Clear Skies Signal Return to Normal

Ah . . . finally a sunny weekend, a dry, refreshing breeze. No more puddle-jumping through the grocery store parking lot. Time to play ball, garden, run around the park. Put that umbrella back on the closet shelf, open the windows and air out the house.

Throughout the San Fernando Valley on Saturday, the first dose of clear weekend weather in weeks signaled a bustling return to life-as-usual in Southern California. Cyclists and skaters hit the streets. Homeowners hauled out their junk and opened up for garage-sale business. A line formed at the carwash again.

“It’s beautiful weather. I came to the park with my son and I love it,” said David Esfahani, 63, who was riding bikes with his 10-year-old son, Ashkan, at Balboa Park.

The mostly sunny and warmer weather will be back today, with temperatures hovering in the upper 60s and low 70s, said Kris Farnsworth of WeatherData, which provides forecasts for The Times.

The warm weather dried out the playing field at Paxton Park enough for members of two Valley gangs--intent on keeping up a 15-month-old truce--finally to hold their twice rain-delayed football game.

“I’ve been staying inside. There really is nothing you can do when it’s raining,” said former gang member Rudy Davila, 31, as he looked out on the slightly soggy--but not muddy--Paxton Park field. “Everyone has been anxious for the game.”

But for some, the clear skies have translated to rain on their parades.

The recent rainy weather was a boon for food delivery services, cabbies and anyone else whose services help people to stay out of the rain.

“We go bananas here,” said Masoud Jamneshan, manager of Domino’s Pizza in Canoga Park, during the storm last week. “I have to bring in more drivers when it rains.”

“It was like gangbusters last night,” said a pleased Bob Bordeleau, manager of Valley Cab Co. during a midweek downpour. “More cars break down and people get tired of waiting in the rain for the bus.”

And of course tow-truck drivers profited from Angelenos’ notorious reputation for thinking they can cruise through flooded intersections and speed on rain-slicked streets without consequence.

“People don’t drive as cautiously as they should in the rain, and that means more accidents,” said Nancy Roberts, office manager for Y & L Towing in Van Nuys. “We’ve been pretty busy all month.”

Street repair workers also found personal enrichment in the torrents.

“When we get heavy storms, we go into 12-hour shifts,” Russ Snyder, a spokesman for Caltrans, said. “It’s kind of mandatory for the workers, but they do get paid overtime.”

Surprisingly, all the rain was only a wash for one sandbag manufacturer.

Many of the thousands of bags filled this month to ward away the water came from year-old stock, said Alvin Lanfeld, president of Friedman Bag Co. in Los Angeles, a major sandbag maker.

In 1993, government officials placed a huge order for bags after the floods of 1992 and the fires in 1993. But rainfall last year was below normal, and the bags have been in a warehouse for months.

When big rains finally hit this month, the old inventory was simply brought out of storage.

And spring bag sales aren’t looking very bright either. Lanfeld said crop damage brought on by the floods will reduce demand, because there won’t be fruits and vegetables to bag.

“In the end, it will all wash out,” Lanfeld said, pun intended. “But we would like to return to our normal rain cycle.”

Although lawns and shrubs love the rain, few people ventured to the nurseries last week. Brian Brubaker, manager of Armstrong Garden Center in Northridge, said business has been bad this month. “Only the crazy customers come out thinking no one else will be there, and they’re probably right,” he said.

But Saturday the weekend gardeners were back, gently placing pony packs of pansies and pots of geraniums in their carts at Green Thumb Nursery and Hardware in Canoga Park.

“I’ve been dying to get out and clean up the yard, but I couldn’t do anything with the rain,” said Jack Townsend of West Hills, who was looking for a colorful plant. “I got up early today and I’ve been at work ever since.”