»In which the title says it all

The San Francisco Examiner, which grows more dilute and content-free by the day, ran a decent story with a grabber of a headline: Locals Flunk Parks in New Online Report. Yup.

According to the report, 1,621 complaints about 153 different city parks were submitted in 2006 — and 60 percent of them were attributed to vandalism such as graffiti, broken glass, trashed bathrooms and broken sprinklers.

“Vandalism is one of the biggest priorities for the department on a day-to-day basis, it is definitely eating up funds in the millions of dollars magnitude. It’s psychologically troubling for the staff and people who use the parks,” said Rose Marie Dennis, spokeswoman for the Recreation and Park Department.

ParkScan.org Technical Services & Outreach Coordinator Alfredo Pedroza said most residents reported unsafe conditions at neighborhood playgrounds to be their top priority. A “D” or “F” grade — based on national standards of playground safety — was handed out to 30 playgrounds in The City for their lack of cleanliness and maintenance. Of those 30, five have been closed or slated for renovations.