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Bay Briefs
SAN FRANCISCO — As the impact of last month’s terrorist attacks ripples through the Bay Area’s economy, communities from San Francisco to Monterey are mulling cuts to public programs and the possibility of furloughing some workers.
San Francisco, which like Santa Cruz and Monterey depends heavily on hotel taxes and tourist spending, could eliminate new programs such as hepatitis health education and tree planting. In San Jose, spending on parks, recreation programs, sewer maintenance and stop lights are under scrutiny.
Officials across the region are bracing for even worse times next fiscal year, which begins in July.
“The real question is how much money we’ll get for next year and how much we’ll be able to continue offering services,” said Matthew Hymel, San Francisco’s chief assistant controller.
Santa Cruz Mayor Tim Fitzmaurice sees trouble sooner than that.
“We might not have the money to do basic city business,” he said. “We see real trouble ahead if we’re not careful.”
SAN JOSE — A San Jose engineer seeking to hike America’s three premier trails in one year may accomplish his goal by week’s end.
On January 1, 2001, Brian Robinson embarked on his attempt to hike the Appalachian Trail, the Continental Divide Trail and the Pacific Crest Trail.
To finish the Appalachian Trail — the last of the trio he has to walk — Robinson must still hike Maine’s Mt. Katahdin. Barring bad weather, he hopes to trek the 118 miles left of the trail in six days, according to his Web site.
Robinson, 40, has already completed the Pacific Crest Trail and the Continental Divide Trail.
OAKLAND — A 14-month-old Pinole boy bitten by a rattlesnake in the backyard of his home was in stable condition Monday at Children’s Hospital.
The boy was moved from the intensive care unit to a regular room Monday morning, said hospital spokeswoman Carol Hyman.
The snake bit him Sunday on his right thumb, according to the Pinole Fire Department. Firefighters found the snake behind some garden pots and killed it.
Young, immature snakes, like the one that bit the boy, are particularly dangerous because they do not regulate how much venom they release in a single bite, said fire Capt. Brian Larry.
