Your Letters

Off Leash

I am replying to Jim Wood’s very naive opinion (POV, “Leashing Out,” February) about the off-leash dog walking issue in Marin and in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. The Crissy Field Dog Group has been working on this GGNRA dog management plan issue for 15 years, hired an attorney from a prominent law firm to work on our behalf, and has worked constructively with the Marin Humane Society and the SFSPCA as well as the three-county congressional delegation. In short, there are designated areas for people to walk their dogs off leash in Marin County, and by and large, it works well. Yes, there are a few very irresponsible dog owners who let their dogs misbehave and ruin it for us all. There are many other mitigation measures that the GGNRA can use to protect natural resources such as good fencing and signage. This is not a dogs-versus- the-environment issue. MARTHA WALTERS, CO-FOUNDER AND CHAIR, CRISSY FIELD DOG GROUP

Jim Wood, your editorial, with its long list of sites where the rules require leashes or don’t allow dogs at all, makes the case for maintaining or increasing what little off-leash access does exist in Marin. With so many people wanting to enjoy the trails and fire roads in the various open space districts with their pets, we need more access, not less. No one is advocating for the unregulated roaming of dogs all over public lands. No one. But with respect to the GGNRA, the ask is very reasonable. Enforce the existing and already strict rules of the 1979 Pet Policy that are already in place. LAURA PANDAPAS, MUIR BEACH

Jim, your article detailing Marin’s dog rules avoids directly identifying the real problem — that a large minority of dog owners do not believe these rules apply to them. Willful disobedience of leash laws is readily visible on most trails throughout the county. As a runner, I politely object every time an unleashed dog nips at my heels or causes me to break stride, but I rarely get an apology. Instead, I’m usually met with open defiance. FRED W. CLOUGH, MILL VALLEY

Different Memory

A story in your December issue (Currents, “Sigmon’s Call”) says the SigAlert is named for a 1940s-era Los Angeles radio reporter, Loyd Sigmon. I lived in Los Angeles from 1948 to 1963 and I have a different recollection. In the early and mid-1950s, the Signal Hill Police Department reported traffic tie-ups to a Los Angeles TV station in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. Signal Hill Police Department traffic alerts eventually became simply SigAlerts. STAN HELFMAN, MILL VALLEY

Not Cool

Your February publication shows a full-page picture (Currents, “Keeping It Cool”) of some of the regular flooding in Mill Valley, trumpeting that Marin County is “ahead of the game.” According to your article, being ahead means planning to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, which will achieve nothing whether or not it happens. Regardless, beyond the feel-good ideas, what is the county actually doing about the flooding? Having government workers stand in the rain and direct traffic around these new wetlands is not a good long-term plan. Is there a proposal to divert or restrain the water? Is anyone at the helm? DAN PISENTI, MILL VALLEY

Article Power

Such a nice article from Tim Porter (On the Job, February). Thank you for featuring this in your snazzy magazine. I’ve already received many positive comments from individuals about the article in just the first day. Your story may create social changes in our county. Already someone has contacted me regarding helping a nonprofit start a music program for a school in San Rafael for English Learner children; such is the power of media. PHOEBE DONG, NOVATO

Correction

In our Tastemakers 2016 article (February) we incorrectly listed Natale Cardamone as the owner of Piazza D’Angelo. He is the general manager.


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