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

Baseball gave $1.4 million toward quake relief Thursday and prepared to try again to play the World Series at Candlestick Park, but it is the gaze of network television cameras this afternoon that could decide how quickly the San Francisco area is able to lure back the tourists and recover from the deadly October 17 earthquake.

The gift from all 26 major league teams was announced by commissioner Francis T. (Fay) Vincent at a Candlestick Park news conference with the mayors of San Francisco, Oakland and Los Gatos and a city official from Santa Cruz.

San Francisco mayor Art Agnos praised the gift, but he stressed the importance of his city putting on a good face to the national television audience. Tourists and conventions 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.

“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 the park is in fine shape for the game.

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

Fifteen structural engineers and three architects have inspected the ball park 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 stair cases 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 retianed by the city who led reporters on a tour Thursday.

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.

To help speed traffic, 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 preaddressed 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 dark. 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 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 accomodate 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.

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

However, Graham said if rain delays the baseball games the Oakland concerts may have to be cancelled.

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 vistors had to stay as far away as San Jose, 60 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 October 17 quake, and analysts estimate that San Francisco hotels are at about 70% capacity now.

Seven conventions are underway now (two others have been postponded). 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 Association.

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 ends up at Fisherman’s Wharf.

October is usually the busiet 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 begining to feel more comfortable. But we still have a long way to go.”

The Marriot hotel near the wharf was booked on October 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 not 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 national park at the former Alcatraz Island prison 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.

And plans continued for this Saturday night’s 10th annual Exotic Erotic Halloween Ball, a regular Halloween affair. 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.”

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

“Our hearts go out to the victims and we are hopeful that this action, taken with great speed and compassion by the Congress, will send a signal that all of us, crossing party lines, care very much about this,” Bush said in a meeting with California congressional leaders.

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.

Not counting that pair, there have been 63 confirmed deaths from the quake.

Traffic became heavier in the Bay Area Thursday, but no severe snags developed. Toll collections resumed on the Golden Gate Bridge on Thursday, partly to defray the loss of $107,300 a day in income and partly to discourage commuting by solo drivers.

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 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, D.C., said it will not seek information of 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.