Forget dog problems; check out those cats...

Forget dog problems; check out those cats

So much in Huntington Beach is focused toward problems “created”

by dogs: dogs banned from city parks, ads chiding owners to pick up

after their dog inland because it runs off into the sea, leash laws,

etc. The vast majority of dog owners I’ve met in Huntington Beach are

responsible, caring owners who treat their dogs as members of the

family, maintain positive control of their well-mannered dogs and

pick up after them.

Cats in this city, however, can be “free roam” and each residence

may keep up to three cats by city regulations. Allowed to defecate

and often breed indiscriminately, their feces create pollutive runoff

and pollute our ocean. I live near the beach, and walking to the

beach to go surfing, there are whole blocks that smell like cat urine

and feces. Infected cat feces can cause birth defects if they come in

contact with a woman when she is pregnant, a condition called

toxoplasmosis, and a liability.

I already moved once, tired of being awakened by cats fighting on

my roof at 3:30 a.m.

Ask any naturalist and they will tell you that, besides pigs, the

most harmful domesticated animal that has been released into the wild

and has decimated local bird populations world-wide throughout

history has been the cat.

Public policy needs to be consistent in Huntington Beach. Cats

should be required to be kept inside or on a leash when outdoors.

Even the SPCA recommends this to cat owners.

DWIGHT COLLINS

Huntington Beach

Enforcing dog

laws a first step

My wife and I walk our dog at Lagenback Park. While a majority of

the dog owners are responsible, walking their dog on a leash and

cleaning up after them, there are a good number who do not.

My dog is very mellow with people but does not like some dogs.

There have been numerous times when other dogs (some large), off

leash, run over toward us. When I ask that the other dog be placed on

a leash, as required, most people comply. There have been several

times when I have been told “my dog is friendly” or I am “not the

police,” or worse, and the person refuses to comply. These are some

of the same individuals who also do not clean up after their dogs.

After one encounter that became rather hostile, I sent an e-mail

to the Huntington Beach Police Department requesting that the leash

law and clean-up be enforced. Much to my surprise I received a

response saying the police do not enforce the leash laws (and I guess

litter laws). I was told to contact animal control. The response was

not very receptive.

I can understand if Southern California Edison has concerns about

liability problems. A dog on the loose can easily bite a child or

other who approaches in the wrong way. One solution may be to get

somebody to enforce the current leash laws.

JOHN MCCAFFREY

Huntington Beach

Should have sent notice of meeting

I am writing regarding your article about prohibiting dogs in

public parks. I am a longtime Huntington Beach resident, taxpayer and

voter. I have lived across the street from Edison Park for more than

18 years and have walked with my dogs almost every day. We purchased

our house because it was across the street from Edison Park. We are

strongly opposed to the banning of dogs in the park.

Our group thinks that the city breached a moral obligation to post

notices in the parks, so that the dog-walkers using them would have

been alerted to the impending agenda item and could have appeared at

the City Council meeting and be heard before the amendment’s passage.

We believe that as long as dogs are kept on a leash, the foregoing

three decades of allowing dogs in the park should continue

KAY DELOACH

Huntington Beach

Rohrabacher doing the right thing

What is wrong with my beloved city and its left-wing liberal

hippie residents? Excuse me, I also didn’t catch the name of the

editorial writer. Was is Michael Moore? Oliver Stone? Alec Baldwin?

Please, save me. This is the most slanted four paragraphs since

Sean Penn went to Baghdad and reported on the peace loving people of

the Baath Party. This is a slam on a hardworking representative, Dana

Rohrabacher, who is looking out for one of his constituents.

Sure, all bills can’t please all of the People, but robbing a man

of his alcohol factory and not paying him back should not be

overlooked. I love beer and hate communism. I have been to the

Ukraine many times and can tell you first hand that people prefer

capitalism and fair and balanced government over communism and theft.

STEVIE FRANKENZINO

Huntington Beach

District duplicity explains fiscal crisis

It is amazing how government educational bureaucrats are able to

blame everyone else for their own fiscal crisis. The fact that

Huntington Beach has two school districts doing the work of one

explains the duplicity that costs the taxpayers millions but fills

the wallets of the districts’ employees.

JOHN BOAG

Huntington Beach

Logo not worth

going to war over

Logo? What logo? We don’t need no steenkin’ logo.

If this is just some trumped up war with Santa Cruz as to who has

the right to claim the name “Surf City” -- grow up. The name is

Huntington Beach, and that has status around California and among the

surfing community.

For those who liken one of the new designs to a lozenge, I see it

more closely resembling a suppository.

I truly believe that the City Council and administrators of the

city of Huntington Beach should not focus so much on the mundane and

work on more prudent and efficient ways to use tax dollars.

Finally, it really appears that this issue is more of ego than

logo.

ED BUSH

Huntington Beach

City logo?

Who cares?

My wife and I are 11-year residents of Huntington Beach. It’s hard

to imagine anything that I care less about than about a city logo.

WOODY WOODWARD

Huntington Beach

Logo should show more than surfing

As a life-long resident of Huntington Beach some people may find

it weird that I’ve never been surfing. But, I’d bet there are many

more like me out there as well. I believe that Councilman Dave

Sullivan has the right idea about a logo for the city. Something that

represents the city as a whole, from Huntington Harbour, to the parks

with Little Leaguers, to Boeing’s Phantom Works, to Bella Terra Mall.

It’s not all about surfing here and our logo should show that.

IAN NEUBERT

Huntington Beach