Letters to the Editor: Bicyclist looks forward to his day in court; citizen says public apology due from official
In the past week I was issued two citations, first by the Burbank Police and then by Griffith Park rangers, after I walked my bicycle in a safe and responsible manner across the public Mariposa Street bridge connecting Burbank and Griffith Park, then rode it south toward the Victory Boulevard overpass.
I had been trying to get a citation for the past six years in order to have my day in court challenging unreasonable and discriminatory treatment of bicyclists.
Until now, this was not possible because there were not considered to be any enforceable laws prohibiting bikes on the bridge and along the river. However, because of the considerable political clout of those who want bicycles banned, I finally now have my tickets.
This has been part of a long-simmering public dispute between local bicyclists and horseback riders, the latter of which, for decades, have insisted only they have the right to use the public bridge leading to a public park that is financially supported by all the taxpayers of Burbank and Los Angeles. A documentary movie was filmed on this issue in 2016 and can be seen on YouTube.
On Saturday, Dec. 16 I was issued my citation and physically manhandled by two park rangers on a stretch of asphalt road between the Mariposa Bridge and the Victory Boulevard overpass, where they have no jurisdiction, according to an email I received from the director of the Los Angeles County Flood Control Department.
I will gladly contest both my citations in court with the goal of stopping this unfair and discriminatory abuse of the legal system for the benefit of a gang of neighborhood bullies on horseback in Burbank’s Rancho neighborhood, who have for far too long used their political power to get their way.
Doug Weiskopf
Burbank
--
I would like to thank Burbank City Councilman Jess Talamantes for calling out Councilwoman Sharon Springer for reading a text during the Dec. 19 council meeting. The author of said text became public information when it was read out loud. It was extremely unprofessional and showed a lack of respect not only to other council members, but to the city staff and the public in general.
A public apology should be in order at the next meeting.
Dave Berger
Burbank