[Editor’s Note: Cary Anderson, a Culver City parent, is a neighborhood activist who is known for capitalizing on his professional skills as a television camera operator by videoing scenes he finds worthy of protest. Last Monday at Culver City’s new Skateboard Park, he shot scenes of dozens of younger skaters flaunting safety rules by not wearing any of the three pieces of mandated equipment. Mr. Anderson carried his protest about the city’s alleged lack of enforcement to the City Council on Monday night. He was incensed by Mayor Alan Corlin’s observation that perhaps skaters could not afford to buy the equipment, and they should be given a pass. “We are not going to cite 5- or 10-year-olds,” Mr. Corlin said. “If their parents wanted them to have the equipment, they would. The skaters probably should be wearing safety equipment. But in the real world they don’t.”]
Skateboard equipment varies greatly in price.
But to follow Mayor Corlin's logic that MAYBE people can not afford a helmet and pads is a ludicrous reason to not enforce state law [Section 1, Section 21212 (a)].
Following Mr. Corlin's logic last Monday night, I guess anyone can drive in Culver City without state-mandated auto insurance because "they can't afford it"!
They can buy a car or skateboard, but can not afford insurance/helmet?
The thing about auto insurance, the police would have to make a traffic stop to determine if a person had insurance. It is an easy black and white issue at the skateboard park.
Looking the Other Way
Persons not wearing a helmet and pads are in violation.
Anyone driving by can see violations from the street. It is a no-brainer for enforcement.
Does the Culver City Police Dept. Park Patrol just look the other way when they drive by?
I guess it is politically incorrect in Culver City to enforce state law. That is the politics of Culver City.
The city built the Skateboard Park away from park supervision so that people driving by could see the skaters but not park employees up by the basketball courts.
Where Is the Vision?
City Councilman Gary Silbiger stated Monday night he wants to have staff at the Skateboard Park. As usual, the city probably built something and never budgeted a park employee to supervise. Does the Culver City Police Dept. Park Patrol just look the other way when they drive by?
When Culver City built the first skate park in 1999, the City Council said they would enforce the rules. What happened since those Council meetings?
Others cities have locked parks up when the skaters violated the rules. Probably will never happen in Culver City since Mr. Corlin basically wants to stick his head in the sand and ignore the posted rules and/or change them.
Where Was His Equipment?
Why does Culver City not have the fortitude for enforcement?
Vice Mayor Carol Gross told a story Monday night about seeing a father with a child jaywalking across Jefferson Boulevard to get to the skate park. She never mentioned if they had helmets and pads for the park. Ms. Gross never mentioned if the skaters in the skate park had on helmets. I guess she was looking the other way, just like the rest of the city.
Other cities have had serious, life threatening head injuries due to lack of enforcement. Just last week, in another city, a 12-year-old boy suffered serious head injuries and was unconscious with bleeding from the ears when paramedics arrived. The boy was not wearing a helmet. An earlier report listed him in critical condition. That skate park had opened Oct. 7. That city decided last Thursday night to keep the park closed until the end of November, until more improvements are made. The Town Manager had met vocal opposition to the use of helmets. Signs stating their required use have been taken down repeatedly.
Hostile Treatment
"A couple of times a day I was out there before the dedication telling kids to put on helmets," the Town Manager said. "I've been cussed at when I even tried to tell kids to put on helmets. Even parents were telling me how stupid it was."
What did Jerry Fulwood, the City Manager of Culver City, say on Monday night?
“We are working on it…”
“Joint meeting out at the park site…”
“Currently, they are working on a strategy…
“We are then the victim of our own success…”
Quit with the excuses.
Enforce the rules.
You don’t need meetings to enforce the rules.
The original park was built eight years ago, in 1999. Do
you mean to tell me after eight years Culver City has not figured out
enforcement?
The sign at the Culver City Skate Park clearly states:
"FAILURE TO COMPLY WITH PARK RULES AND REGULATIONS AS SET FORTH UNDER CCMC 9.10.300 (C) MAY RESULT IN A FINE, CITATION OR REMOVAL FROM THE PARK. THE SKATE PARK IS SUBJECT TO CLOSURE IN THE EVENT OF UNSAFE CONDITIONS…"
The sign at the skate park also says, "All skaters must wear a helmet, elbow pads and knee pads at all times while skating."
What did Mr. Corlin say on Monday night?
He said “… perhaps we should change the sign to say ‘We suggest you wear’ because that might do the same thing for us, covering us on the liability end."
At the exact same time on television the following was scrolling below Mr. Corlin on the screen.
“If you come to skate, you will need to bring and wear your helmet and pads. Safety is always a must!”
Talk about a typical Culver City mixed message. The screen said one thing, Mr. Corlin said another. Talk about George Orwellian doublespeak in the television age.
Prices Are Affordable
Back to the cost of safety.
Skateboards cost around $75 to $150-plus.
- Elbow pads: $10.
Knee pads: $15.
Helmets: $20.
I estimate $45 to be compliant with state law.
State law requires the city to institute a helmet/pads rule at the skate park. Therefore, the city cannot change the posted rules to say, “We suggest you wear,” as Mr. Corlin said.
The city should not expressly or implicitly agree not to enforce state law.
What kind of message does that send to the people of Culver City?
The city will look the other way while you violate the law?
Breaking the Law
In effect, Mr. Corlin sanctioned law violations. One speaker at the Council meeting called Culver City a “progressive city” while talking about the skate park. I guess that is doublespeak for Culver City will look the other way while you violate the law.
It is even known on the Internet that Culver City does not enforce their own rules!
“Helmet, knee pads, and elbow pads required but enforcement was not going on when we were at the park,” it said at one website.
Also on the same website, “At many public skate parks you can potentially get away without wearing safety gear…” Let me repeat that: “Get away without wearing safety gear.” All three pictures on the website showed skaters without helmets at the Culver City Skate Park.
Getting Soft
Talking about the use of helmets and pads, Mr. Corlin said, “We can always shoot for the helmets and pads. But I don’t see how you can mandate that.”
Culver City has a mandate: It has state law it has to follow. California has strong laws related to skating and helmets. Other states wish they had our laws, and they are trying to pass laws to protect people. Culver City ignores state laws. They post signs with no intentions of using them as a tool for enforcement. Culver City Municipal Code 9.10.300 is worthless.
Two years ago in Berkeley, its City Council encountered a situation similar to the one facing Culver City. A report from the city manager, Phil Kamlarz, to the City Council said skateboard park users wanted the city to stop enforcing the safety rules. On Dec.13, 2005, he told the Council: “State law requires the city to institute a helmet/pads rule at the skateboard park. Therefore, the city cannot repeal the ordinance and should not, expressly or implicitly, agree not to enforce it.”
The courts already have determined that Culver City violated the law with the Warner Lot.
The Paris Lesson
But that is the mentality of the city. They do what they want, when they want. To heck with the law. They have deep pockets(taxpayer money) to defend the city's actions in court.
Culver City suffered from Paris Hilton Syndrome on Monday. Some people think they are above the law. Do whatever you want. Y our rich parents(taxpayers) will fix it for you.
But remember what happened the last time with Paris. No amount of money could fix it for her.
Culver City needs to learn from that. But maybe they will be lucky also and no one will die. Luckily no one died from Paris's screw-up. But then again, if someone dies, Culver City always has deep pockets to make it go away.
Cary Anderson may be reached at caryanderson@ca.rr.com.
