Don,

I loved your “Virus and us” the first time I read it a few weeks ago, I like it even better now because of your fine tuning. I know how difficult it is to keep a story like this in check and under control, especially for a shameless punster like you. Clever, very clever. Good work.

While you were in chapel meditation this morning watching the glorious Ajijic sunrise, I was hard at work righting one of Sacramento’s greatest wrongs – warding off the ever-increasing urban encroachment into William Land Park. Don’t laugh, this is the stuff of civility, sanity, and the quality of life. Even our city codes speak to the need to protect parks, open space and the urban forest in order to provide refuge from the “ever-increasing urbanization in Sacramento.” I told you, this is a serious matter, and don’t be misled by the fact that I am the only person I know who seems concerned about this encroachment because change begins with one person.

During my daily walk in the park, I counted more than 160 galvanized pipe standards in the interior streets of William Land Park. – 102 with signs, 58 without signs. Most of the signs read: No Parking Any Time (58), and No Open Alcohol Containers (26). On one street within the park (4/10 of a mile in length) there are 36 No Parking Any Time signs.

With my Rescue Land Park campaign, it took me almost four years to build enough political pressure to convert William Land Park from its misuse as a 1000-car college parking lot back to park status (effective January 1, 2007). How long will it take me, do you think, to reduce the number of sign standards by 50% and paint out the rest with park-appropriate colors? You are probably right.

LeRoy