[Editor’s Note: Here is an alert letter that activist Jeannine Stehlin directed to many of her friends and acquaintances across the community.]
Dear Friends,
The “Dogs in Culver City Parks” issue is back.
You may remember that you signed a “No Dogs in Culver City Parks” petition in 2005. At that time, we submitted to the City Council and Commissioners a petition of over 300 signatures of Culver City residents who felt strongly that dogs didn’t belong in the parks.
The City Council agreed with us and voted no on this issue, thus ending a year-long ordeal, and finally putting the issue to rest.
Or so we thought.
Well, you may be surprised to find this issue back on the agenda for next Tuesday’s Parks and Recreation Commission meeting. That’s because a new member of the City Council directed the commission to look into the matter again.
Why the ordinance shouldn't be changed:
In talking with neighbors and petition-signers, several themes bubbled to the surface.
The strongest argument for me was the safety of the children.
People overwhelmingly didn’t want strange dogs sharing already crowded park space with their children. They wanted their kids to feel safe when they play in the parks, free to play without the fear of a dog bite. They were concerned about children playing in the same places where dogs are urinating and defecating.
We already know that Culver City is a land-locked community with precious little public park space. Almost every single inch of every single park is already being used by tots on the playgrounds, organized sports teams, school kids and physical education classes in the parks adjacent to the schools, picnickers, yoga practitioners, school kids, theatre performances, party go’ers, and people just relaxing and hanging out.
In our public space-strapped city, there is just no room for dogs in the parks. And we know that there is no additional money for poop cleanup.
As a former owner of many, many dogs, I understand how attractive our Culver City parks look, especially in the eyes of the dogs. But the parks are already maxed out for people.
Please recommend to the City Council that the Culver City Ordinance remain firmly in place: no dogs in Culver City Parks.
Please help!
If you still believe, as we do, that our current ordinance of “No Dogs in Parks” should stand, please attend Tuesday’s 7 o’clock Parks and Recreation meeting in Council Chambers at City Hall and tell the commissioners.
Or, if you can't attend, please contact the Parks and Recreation Commission and the City Council. Tell them you don't support a change in the ordinance.
Please voice your concerns.
Parks and Rec Commission email: http://www.culvercity.org/gov/emailus.asp
Meeting info:
NOTICE OF IMPORTANT AGENDA ITEMS AT AN UPCOMING PARKS, RECREATION &COMMUNTIY SERVICES (PRCS) COMMISSION MEETING
ON DECEMBER 2, 2008 AT 7 P.M. IN THE M COUNCIL CHAMBERS, the PRCS COMMISSION will discuss:
(1) CONSIDERATION OF A RECOMMENDATION TO CITY COUNCIL REGARDING ALLOWING DOGS IN CULVER CITY PARKS;
(2) CONSIDERATION OF A RECOMMENDATION TO CITY COUNCIL OF DESIGNATED DOG PATHS WITHIN CULVER CITY PARK; and
(3) CONSIDERATION OF A RECOMMENDATION TO CITY COUNCIL REGARDING THE DEVELOPMENT AND MANAGEMENT OF AN ARCHERY RANGE AT CULVER CITY PARK BY THE ARCHERY UNIVERSITY GROUP.
Any interested person is invited to comment on these Commission Agenda items. Council Chambers, City Hall, 9770 Culver Blvd. The Council Chambers are accessible to disabled persons. Public parking is available in the parking structure beneath City Hall, accessible on Duquesne Avenue.
Other items may precede these agenda items. PRCS Commission meetings can be viewed live on Channel 35 by Time Warner subscribers and via webcast at the City’s website www.culvercity.org. For more information, contact Patrick Reynolds, Parks Division Manager at patrick.reynolds@culvercity.org or (310) 253-6470.
You can also contact the City Council members directly:
D. Scott Malsin …………………………. 310.398.3183
Mayor …………………………scott.malsin@culvercity.org
Gary Silbiger ……………………………. 310.837.2667
Vice Mayor……………………gary.silbiger@culvercity.org
Christopher Armenta ………………….. 310.720.2831
Councilmember ……christopher.armenta@culvercity.org
Micheál O’Leary ………………………… 310. 720.2805
Councilmember ………… micheal.oleary@culvercity.org
Andrew Weissman …………………….. 310.839.5217
Councilmember …….. andrew.weissman@culvercity.org
Original ordinance:
The original Culver City Ordinance 0.10.55A, adopted in 1965, states that dogs are not permitted in Culver City Parks.
Addendums
The ordinance has two fairly recent addendums. One was to legally permit dogs to be in the Culver City park for dogs, called the Bone Yard, and the other was Amendment 9.10.600: to permit a Pooch Path in Culver West. The Culver Park residents specifically asked for a pooch path. These addendums make sense to me because they addressed certain issues.
Original Petition:
To the Parks and Recreation Commission:
We are Culver City residents who are concerned about the safety and well-being of our children. Our parks should be the one place that children and their families feel that they can safely play. For the safety of our children and other park users, the Culver City parks should remain as they are, free from dogs,
leashed or otherwise. We petition that we do not want dogs in our parks. We do not want any changes made to the Culver City dog ordinance 9.10.55A.
A copy of the petition, by the way, was entered into public records…
Thanks to all, and please contact me if you have any questions.
Jeannine Stehlin may be contacted at jwiz@earthlink.net
