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Election 2004 

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Pat Lakey

DogPAC Questionnaire
District 7

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

   Voted against the leash law and will continue to support any efforts to aid the community.

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.
   

   Yes! I think all departments should be held accountable for their budget and if they are not performing or following the rules then they must be penalized.

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?

   Yes! I think it is very necessary for people to have a place to get away from the complicated lives we led. Trails and recreation areas could be set up without harming the open space.

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

   Yes! I think we need to have space for pedestrians, bikes, skaters, etc. We need to make trails that are only for Dogs, some for dirt bike riders and others that are only for road bikes and skates and such. In areas that have limited space the trails could have special times for each use.

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?

   I always believe that it is not the dogs we have to worry about but the owners. Dogs behave according to the environment they are raised in. If the owner lets the dog behave badly at home then he/she will do the same in public so it would depend on the dog.

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?
   

   YES, Public process is very important to assure the "public" gets what it needs in terms of recreation. For instance you wouldn't want to put a basketball court next to a senior center. A lawn bowling green with a flat path and lots of shady benches would be better.

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?

   Yes. I used to take my dog to the one by the buffalo paddock in Golden Gate Park. I thought it was in good shape and most of the people were great.

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 think dogs are an integral part of society since early history dogs have been companions to man/woman. I have had two dogs one passed away of old age and Jaeger is still living with her Mom in Walnut Creek.

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?

   Yes dogs have to be able to run and so do their owners. Certain areas should be set-aside for this. For instance Ocean beach between kirkham and Ortega could be free roam for dogs and in certain areas in parks. We also need more waste stations.

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.?
    

    Yes.

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

    Interaction between the dogs for socializing and also for the owners who as it was stated earlier are usually single or elderly. Sometimes the dogs can bring the people together.

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

    I don't think we need more regulations just education. Dog owners need to be aware when someone shows signs of fear not to teas the person but give them space and respect. These fears are usually from a bad experience with a dog we need to give good ones to help them overcome their fear.

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?

    No

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?

    Follow the law. If someone is acting foolish they need to be held accountable.

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?

    This does not surprise me. Dogs and people need to socialize in order to know their limitations and get along.

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?

    NO! The only time I think we should cut down trees is if there is a danger to life or property and we should try to plant native species in our parks.

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?

    Our parks are about 150 gardeners short and need lots of maintenance and upgrades. Do I think they should cut health care to fund the park? No, but I do think the parks are very important to mental health and providing a sanctuary to escape from the strain of modern life..

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?

    Put people in office who are a real, hard working, citizen. Not career politicians looking for their next job.