MOUNTAIN LOW: President Clinton’s 1996 budget proposal...

MOUNTAIN LOW: President Clinton’s 1996 budget proposal of $3 million to acquire land for the Santa Monica Mountains is one of the lowest amounts ever for the recreational area. But it’s no surprise to supporters of the 150,000 acres of parkland. . . . Funding has steadily decreased during the last 15 years (B4).

EXPENSIVE BABE: Babe Ruth would have been 100 years old Monday, but some people just don’t have any respect for age. . . . “We had some kids come in with $5 asking, ‘Do you have any Babe Ruth cards?’ ” said Zak Lowe, who works at an Agoura Hills baseball card outlet. The cards, when they are stocked, run from $200 to $1,000, Lowe said. “I usually tell them that we’re out,” Lowe confessed. “It will kind of get them bummed out if they know they’ll never be able to afford one.”

LONG COMMUTE: When Hughes Aircraft’s West Hills division relocated to Tucson, employee Jack Freeman, above, went with it--and so did wife Elaine. But there was a problem: Elaine Freeman’s consulting firm was back in Thousand Oaks. . . . So now Elaine spends $120 a week in air fare and rents a room during the week in Thousand Oaks. Corporate downsizing has led to many two-city marriages, even though setting up a second household can create myriad challenges. See Valley Business, Page 3.

UPGRADES: With fewer contracts for new military equipment, Litton Industries in Woodland Hills is banking on a Pentagon program to upgrade old equipment with new technology. . . . As one analyst said: “If you can’t afford a new car, maybe you buy a new stereo or tires.” See Valley Business, Page 12.

ANIMAL INSTINCT: Bob Barker will give a little back to the Valley. . . . “The Price Is Right” host, who got his first radio job in North Hollywood, will donate $2 million to fund local spay and neuter clinics, including two possible Valley sites. The grants will be awarded by the DJ & T Foundation in Beverly Hills.