Mayor Bozajian's Feb. 19 Letter To The Community

Press release from Mayor James Bozajian:

Good morning,

The COVID numbers continue to improve as hospitalizations and deaths are way down from their peaks in late December and early January. The biggest problem now is availability of the vaccines. The County states it has the ability to vaccinate 500,000 people each week, but the vaccine supply is coming in at less than half that pace. The single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine should go before the FDA for emergency-use approval in the next few days, which may help.

Another bit of good news is that schools are starting to ramp up for more in-person learning. LVUSD has had K through 3rd grades back on campus for several weeks now. Starting March 1st, 4th and 5th graders will also return to campus for in-person learning. LVUSD reported yesterday there have been 2,200 students on campuses district-wide for 70 days, with zero cases of on-site COVID transmission.

I would like to use the balance of this week’s letter to address an ongoing problem that has captured the attention --- in a negative sense --- of much of our community. During the present pandemic, most everyone is spending more time at home. While the vast majority of dog owners have been considerate and mindful of picking up after their pets, a significant number have not. We have seen a noticeable rise of incidents where people abandon dog waste on public and private property, and we are fielding a growing number of complaints. This behavior jeopardizes the health, safety, and aesthetics of our neighborhoods. It is harmful to the environment. And the costs associated with clean-up are unfairly borne by the general public.

Though we will spare you the pictures, some of the stories we receive at City Hall are appalling. In one instance, someone lined a residential street with about 20 bags of dog waste, in an obstacle course-style arrangement. As cars drove through, it was not long before chaos ensued. In another instance, one person dumped a bag of dog waste on a public utility box, after which other people followed suit until there was a small heap of soiled bags piled up. We have had numerous reports from people who were actually visibly present outside their homes when others walked by with dogs and casually left deposits on the homeowners’ property. And then there is my own personal favorite, as it were: A person who let their dog defecate on a public sidewalk and strode on without cleaning it up --- right in front of a uniformed Sheriff’s Deputy sitting in his marked patrol vehicle. [Note: The Deputy managed to “persuade” this person to pick up the mess.] For those of us who walk or run through our neighborhoods, the sidewalks have become hazard zones.

As a reminder: If your dog makes a mess on property not your own, you are responsible for cleaning it up. And when you remove the waste matter and bag it up, the bag does not get tossed on the sidewalk, or in the adjacent brush, or on another person’s property, or in a public park, or in another person’s trash can.

The City of Calabasas is just about finished issuing warnings or trying to educate people about this problem --- as if it is not self-evidently wrong. So: As much as we are reluctant to do it, we are prepared to start issuing fines for these violations. A few $1,000 penalties should quickly resolve the problem. If you see anyone engaging in this conduct, please do not confront them. Instead, consider contacting our code enforcement officers with whatever information you have.

James R. Bozajian

Mayor

City of Calabasas

This press release was produced by Mayor James Bozajian. The views expressed here are the author's own.