Rally for Special Spot in Laurel Canyon Park : Dog Owner Group Strains at Leash Law

A group of about 50 dog owners, who want a portion of Laurel Canyon Park set aside as a leash-free area for their pets, demonstrated Saturday in front of the Studio City office of Los Angeles City Councilman Joel Wachs.

Members of Park Watch, a 4-year-old group that claims to represent about 550 dog owners, want 1 1/2 acres of the four acres of flat land in the park reserved for dogs to run free.

The demonstrators carried signs with slogans such as “Paw Power” and “Muzzle Wachs,” and demanded that the councilman take steps to create a dog run in Laurel Canyon Park in the hills above Studio City.

Wachs was not in his office and could not be reached for comment Saturday. Last week, he told Park Watch members he will meet with them May 19 to discuss the situation at Laurel Canyon Park, where for months dog owners have been ticketed for defying city law by letting their dogs roam free.

The law states that dogs on public property of any kind must be leashed.

Tickets for Dog Owners

Spokesmen for Park Watch said several hundred tickets have been issued, and four dog owners have been prosecuted for resisting an officer, for threatening an officer, or for obstructing justice.

Art Margolis, a member of the city’s Animal Regulation Commission and of Park Watch, said Wachs has snubbed Park Watch while proposing dog runs at four other city parks. Margolis said the Animal Regulation and Recreation and Parks commissions support the creation of a run at Laurel Canyon Park.

“We’ve earned a place in that park, and so far we’ve gotten nothing but harassment, intimidation and insults,” Margolis said at Saturday’s demonstration. He spoke above the playing of a song, “Hey Joel: Leave Those Dogs Alone,” which the group recorded on tape.

Wachs has said he is studying Park Watch’s proposal. In examining the issue, he said, he is considering public access, parking, and the degree of support for a dog run among residents who do not own dogs and who use the park for recreation.

Jane Purse, leader of the group, said dog owners have let their pets run free in the park for years and have had problems only with animal control officers. She said the officers “sweep down” on the park twice a day and hand out $46 tickets to anyone caught with a dog not on a leash.

Opposition Groups

However, two local groups, the Laurel Canyon Parents Assn. and the Laurel Hills Homeowners Assn., have gone on record against reserving part of the park for dogs, saying this would keep residents and their children from using a large portion of the only recreational area in the neighborhood.

At the demonstration, Purse said Wachs has ignored a recent petition signed by 3,000 people who want a dog run established at the park, and she announced a new membership drive to swell Park Watch’s ranks.

Wachs has recommended to the City Council that dog runs be established in Griffith Park, in Woodley Park in the Sepulveda Basin, in Marina Del Rey in an area under the flight path of planes using Los Angeles International Airport, and in the San Pedro area.

The City Council could add Laurel Canyon Park to that list, but that would be unlikely without Wachs’ support because council members customarily comply with the wishes of a colleague on issues that affect only that council member’s district.