Money Trail: How can Ventura afford to...

Money Trail: How can Ventura afford to spend $4 million on a bike trail (B1) when it can’t keep its libraries open? . . . City Councilman Gary Tuttle says he hears such a question “every time we try to spend money on anything in this city. . . . We gotta fund the libraries just so we can do something else around here.” . . . The trail is a tourism investment, Tuttle says. Without tourism, “we won’t be able to fund anything, not to mention the libraries.”

Big Hopper: The Clinton administration today will unveil priorities for the Endangered Species List (A3), and a Ventura County native has jumped to the top. . . . The California red-legged frog once ranged from Humboldt County to Mexico, but Ventura County is now the southernmost home for concentrations of the big amphibian. Found along the Santa Clara River and in drainages in Los Padres National Forest, the red-legged frog was the original jumping frog of Calaveras County.

Surprise: Mark Reber of Thousand Oaks filmed a commercial for a design school class and, being a whimsical and self-promotional kind of guy, sent it to the prestigious Clio Awards advertising contest. . . . And he won. The 28-year-old Scottish clan enthusiast used some historical re-enactors for a spot in which King Arthur uses WD-40 to get Excalibur out of the rock. . . . Now the enterprising young huckster hopes to put the statuette to good use: to help him get a job.

Food Drive: Ever had the urge to stick some creamed corn in the mail? Saturday’s the day. . . . The National Assn. of Letter Carriers is sponsoring its fifth annual food drive. Put some canned or sealed nonperishable food in a bag by your mailbox Saturday, just before usual delivery time. The goods will be distributed by Food Share Inc. For info, call 983-7100.