver, vice president of marketing. Neptune’s Palace, which usually serves about 250 dinners a night, served only 80 Wednesday night.

“But there’s no reason for it,” said Anthony Worley, director of operations for Neptune’s and other Pier 39 eateries. “We’ve had no damage. We’re hoping that as people watch the World Series they’ll realize San Francisco is wide open.”

There were signs of a revival. Tours to the former prison on Alcatraz Island are expected to resume Tuesday. And department stores said their sales were picking up--”a little lighter than normal but a lot better than last week,” said William Goulet, vice president of Gump’s.

Parking garages in the downtown shopping district that had seemed deserted the last 10 days also are coming to life, a sign of normalcy. Rudy Guiterrez, manager of Union Square garage, said he usually sees 3,000 cars a day. Since the quake, only about 300 cars a day came in, but Thursday the number rose to about 1,500.

And plans continued for this Saturday night’s 10th annual Exotic Erotic Halloween Ball, an offbeat fixture of autumn in San Francisco. Spokesman J.S. Gilbert said a large crowd is expected. “The weekend is important in the sense that people are looking for a release, an opportunity to go out and enjoy themselves,” he said Thursday.”

The number of missing and presumed dead under the collapsed double-deck portion of the Nimitz Freeway in Oakland was reduced to two people Thursday, Oakland Police Capt. Jim Hahn said. Four listed as missing were found since Wednesday--including one man who was AWOL from the Navy.

Hahn said automobiles belonging to the last two suspected victims were found in the freeway ruins. He said there was “a good possibility” their bodies would be found.

Demolition Begins

In Santa Cruz, demolition began of historic buildings in the devastated downtown Pacific Garden Mall.

And in Watsonville officials remained concerned about the health of families living outside in tents rather than in Red Cross shelters. Many are illegal alien workers who apparently fear they will become entangled with federal authorities by going to the shelters.

But the Immigration and Naturalization Service in Washington said it will not seek information on illegal workers from relief agencies. The INS also said that aliens who receive assistance as a result of the quake will not be barred from obtaining legal residence.

Contributing to this story was Times staff writer Ronald L. Soble.

The following Times staff members contributed to earthquake coverage. In Oakland: Stephanie Chavez, Ashley Dunn and George Ramos. In San Francisco: Ronald L. Soble, Charisse Jones, Norma Kaufman and Tracy Wilkinson. In Santa Cruz: Charles Hillinger. In Los Angeles: Myrna Oliver.

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