| | Published August 1st, 2012
| Letters to the Editor
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Editor:
Best Use of Our Police?
This morning I was standing next to my car in the parking lot of Rancho Laguna Park around 9:20 in the morning and was talking to a young woman about her plans of an upcoming trip to Budapest. In the middle of our discussion a young policeman came up to us, rudely interrupting our conversation and asked me, "Sir, are you familiar with the Municipal Code?" I thought it was a trick question. Then I realized he was talking about off-leash hours. I answered him that dogs are allowed off leash before nine and after six. That's right, he said but you sir didn't put your dog on leash until 9:03AM. I didn't know how he would know that, but since I had my back to the parking lot around nine, I didn't see the police car driving in, he must have seen me putting the leash on my dog a few minutes late. I
suggested that if we were all remiss just by a few minutes in observing our municipal codes, how great that would be. He advised me that he will not give me a ticket this time, however he asked me for all my personal information. I felt sorry for the young officer, we all get from time to time dumb assignments and I thought this was one of those examples. To send out two squad cars to hassle Moraga citizens in Rancho Laguna Park because they are three minutes late putting their dog on leash is a waste of police
time.
Laszlo G. Bonnyay
Moraga
Editor:
- On Saturday, June 30th, I showed the Lafayette PD the exact location of a fire pit in the creek.
- There were also benches, garbage cans, bottles, shovels and tables in this location.
- On Monday, the park department cleaned up some of the mess but not the fire pit.
- On July 14, there was a large fire in another area of the park. Captain Caravantes of the fire department told me that they were lucky that the fire did not get away from them. He called for assistance and a 12,000 gallon tanker came to help put out the fire. If that tanker could not stop the fire, they would not be able to stop it. There would not be enough water. A large tree was burned down.
- After that fire, the park department pushed all the debris into the creek right on top of a tadpole habitat with live tadpoles.
- So we have just increased the pollution in the creek.
Currently, there is uncontrolled serious crime (lighting fires) being committed in the park.
There were rusty paint cans floating in the creek along with old tennis balls, beer cans, cigarettes butts and more.
So we have uncontrolled crime, plus pollution in the creek.
I have been told by members of the park department that they do not have the manpower or money to protect the creek from these crimes or to stop the pollution. For example, car tires have been in the creek for a long time and never picked up. The fire pit is still there.
While all this is going on, there is an agenda to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars to build a BMX park which will increase the number of people that will be coming to this area.
I believe, if we increase the number of people to an area that currently cannot be properly patrolled by the police and is already polluted, we will only increase the crimes committed in this park and increase the pollution.
It is time to stop funding this boondoggle.
John Briggs
Lafayette
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Lamorinda Weekly, Moraga CA