La Quinta – a city known for giant bird statues and an out-of-control spending problem – has passed a new ordinance banning anyone caught smoking dope from a city park from setting foot in that park for another year.
The ban would also have a fine and would apply to those caught drinking as well. Via the Desert Sun:
Under a new ordinance, police will be able to fine offenders $50 for the first offense and $100 for every repeat violation and ban the violators from the park where the violation occurred for up to one year.
La Quinta Assistant Police Chief Lt. David Walton said the new ordinance is a tool that gives police more leverage and one he hopes will serve as a wake-up call to the offenders – mostly juveniles – and their parents.
Ahh yes, the soon-to-be-extinct juveniles of La Quinta.
The new ordinance would become official on June 16, provided it passes a second vote from the city council on Tuesday.
Currently, offenders can only be banned for a day – but police believe that the new rules will work because parents don’t want to pay the fines for their kids.
“Instead of just handing out citations, this, we hope, will get the parents involved in parenting the child and, if not, there are financial consequences that come along with it,” La Quinta Assistant Police Chief Lt. David Walton told the newspaper.
The Desert Sun set out to find people who have been witness to the problems in the parks, but they had a bit of a hard time doing so:
At La Quinta Park on May 8, most who spoke with The Desert Sun said they hadn’t witnessed any incidents but favored the new ordinance.
Only one person, a schoolteacher from Indio who wouldn’t give her name, said kids who are routinely getting into trouble don’t have enough to do, and rather than stiffen penalties, the city should look for ways to create more youth activities.
Hey now…there’s an idea.
