I don’t know about you, but every time I read about a “safety zone” on Picnic Day, it makes me determined to

avoid such a zone … after all, if the police have decided to double fines to as much as $395 within these areas of “safety” for such things as public urination, open containers, smoking and noise and general mayhem, these zones are obviously anything but safe … in other words, folks, avoid the officially designated Safety Enhancement Zones at all costs, especially if accompanied by young children …

For some of us, Picnic Day is a fond memory that stretches back to childhood … it’s sad that hooligans have taken over the day and turned it into their own personal Animal House … whether these are out-of-towners — as many allege — or homegrown thugs makes no difference at all … once you feed the beast with rivers of alcohol, it no longer matters where his place of residence is … we could have gotten serious about this problem after last year’s tawdry civic embarrassment and just declared the whole day alcohol free, but apparently that was too much to ask … instead we get Safety Enhancement Zones complete with maps to warn the wary, voluntary covenants where watering holes agree to serves “snacks” and a whole bunch of locals who think this might finally be the weekend to go visit Grandma … I think everyone agrees that if Picnic Day 2011 is even half as bad as last year, Picnic Day is finished …

I agree with parade marshal Jim Sochor, who, noting the day’s long and glorious history, told The Enterprise’s Cory Golden: “There’s the right way, the best way, of doing things, and that’s Aggie Pride. No excuses, no scapegoats. Our standards have been loosened up and it’s time to tighten them down again.” … for years, we had something in this town called “Take Back the Night.” … this year it’s time to Take Back the Picnic …

BIRCH LANE GOES TOE TO TOE WITH N.Y. TIMES … hats off to Lynne Sundstrom, teacher librarian at Birch Lane Elementary, for her stellar letter to the editor in today’s N.Y. Times extolling the virtue and value of “picture books” … Sundstrom’s letter, accompanied by a wondrous 15-foot-long scroll signed by 388 students, teachers, parents and others, was in response to a Times article titled “Picture Books No Longer a Staple for Children.” … wrote Sundstrom: “We believe that picture books are essential to the development of lifelong readers and learners. Contrary to the article’s message, picture books are not languishing on the shelves at Birch Lane, but are actually read, loved and read again.” …

The Times, which rarely comments on letters to the editor, had this to say in introducing the unusual letter: “We recently received, in a tube sent by postal mail, something new in our experience: a 15-foot-long scroll to the editor. We’ve received all kinds of mail in the past: books, manuscripts, CDs, even a hostile brick to the editor. Perhaps editors in ancient times received scrolls all the time — but not us. Birch Lane Elementary in Davis, Calif., took issue with an article in The Times about picture books, and set out on a monthlong campaign to promote and read them. Let the cover letter tell the rest of the story.” …

The online edition of The Times contains a link to a full-color copy of the scroll that is charming in the extreme … congratulations to Lynne Sundstrom and the kids at Birch Lane … you’ve done us proud …

MAD AS HELL … “For government to discriminate on the basis of age, doesn’t there have to be a compelling reason, or at the least a rational basis” asks Ike in Central Davis … “Here, everyone 65 and up can avoid the tax. There is no income limit.” … Ike is talking, of course, of the much-discussed “senior exemption” should the Measure A tax pass … “Other than trying to buy off the block of voters that can make or break just about anything this town wants to do, I can’t think of any sort of reason to exempt them.” …

Indeed … especially since we’re talking only about senior homeowners here, which in this town pretty much means you’ve already beaten the game … adds Ike: “I am disgusted with their process, but the tax is needed for sure.” … sounds like another citizen employing the “hold-your-nose-and-vote-Yes” technique of civic involvement …

SENIOR MOMENT … sounding off about the “Senior Discount” provided by Measure A to absolutely any property owner over the age of 65 who requests it, Curt at comcast.net asks “Since the senior cohort in this country has, on average, more assets than younger cohorts, why do we give them a pass on government assessments?” … clearly, it’s based on stereotypical notions of seniors, some of whom don’t need a tax break and some of whom do …

“I can see private business offering discounts to seniors because it’s a marketing tool to get those oldies to spend more money, which they have. But a town like Davis has an unusually large cohort of semi-wealthy seniors thanks to the generous retirement programs of the state and UC.” … I think we may have to require people to show up at the polls with their tax returns … sorry, my mistake, we’re not showing up at the polls this time around …

— Reach Bob Dunning at [email protected]

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