The Great Outdoors

Updated: You Now Need a Permit to Eat Some Cheese in Dolores Park?

Photo: irene/Flickr

Following on the Rec & Parks Department and activists whining about the toll that so much foot traffic was taking on poor, uber-popular Dolores Park, and the occasional random open-container bust by the SFPD last year, we now hear that the city wants to take a $100 security deposit as well as the names of two picnic organizers in advance of any picnic in the park. “But at what point is laying out a blanket with friends considered a picnic?” rightly asks Uptown Almanac. “5 people? 10 people? 15 people? The presence of something purchased at Bi-Rite? Most importantly, do my BFF and I need a permit to open a box of Triscuits?”

This “performance bond” thing has actually never been discussed in any public meetings, and it sounds like just another excuse for cops to bust up the party on sunny days, and not at all like a feasibly implementable plan. In fact, we’d like to see them try to enforce this and watch the wrath of the Mission/Castro army rain down upon them. But anyhow, consider yourselves warned.

Update: OK, calm down. The $100 deposit, as well as a $27 fee, are only for the use of picnic tables over by the playground. Gatherings of fewer than 25 people remain free of charge. [Examiner]

Dolores Park Picnickers Now Required to Pay $100 Behavioral Security Deposit to City [Uptown Almanac]
Earlier: Where to Grab Some Picnic Food Before Heading to the Park [Grub Street]

Updated: You Now Need a Permit to Eat Some Cheese in Dolores Park?