a muzzle on Rosendahl
Even before Airport Park had its grand opening on April 29 — marking the first new city built park in 24 years — the buzz surrounding the 8.3-acre expanse centered squarely on its dog park, a feature local residents pushed city officials to include. But a funny thing happened on the way to doggie nirvana.
Enter LA City Councilman Bill Rosendahl, who represents West LA residents just a bone’s throw from the new open space. Over the weekend, the councilman spearheaded a community protest of the park and its perceived exclusivity. The dog park, which has a maximum capacity for 45 off-leash dogs at a time, is currently reserved solely for Santa Monica residents and their registered canines. Having footed the considerable bill for the park, Santa Monica voters and city officials wanted to be assured that no city taxpayers would be turned away due to an influx of outsiders. Fair enough.
Meanwhile, Rosendahl has been busy stirring the pot, even attempting to lead a throng of dog owners and their pets into the lion’s den in protest. His idea was to defiantly march into the doggie park and demand change, facing possible arrest if it came to that. However, when it came to his Jerry Maguire-esque “Who’s coming with me?” plea, most of the “outraged” protesters just shrugged and looked the other way.
Surely there is room to appease both Santa Monica pet owners and their West LA brethren, and the fact that there is nary a monitor at the park to determine who is using it would seem to invite all those with leash in hand to enjoy it. But the councilman’s obvious political grandstanding has left neighbors barking at one another and less inclined to work out a compromise. Santa Monica’s city manager, P. Lamont Ewell, wrote to the Daily Press this week calling out Rosendahl for being impatient in allowing the city to assess the community’s needs following the park’s opening, and readers have blasted the LA councilman for not doing more in his own district rather than griping about what happens in Santa Monica.
While the needs of Santa Monica pet owners should take precedence, a compromise can be struck with relative ease by limiting the number of non-resident dog owners to 10 or so during the park’s busiest times. Considering there were exactly two dogs in the dog tract on Wednesday afternoon, accommodating some non-residents shouldn’t pose much difficulty.
While we can’t solve all the region’s problems, as Ewell stated, our city leaders often pat themselves on the back for being regional leaders, an altruistic goal that should be both celebrated and consistent. Finding a quick and muted resolution to the dog park controversy would not only reinforce that sensibility, but also show they are the bigger leaders.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on May 10, 2007. Read the original PDF.