City Hall’s crackdown on one woman’s effort to rid Santa Monica of dog doo-doo is, well, a load of crap.
The Daily Press reported earlier this week on Valerie Hiss’ noble efforts to offer a convenient — and free — option for dog owners to pick up after their pets. The native Santa Monican has spent $5,000 of her own money over the past three years providing residents throughout the city with “doggie house” dispensers. The modest structures are basically small bird houses that are filled with disposable, plastic bags and are attached to trees in neighborhoods that extend from the northern section of the city to the southern end. About 60 residents have requested the houses since Hiss hatched the idea in 2002.
But after her efforts were made public, a lone resident made a stink about the houses being attached to trees and complained to City Hall. Officials from the open space management division stepped in and have ordered Hiss to remove the dispensers.
Apparently, there’s an ordinance that prohibits people from placing objects on trees. Officials say their concern is for the trees and if someone complains, it’s their duty to address it. They also argue that if Hiss is allowed to place objects on trees, it sets a precedent for others to do the same.
Yet, in the three years Hiss has been offering the service — something we feel the city should be doing anyway, since it claims to be so “sustainable” — there has been no surge of objects being attached to trees. The lone exception might be those hanging swings spotted on dozens of trees outside homes north of Montana Avenue. But somehow, those don’t fall under the realm of enforcement.
Who in their right mind would complain about pet owners picking up dog poop in front of their house? Is a bird house attached to a tree so offensive or environmentally wrong that pounds of feces going into the Pacific Ocean is better?
City officials say there is little that can be done, short of having residents agree to place the dispensers on their own property, away from the public right of way and not on trees. We doubt residents would agree to allowing strangers onto their property to grab a plastic bag, and therefore, is not a good enough solution.
Common sense needs to prevail here. Allowing the doggie houses to remain is, by far, the lesser of two evils, with dog feces being a major contributor to high bacteria and pollution levels in the Santa Monica Bay. And if City Hall can’t find a way to help reduce that pollution, they should at least allow Hiss to plug away at it. Hers was truly a grassroots effort that shouldn’t be thwarted because of some bureaucratic policy. Officials need to either let it go or find a plausible alternative for Hiss and her fellow pet owners.
Not only should Hiss be commended for her efforts, but City Hall ought to take the torch and lead the effort from this point on. Other cities have placed dispensers throughout their borders, spending tens of thousands of dollars. In turn, they have reported a dramatic decline in unattended dog poop. City officials ought to check with other cities that have set such a precedent.
We understand there are challenges to this program in Santa Monica. City officials attempted to place a dispenser at Clover Park a couple of years ago, but people stole the baggies. Somehow, Hiss and her fellow residents haven’t experienced that problem. In fact, Hiss reports that she has handed out more than 20,000 baggies to people requesting them.
City Hall needs to throw Hiss and her dog a bone. Cut the crap in Santa Monica.
