Hermosa Beach Useful Parks

02/28/2019

Hermosa Beach residents are complaining about their city going to the dogs.

Hermosa Beach is launching new efforts to remind dog owners to clean up after their pets.

02/28/2019

Dog defecation and urination remains after pet owners pick up after their dogs.

02/28/2019

2019 Useful Parks Update: How are Hermosa parks progressing?

As many of you know I like dogs very much, except for perhaps the small, uncontrollably yappy ones. In fact I grew up with a fun-loving black lab. Even so, I believe, as does Manhattan Beach and Santa Monica, that some city parks should have grass free of pet p**p. Hermosa, however, saves no parks for its residents and instead permits all parks to be used as litter boxes for dogs.

A primary argument of people in favor of allowing dogs to defecate and urinate in all parks is that dog owners generally pick up (what they can) after their dog(s) do their business. As can be seen in my video, https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=2264012163687764, the evidence is clear that this IS the case, for the most part. However, what they leave behind is just as bad as what they pick up. I wouldn't recommend spending any time in Hermosa parks either individually or with your children. Of course with your dog its fine; just watch out where you’re walking.

Delma Blough
Lynn Sanders-Statham
Laurie Chassler Peterson

02/28/2019

Cleaning up after your pet doesn't solve anything ...

Besides being unpleasant to the nose and eyes, pet waste has been identified as a source of water pollution that can cause a health hazard for swimmers, surfers, and others in the ocean. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) says pet waste contributes nitrogen, phosphorus, parasites and bac...

02/28/2019

"Pet waste is a major source of water pollution and a potential health hazard." - City Manager John Jalili

The "Here's the Scoop: For Cleaner Feet, Streets and Water" campaign will kick off at the Third Annual Pets in the Park event on May 5.

10/16/2015

Here is the email I received from a commissioner in response to my new proposals:

HI Roel- Thank you for your continued interest in the issue. I look forward to your support of the proposal that was unanimously passed at the last Parks & Rec meeting. It was very clear at the meeting that the majority of residents don't want more regulations and agree that education and enforcement are key in "Keeping Hermosa Hermosa" - allowing all residents to enjoy the parks in Hermosa. If you are looking for a place to exercise, the beach and school grounds are both pet-free zones.
Thanks again, Maureen

10/16/2015

And here's a proposal that allows dogs to use half of the park, https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BxtzkW9MoBXDRVJsVzduYVJpWG8/. OK, I'm done with proposals for a while, now I'm off to ask the commission and residents which one they like the most.

10/16/2015

I wrote a second proposal last week that covers only Noble Park and allows dogs in the park but not on the grass. The feedback I've gotten so far is that dog owner's may prefer a park that is divided in half rather than split according to terrain. Initially I thought that a split by terrain would be more intuitive and cost effective but perhaps not, especially considering the negligible cost of signs - not that we want a lot of signs in the park of course. I'll post a proposal in the next couple days that allows dogs to p**p in half of the park (and that doesn't contain the potentially offensive term "litter box"). https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BxtzkW9MoBXDT0kwckxoMjUzLTA/view?usp=sharing

Also, I sent this proposal to all five park commissioners and left a message for Maureen, but haven't heard back yet.

10/16/2015

After several months of not visiting Noble Park due to dog p**p I was yearning to exercise outside again. This particular day I was hopeful that my experience would be more enjoyable than months past. At first the grass looked fairly clean so I put down my towel. However, as I began exercising I began to notice the stains where dog p**p had been dutifully picked up. There were other areas where grass had been ripped up slightly in an attempt to completely remove the p**p. And there were a couple areas that still had small pieces of p**p that had been missed by the dogs' owners, which I too had missed at first.

The rain (or rather lack thereof, since we live in a desert) had not diminished the presence of p**p. Apparently neither had the sprinklers. I reluctantly cut short my exercise and walked home as I wondered whether dogs have more rights than we do in our parks. I figured at least I'm not on a leash.

10/07/2015

*** Hermosa Beach Vetos Cleaning Up Its Act ***


Tonight was the big night. Apparently many residents were alerted to the Park and Recreation Commission's discussion of dog p**p tonight. Two hours were given to discussing the subject of a proposal to limit park p**p. Even the Parks & Rec Commission itself brought forth a (self-disclaimed) pre-emptive counterproposal. Here’s the agenda, http://hermosabeach.granicus.com/GeneratedAgendaViewer.php… . The original proposal is 8.C. Attachment A. Only 3 of the 5 Parks & Rec Commissioners were in attendance, and unfortunately they each voted no on the p**p-free proposal. The whole thing was broadcasted live to our residents. (Par for the course for commission meetings I guess.)

After the meeting, I spoke with some of the most vocal opponents to discuss how we can work together to make Hermosa Beach's parks more useful. I will be working with these residents and the commission in the coming months to find a compromise between the existing regulations and my proposal (which I thought was already a compromise). Many, including Sue Uzzo and Joel Sprague (http://hermosabeach.granicus.com/MetaViewer.php… and http://hermosabeach.granicus.com/MetaViewer.php… respectively), are proposing a segregation of some parks.

I believe the residents of Hermosa Beach can find an answer to their concerns of keeping Hermosa dog-friendly while at the same time ensuring that their parks do not continue to serve as the litter boxes of its canines.

Please keep your comments coming. I love to hear everyone's opinion!

Regards,
Roel

04/14/2015

What do you think of this proposal for Hermosa Beach parks?