CALIFORNIA IN BRIEF : SAN FRANCISCO : Park Perils Spark Employee Petition

Gardeners and other city workers who tend San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park say crime and filth make their jobs dangerous, and they are seeking a crackdown on transients. Park workers--who have drawn up a petition asking for strict enforcement of park rules, especially those against camping--say they often find drug paraphernalia, feces and bloody clothing. They also say transients threaten them. “I just pruned and found three needles. You’ve got to have eyes behind your head. You always walk around with something in your hand,” said one gardener who declined to give her name. The petition, which will be sent to Cal/OSHA, the job safety agency, was drafted with a new neighborhood group, Committee of Concerned Park Neighbors. In one of nearly 30 statements also being submitted, area resident William Rothrum wrote: “The entire east end is effectively blocked from family use because of the degree of filth and crime being tolerated by the city authorities.” Parks Commission President Keith Eichman said the Recreation and Parks Department does not have control over who can enter the park.