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Doing the right thing about pit bulls, water recharge and a change at Reynolds Ranch
Saturday, September 6, 2008 5:50 AM PDT
A dog only knows if it's "good" or "bad" because of the actions of its owner. Good behavior gets rewarded and bad behavior is corrected.
Without correction, a dog will resort to its natural behavior. And every dog has at its core the instincts of a predator. A Labrador retriever can be as mean as a pit bull.
Many people do own kind, affectionate pit bulls. But just as a Lab is more prone to fetch a ball than other dogs, pit bulls — through their breeding — are more aggressive.
By virtue of super-powerful jaws, they are also more dangerous.
Only proper controls, such as a control collar and training, will keep such animals incheck.
In a recent incident here in Lodi, a man had to shoot and kill a pit bull that ran into his house and had started to maul his cat. The News-Sentinel's cop logs often include reports of pit bulls attacking or threatening other dogs and people.
A string of pit bull attacks in 2007 in Manteca prompted a law that would require the owners of all pit bulls or pit bull mixes to spay or neuter their animals before the dogs turn eight weeks old.
Defenders of pit bulls are expected to challenge the law in court. The city of Lodi should watch the outcome of this litigation and consider following Manteca's lead if a sensible, constitutional law can be crafted.
Until then, pit bull owners need act responsibly.
Not training an aggressive pit bull, or leaving it unsupervised, is akin to handling a Colt .45 without knowing if the weapon is loaded or how to operate the gun's safety.
It's taking a risk that could have lethal consequences.
Lodi should get something for recharge
We think the city of Lodi ought to seriously consider supporting North San Joaquin Water Conservation District's 1,000 acre-foot recharge test project.
We don't think the city has to give North San Joaquin the water.
Recharge — putting water from the Mokelumne River into the ground to replenish the area's well water — is something that should have started decades ago.
The city would like to run the water it's buying from the Woodbridge Irrigation District through a water treatment plant and deliver it directly to faucets inside the city limits. But the plant's not built yet, so the city's river water goes past Lodi to the ocean.
City officials hope to take an equivalent amount of water sometime in the future. Maybe they can, maybe they can't. That's debated.
But the city can also use its water to demonstrate the viability of recharge. The proposed recharge ponds are a mile or so northeast of the city, so the citizens of Lodi deserve some compensation for the service they are rendering others in the North San Joaquin District. (In the interests of full disclosure: Fred Weybret, chairman of the News-Sentinel, is a longtime North San Joaquin board member.)
That's a good starting point for negotiations.
Let's start talking.
The market tells Reynolds Ranch developers and the city to adapt
Too much is being made of the fact that the Reynolds Ranch developers are changing much of their project from houses to commercial uses.
It takes time to plan a big urban development, but the economy can turn quickly, as it has in this case. That San Joaquin Valley Land Co. would want to build a hotel, retail shops, senior housing and a mini storage instead of single-family houses is totally justifiable in the face of the foreclosure crisis.
Of course, the change of plans means a change for the neighbors and the environment. Noise and traffic will be different. The look and feel of the project will change.
The Reynolds Ranch developers promised an office complex that will save the jobs at Blue Shield. They also promised a first-class development. That standard can be met whether they are building homes or commercial.
Some think Lodi has a surplus of shopping space. But that's a risk for San Joaquin Valley Land to evaluate, not the government to second guess.
City planners should give Reynolds Ranch a chance to succeed, not create another economic catastrophe on top of the one we have.
— The Lodi News-Sentinel
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wtf wrote on Sep 10, 2008 7:19 AM:
Bob Hussein Loblaw wrote on Sep 9, 2008 8:10 PM:
It's okay. We're all just livin' and dyin' in three-quarter time anyway...
Jimmy rules! "
taNdc wrote on Sep 9, 2008 10:47 AM:
ccinlodi wrote on Sep 9, 2008 8:57 AM:
Parrotheadsrule wrote on Sep 8, 2008 9:40 PM:
Parrotheadsrule wrote on Sep 8, 2008 9:32 PM:
wudbridgGal wrote on Sep 8, 2008 7:47 PM:
OTH wrote on Sep 8, 2008 6:57 PM:
Bob Hussein Loblaw wrote on Sep 7, 2008 12:51 AM:
JF wrote on Sep 6, 2008 10:31 AM:
Lodian wrote on Sep 6, 2008 9:06 AM:
"...just as a Lab is more prone to fetch a ball than other dogs, pit bulls through their breeding are more aggressive." - LNS
...
That's exactly right! "
Acampo_Mom wrote on Sep 6, 2008 8:06 AM:
And I still say pit bulls are more dangerous than other breeds. "
Carlos wrote on Sep 6, 2008 7:10 AM:
Comments on this story are now closed.