Hero: Who let the dogs out? Three Marin volunteers, who exposed the dirty dealings of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area (GGNRA) during its efforts to impose severe dog-walking restrictions on the few trails and beaches where pooches are currently allowed. Cassandra Fimrite of Mill Valley and Laura Pandapas of Muir Beach, founders of the nonprofit Marin County Dog Owner’s Group, joined forces with Chris Carr, a Mill Valley resident and partner in the San Francisco office of international law firm Baker Botts, to file a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit against the GGNRA. Documents obtained revealed a rigged process, which forced the GGNRA to abandon its ill-conceived dog plan. To show your appreciation to Fimrite, Pandapas and Carr, enjoy a frolic with your dogs in the GGNRA (and pick up the poop).
Zero: Riding a bicycle in Marin is dangerous enough without performing asinine stunts. Multiple witnesses called the California Highway Patrol (CHP) last week to report a cyclist who was holding onto the back of a big rig and getting pulled along U.S. Highway 101 near Paradise Drive. Take a moment to picture this mode of transportation. The intellectually challenged individual grabs on and takes a ride, while the truck driver has no idea he’s towing anything. Officers who stopped the moron for this maneuver learned that he had been cited before for riding his bike on the freeway and, get this, the guy admitted that he frequently traveled over the Richmond/San Rafael Bridge behind a big rig. Not anymore, because the CHP confiscated his bike and threw him in the pokey.
Don’t worry about NPS dog regulations at Stinson Beach National Seashore.Bring your dog anytime to annoy sunbathers, picknickers and fisherman on this otherwise pristine stretch of sand, as the no pets rule is NEVER enforced. So stop whining about how the Park Service is playing Hitler to your pets and just bring your dog to Stinson Beach. Oh, and you don’t even have to pretend you didn’t see your dog take a dump on the sand because some little kid will be making a turd castle out of it while it is still steaming.