They want to walk their dogs on the Mission Bay boardwalk. They would like to do it whenever they wish. They can’t do that. A few Mission Bay residents want to change that.
Nick Cifranic and Jeff Purchin want to repeal a year-round ban on dog walking along Mission Bay between 9 a.m. and the late afternoon.
“We have some very determined individuals who are on this right now and I believe we will get this pushed through,” Cifranic said while standing in Fanuel Street Park and holding his dog, Teddy.
He wasn’t sure if it was legal to put the poodle down or even have him there.
Get top local stories in San Diego delivered to you every morning. Sign up for NBC San Diego's News Headlines newsletter.
“I don’t understand,” laughed Cifranic.
The ban on dogs during the day in Mission Bay is decades old. It was created to help control crowd sizes and for safety reasons, notably on the crowded boardwalk.
“It’s dangerous with the dogs because they do a long leash,” said Jackie Averilla while taking a rest from her bike ride. “[It might work] if they short-leash their dogs like they should and if they cleaned up after them, but that doesn’t happen.”
Cifranic argued the ban in Mission Bay forces dog owners to travel on busier, narrower, and rougher sidewalks along busy streets.
“I’m not sure if you’ve seen the side streets here, but they’re very uneven. I know a lot of people who’ve tripped,” he added.
Cifranic said the boardwalks are smoother and wider. He also said welcoming more dog walkers could even boost the local economy by welcoming more people to walk Mission Bay.
Averilla said she would like to keep the boardwalk for pedestrians and cyclists. She acknowledged there aren’t a lot of dog lawbreakers in Mission Beach.
“Not too often but often enough if they don’t hold them close in leash,” she sighed.
Cifranic isn’t giving up. He said he and Purchin gathered more than 1,000 signatures on a petition. They are now gathering signatures in an online petition. He said they’re courting support from local town councils to help put pressure on the City of San Diego’s Parks and Recreation Department.
“It might take a long time, but I think we’ve got this,” he smiled.
A City of San Diego spokeswoman said, "The process to change City policies would require working with the Mayor and City Council to initiate a discussion on the proposed policy change, and collaboration with community groups to solicit interest and feasibility for such a change."
