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Sean Elsbernd

DogPAC Questionnaire
District 7

1. What have you done on behalf of the dog owning community and what will you do in the future?
   

   I have worked with the dog owning community in both my previous City Hall roles as aide to Supervisor Hall and as Mayor Newsom's Liaison to the Board of Supervisors. Primarily, my role was to act as a facilitator, negotiating and attempting to reach compromise between dog owning community and those who wanted to quiet the community. I look forward to continuing this effort of respectful dialogue and continued negotiation.

2. The only real oversight mechanism the Board of Supervisors has with regard to the operating departments is the power of the purse: that is, the Board must approve the budget. Would you be prepared to withhold portions of a Department's budget if the Department was managing the money poorly, reporting to the Board inadequately, or failing to develop reasonable public consensus? Please describe.
   

   Absolutely. I believe this is the Board's strongest weapon. While I do believe it should be use sparingly, it should be used when a Department is acting in an inefficient and fiscally irresponsible manner. I believe we should make full use of the Controller's new auditing powers under Proposition C as well as our Budget Analyst to make sure are Departments are managing our tax payer dollars properly.

3. Currently, the Recreation and Park Department has 10-15% of the city's playing fields locked up and chained shut. RPD is in the process of claiming hundreds of acres of parkland as natural habitat areas where public access will be very restricted if allowed at all. Critics have said that the goal of the Rec & Park Department is Parks without People. Will you work to promote public access to public parkland? How?

   I will work to promote public access to public parks, dog access to public parks, recreational access in public parks, and natural areas in public parks. I do not believe these are mutually exclusive. Through respectful dialogue, we can make the Recreation and Park system work for all San Franciscans.

4. Will you work to promote tolerant, multi-purpose, shared-use of parks? How?

   Yes, as answered in the previous question. I have developed a reputation at City Hall for being able to work with people on all sides of the political spectrum in order to accomplish mutual goals. I will use these skills to move positively forward on these issues..

5. Most of us believe that it is reasonable to regulate certain incompatible uses of public spaces. For example, most of us would agree that horses should not be allowed on the golf course and dogs should not be allowed in children's playgrounds. Would you feel differently if you discovered that the dogs in a children's playground belonged to the parents and their kids?

   Not necessarily. While dogs are certainly part of families, as my dog is part of my family, there are some small children who are afraid of dogs. They should be able to play in a children's playground without fearing a dog, no matter how irrational that fear may be. Children's playgrounds are children's playgrounds.

6. Do you think the Recreation and Park Department provides adequate public process for park policies? Would you be willing to intervene in Rec/Park business if there were inadequate public process?
   

   There can always be improvements made to public process, whether that is in the Recreation and Park Department, or in the Board of Supervisor's process. I am willing, ready, and able to assist improving the Recreation and Park's public process.

7. Have you ever visited on or more of the original 19 dog exercise areas approved by the RPD over 20 years ago? Which ones? How would you characterize the conditions you saw?

   I have visited the dog exercise area in Golden Gate Park and at the Day Street Park. The conditions are far from perfect. Unfortunately, the conditions are far from perfect on soccer fields, baseball fields, golf courses, etc. The Recreation and Park Department suffers from inadequate resources, and all conditions suffer.

8. Statistics show that children are more likely to grow up with a family dog than with both parents; that dog owner/guardians have lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels; and that elderly pet owner/guardians are more active and less depressed. Do you believe that dogs play an important role in society? What is your personal experience with dogs in your life - now or in the past?

   I grew up with a dog, and now have a beagle for whom I am responsible. Dogs have always been important in my life, and I look forward to sharing that experience with my children, should I be fortunate enough to have some

9. San Francisco's dog population is estimated by the Dept. of Animal Care and Control to be between 100,000 and 120,000. Roughly 25% of the city's households includes a dog. Many dog owner/guardians are single and/or elderly, and recreation with their dog is their primary or sole form of socialization, recreation and exercise. Do you believe that off-leash recreation can be viewed as a benefit for people - not just for their dogs?

   I have seen, in my own neighborhood park, how off leash dog recreation can be beneficial to people. The community in Miraloma Park really comes together in the late afternoon, early evening. I know from talking to these people how important these hours can be in their lives.

10. Do you believe that walking a dog off-leash is a valid form of recreation on a par with picnicking, Frisbee, hiking, bird watching, soccer, etc.?
    

    I consider recreation more exercise. If someone is walking their dog, then I see that as recreation. If someone is just sitting down while their dog runs off-leash, no, I do not see that as recreation.

11. What positive things do you see about off-leash recreation in our parks?

    As I said in an earlier answer, I believe off-leash dog time can build a community, allow for socialization for some people who do not have other opportunities, and allow for family building time.

12. Do you believe that public authorities should make regulations to accommodate people who are afraid of dogs?

    No, I do not believe government needs to get involved in every single issue. However, I do believe dog owners should be respectful of those people who are afraid of dogs, particularly small children.

13. Some people have fears, phobias, and dislikes of other people in our society. Gays, African-Americans, Asian Americans, dog owners, and teenagers are some targets of such fears. Is it appropriate to restrict the access to public places of such groups simply because some people are afraid of them or dislike their behavior in public?

    To be quite honest, I am somewhat concerned about this question. If you are comparing people who hold racist, uneducated beliefs about ethnic differences to people who are afraid of dogs, I am offended by the question. If however, the question simply asks whether or not people who are afraid of dogs should have an area of a park accessible to just them, I would support this, if, and only if the area is one that is designed solely for use by people.

14. If you answered questions 12 and 13 differently, please explain.

    N/A

15. Most people agree that there is too much rudeness in public these days, which sometimes escalates into violence, such as "road rage". There is certainly more rudeness than we would like in our public parks these days between joggers, bicyclists, dog owners, parents, etc. Conflict and rudeness may occur when people share limited park resources. What is the appropriate response by public agencies to individual conflict or reported "rudeness" in parks?

    As I said in Answer #12, government does not need to get involved in every issue. At a certain point, we must recognize that we are all mature adults and should be able to communicate with one another. If mature adults are unable to work out their differences, then, government should involve itself and try to mediate the issues.

16. San Francisco's dog bite rate is about 40% of the national average - and most bites occur in or around the home - not in public spaces. Many, many more children are injured in sports and playground accidents than by the family or neighborhood dog. Sergeant Herndon of the SFPD "Doggy Court" attributes SF's low bite rate to increasingly responsible dog owners who socialize and exercise their dogs off-leash. Is this a surprise to you? Does it change your concept of the value of adequate off-leash areas for everyone, not just dog owners and their dogs?

    No, this does not surprise me. It supports my belief that we do, indeed, need off-leash areas for everyone.

17. Through its Natural Areas Program, the Rec/park Department is spending thousands of dollars cutting down healthy Eucalyptus trees because they are not native. At the same time, through its Construction Program, Rec/Park is spending hundreds of thousands of dollars (almost $200,000 in Holly Park alone) to purchase and plant Canary Island palm trees. Does this make any sense to you?

    When these type of construction projects take place through a community planning type process, I do support these programs.

18. A book-length study conducted and published by the Urban Land Institute shows that the San Francisco Rec/Park Department is among the 3 best-funded big-city Rec/Park Departments in the country. Nonetheless, even in strained economic times such as these, when city heath and other services are being cut, the Board of Supervisors added $1 million to Rec/Park's budget. Do you think this is good government?

    Yes, I think this is good government. If possible, I would have wanted the Recreation and Park Department to receive additional funding.

19. Supervisors are particularly susceptible to what looks like bribery by city agencies. If a city agency offers to build or acquire a new park or renovate an old one, or to change a street-cleaning schedule in a Supervisor's district, in return for loyal support of the agency, many Supervisors go for the deal. How do you think we can curtail this kind of bribery?

    I disagree with this characterization because I do not believe it really happens, and, largely because I am not susceptible to that kind of chicanery. To curtail this kind of activity, Dog Pac should support candidates who demonstrate a high level of integrity.