Most positive that it is a grate lifter. The ones for manholes are beefier, but I recognize this as what came with every house I lived in in Southern California growing up int he 70’s. They open up the small rectangular boxes buried in the ground that have water valves or sometimes electricity/gas meters inside them.
Here’s the “basic version” for sale. Looks like this one was slightly modified, but I don’t think it did anything different.
