Parking at schools, vicious dogs next up for safety commission

By: AARON CLAVERIE - The Californian | Monday, January 28, 2008 9:19 PM PST ∞

LAKE ELSINORE - The parking situation at area schools and problems with vicious dogs are next up for the city's Public Safety Advisory Commission, which has already had two recommendations turned into ordinances by the City Council this year.

The parking situation will be tackled by the commission at its first meeting in February, commission chairman Mike Norkin said. He added that the council made it a top priority during a recent study session.

Mayor Daryl Hickman said recently that traffic congestion and parking around the schools is getting out of control, with parents waiting for the children parking in front of homes and blocking buses from entering the campus.

Hickman said the safety commission's work on the issue should dovetail nicely with a school district study that is under way.

"The district has finally accepted the responsibility and they are working on it," he said.

Cooperation between the district and city will be key and Hickman said he is confident Superintendent Frank Passarella will help foster that cooperation.

For homeowners, the situation is very frustrating and it's also becoming dangerous for children, Hickman said.

Norkin said the commission has received complaints from residents saying parents are using their driveways as parking spots.

To address the parking problem, Norkin said the commission will consider forming a committee including representatives from the school district and the police department.

"The council told us to take care of this huge problem. It needs to go away," Norkin said.

In March, the commission is scheduled to look at the issue of vicious dogs in the city, an issue that was included in a list of goals the commission presented to the council recently.

There haven't been any recent attacks that spurred the discussion, Norkin said. It's a proactive move by the commission that will be of particular benefit if the city decides to open a dog park down the line.

One of the measures the council is considering would require special tags or collars for dogs determined to be vicious. Another idea is the city publicizing a list of dangerous dogs.

Willa Bagwell, executive director of Animal Friends of the Valleys, said the nonprofit organization has recently added a list of dangerous dogs to its Web site. That list, which Norkin said would be referenced when assembling the city's list, includes six Lake Elsinore dogs.

Regarding special tags or collars, Bagwell said she's not sure how effective those measures would be because owners likely wouldn't put them on their dogs.

Also, Bagwell said dogs that meet certain criteria and are determined to be dangerous or vicious are required in many instances to be leashed or muzzled in public. Plus, there are rules in place to punish the owners of dogs who don't comply with the rules.

Contact Aaron Claverie at (951) 676-4315, Ext. 2624, or e-mail aclaverie@californian.com.

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