By SUE PASCOE
Editor
More than 3,000 residents have signed a petition requesting a dog park in or near Pacific Palisades, according to resident Leslie Campbell, who is spearheading the drive.
Speaking at the Palisades Park Advisory Board (PAB) on May 4, she said she had met with Councilman Mike Bonin about a dog park. He agreed to look at two sites: the old YMCA swimming pool site owned by the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy (SMMC) and the area next to Potrero Park off PCH, below Via de las Olas bluffs.
According to Campbell, Bonin said that staffer Sharon Shapiro will do a feasibility analysis for the area off PCH across from the beach, which is currently covered by fill-soil that will be used when grading at Potrero resumes later this year. Additional soil will be brought in, which means that a dog park would have to wait until Potrero grading is finished.
Shapiro said, “We are working on scheduling a time for Mike and SMMC to connect about the idea. We have also encouraged Leslie to continue to try and reach out and work with SMMC, and I have spoken with Cathie Santo Domingo [superintendent of planning for the Department of Recreation & Parks] regarding the feasibility of the park.
“Mike appreciates the input we have gotten about the issue and we are excited about the idea of creating a dog park for people in Pacific Palisades (and their pets) to enjoy,” Shapiro said.
The need for an off-leash dog park became more urgent when the L.A. VA Master Plan was unveiled and the Barrington dog park closed in December. It has been temporarily reopened, until implementation of the Master Plan begins. Additionally, many dog owners have been using the Recreation Center as an ad hoc dog park, allowing their dogs to illegally run off-leash. (LAMC SEC. 53.06.) No animal in a park is allowed to “stray, run, or in any manner be at large.”)
PAB board member Bob Benton said that although he has two dogs and loves dogs, owners need to respect the law. The PAB board voted in January to support a dog park—but not at the Rec Center.
The petition can be found at different locations around town. Campbell is at the Swarthmore pet rescue location most Sundays and petitions can be found there.
In a related story, an effort is being made to have L.A. County add dog beaches, with Will Rogers as one of the suggested sites. Visit: LAdogbeaches.com/.
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