In an effort to bring recreation rules for county parks closer in line with the needs those who have been walking dogs on county parks and trails for years, San Mateo County officials approved a set of rules allowing specific types of on-leash dog recreation in six areas near parks and trails owned by the county Parks Department Tuesday.
Though the county’s existing ordinance prohibits park users from bringing dogs to county parks, the county has since accepted ownership of park properties that have been open to dogs, such as Pillar Point Bluff, Quarry Park and Mirada East near Half Moon Bay and El Granada, explained Deputy County Manager Peggy Jensen, who is currently serving as the county’s interim Parks Director. She added portions of the California Coastal Trail and the San Francisco Bay Trail near Coyote Point, Dardenelle Trail and Devil’s Slide, which are accessible to dogs and run through several county parks and recreation areas, have also presented a challenge to officials and motivated them in 2016 to begin developing new dog management practices for the Parks Department.
Among the rules up for review for county officials Tuesday were requirements for owners to keep leashes on at all times and no more than 6 feet in length when encountering others, ensure their dogs stay on designated trails, pick up and dispose of dog waste and limit the number of dogs they bring into county parks to three per person. Officials also reviewed a fine schedule for violations of the new rules instead of treating them as misdemeanors as in the county’s current ordinance, with fines beginning at $50 for the first infraction of a calendar year and reaching up to $1,000 or a six-month jail sentence for those violating the rules for the fourth time in a calendar year.
Though Jensen acknowledged San Mateo County parks commissioners voiced support for including language in the ordinance referencing the possibility of future off-leash dog recreation opportunities in county parks, she said officials felt this topic could be best addressed by a dog management advisory committee formed to scope possible policies in a second phase of shaping the ordinance, when the committee could study and possibly pilot other aspects of the policy.
Though several dog owners stepped forward with concerns about the rules up for supervisors’ review Tuesday, board President Dave Pine noted their 4-0 vote to put the rules, with some modifications, in place marked a first step toward bringing clarity to the Parks Department’s practices. Supervisor Carole Groom was absent from the meeting.
“This is a modest step to correct the situation that’s completely out of whack,” he said. “At the very least here we’ve clarified that people can bring dogs in parks in certain areas on leash. The big issue in the room of course is off-leash.”
Among those who advocated for officials to delay a vote on the proposed changes was Christi Corwin, president of Coastside Dog of San Mateo County, who worried that by not including in the ordinance off-leash space in county parks, many dog owners who have used Pillar Point Bluffs and Quarry Park to walk their dogs off-leash in the past will now be faced with punitive measures.
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Having served on the dog management advisory committee for some 15 months, Corwin urged county parks officials to take more time with the ordinance and work with the committee to shape it.
“With this ordinance, we are in a situation where there’s going to be a crackdown and we have nowhere to go and it’s setting us up for conflict,” she said. “This ordinance should not passed and enforcement should not be started until we have some legal off-leash spaces.”
Supervisor David Canepa joined Supervisor Don Horsley and Pine in advocating for removing a six-month jail sentence as a possible punishment for a fourth infraction of the new rules in a calendar year and instead impose a fine schedule beginning at $100 for a first offense and reaching up to $500 for subsequent offenses. Supervisors supported keeping a provision in the new ordinance subjecting dog owners whose pets attack wildlife or destroy a sensitive habitat to a misdemeanor charge.
Though Horsley acknowledged the concerns raised by others, he noted any violations of the county’s current code are misdemeanors and the change would at least give dog owners an opportunity to legally walk their dogs in some parts of county parks. Because the ordinance would also be accompanied by a six-month grace period in which citations are not issued and park rangers are expected to spread the word to park users, Horsley supported the changes and also asked parks officials to return to the Board of Supervisors in six months with a report on how they are being received. He also advocated for asking parks staff to come back to the board in a year with recommendations on areas where off-leash dog access could be accommodated.
“At least what this is doing is, it’s making it legal to actually have your dog in some of these areas,” he said. “They’re areas that I know are used pretty extensively by people on the coastside and probably people from all over the Bay Area as well.”
If your dog is allowed on trails in Santa Clara without a leash, that is a bad practice because it makes other leashed dogs nervous when an irresponsible dog owner unleashes his/her dog in order to run free. That's just selfish on an owners part.
How ironic that the gentleman with the smile/smirk on his face is violating the leash law. Where he is - his dog is required to be on a six foot max leash, not an extendo leash. SPCA and Park Rangers have little time to enforce but this off the leash dog could easily spook owners dogs who have their dogs properly leashed. SMH
Nice try by County Parks spinning this draconian dog ordinance as the coast getting six new legal dog walking sites. Coastsiders are not falling for it! Dog walking has been legal at these sites for years. Not sure what Don Horsley is talking about. He's clearly out of touch with his own district.
This is a restrictive dog ordinance that was passed over the objections of the public, the Parks Commission, and dog owners, without a proper hearing. Don Horseley is a liar, who regularly walks his dogs offleash in Quarry Park and on the Pillar Point bluffs, and who has bragged about doing so publicly. I will not vote for him, and I urge you not to.
I monitored and participated in the dog management plan process. I attended 2 public meetings where SMCo Parks staff presented the ordinance modifications to solicit public input. The final plan approved by the board of Supervisors (BOS) seems to have ignored most(all) of the public comments. To see the BOS accept the ordinance as proposed, which did not reflect the SMCo Parks Commission recommended editing to reflect the Dog Management Committee guidelines was extremely discouraging. The Dog Management committee was composed of citizen volunteers, reflecting equestrian,hiking,bicycling,native plant society volunteers along with dog owners and distilled very cognizant well thought out guidelines to establish a few reasonable dog walking zones within a few SMCo Parks. C'mon SMCo Parks, why stage public outreach if the pitifully insufficient dog walking guidelines were a foregone conclusion?
[thumbdown] This article is poorly researched. These sites have allowed dog walking for decades because they were grandfathered into County policy. People need places to walk their dogs, just like people need places to bike, horseback ride, play soccer, and hike. There needs to be transparency and public input on park policies. This ordinance lacked both.
This plan is rediculous. Dogs are only allowed in less than 10% of the parks in San Mateo County as it is. And now they are saying that even these have never been legal? Complete nonsense. I don’t know who hired these new county parks employees but one basic skill for any employee to learn is listening. The residents of this county want to continue to be able to walk their dogs legally on the same trails that they have enjoyed for over 30 years. We also want designated off leash areas within these parks so we don’t have to worry about our dogs getting run over by a bicyclist or being yelled at by a scared individual. Why on earth wouldn’t you designate off leash walking areas before issuing bitter warnings and writing meaningless tickets? As a coastsider who owns a lovable gentle retriever, it breaks my heart that my dog will never be able to retrieve his ball again. At least not legally. He can’t wait a year or three for a designated area to possibly be proposed. And like most coastsiders, our yard is just not large enough for our dog to get adequate exercise. I wish Don Horsley would stand up for he knows is right. But so far, he is 0 for 3 on recent coastside issues that I am aware of. I am not voting for him either unless he will reverse this ludicrous plan asap!
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(8) comments
Dogs are allowed on trails in Santa Clara County parks. Why not in San Mateo County parks?
If your dog is allowed on trails in Santa Clara without a leash, that is a bad practice because it makes other leashed dogs nervous when an irresponsible dog owner unleashes his/her dog in order to run free. That's just selfish on an owners part.
How ironic that the gentleman with the smile/smirk on his face is violating the leash law. Where he is - his dog is required to be on a six foot max leash, not an extendo leash. SPCA and Park Rangers have little time to enforce but this off the leash dog could easily spook owners dogs who have their dogs properly leashed. SMH
Nice try by County Parks spinning this draconian dog ordinance as the coast getting six new legal dog walking sites. Coastsiders are not falling for it! Dog walking has been legal at these sites for years. Not sure what Don Horsley is talking about. He's clearly out of touch with his own district.
This is a restrictive dog ordinance that was passed over the objections of the public, the Parks Commission, and dog owners, without a proper hearing. Don Horseley is a liar, who regularly walks his dogs offleash in Quarry Park and on the Pillar Point bluffs, and who has bragged about doing so publicly. I will not vote for him, and I urge you not to.
I monitored and participated in the dog management plan process.
I attended 2 public meetings where SMCo Parks staff presented the ordinance modifications to solicit public input.
The final plan approved by the board of Supervisors (BOS) seems to have ignored most(all) of the public comments.
To see the BOS accept the ordinance as proposed, which did not reflect the SMCo Parks Commission recommended editing to reflect the Dog Management Committee guidelines was extremely discouraging.
The Dog Management committee was composed of citizen volunteers, reflecting equestrian,hiking,bicycling,native plant society volunteers along with dog owners and distilled very cognizant well thought out guidelines to establish a few reasonable dog walking zones within a few SMCo Parks.
C'mon SMCo Parks, why stage public outreach if the pitifully insufficient dog walking guidelines were a foregone conclusion?
[thumbdown] This article is poorly researched. These sites have allowed dog walking for decades because they were grandfathered into County policy. People need places to walk their dogs, just like people need places to bike, horseback ride, play soccer, and hike. There needs to be transparency and public input on park policies. This ordinance lacked both.
This plan is rediculous. Dogs are only allowed in less than 10% of the parks in San Mateo County as it is. And now they are saying that even these have never been legal? Complete nonsense. I don’t know who hired these new county parks employees but one basic skill for any employee to learn is listening. The residents of this county want to continue to be able to walk their dogs legally on the same trails that they have enjoyed for over 30 years. We also want designated off leash areas within these parks so we don’t have to worry about our dogs getting run over by a bicyclist or being yelled at by a scared individual. Why on earth wouldn’t you designate off leash walking areas before issuing bitter warnings and writing meaningless tickets? As a coastsider who owns a lovable gentle retriever, it breaks my heart that my dog will never be able to retrieve his ball again. At least not legally. He can’t wait a year or three for a designated area to possibly be proposed. And like most coastsiders, our yard is just not large enough for our dog to get adequate exercise. I wish Don Horsley would stand up for he knows is right. But so far, he is 0 for 3 on recent coastside issues that I am aware of. I am not voting for him either unless he will reverse this ludicrous plan asap!
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