Security yogis take note: New restrictions in Cali

Here's hoping we have more problems along these lines. Did you see the story on the front page of the New York Times today about too many people exercising (and making too much noise) in Santa Monica? Here's the link The problem area is along a median near Fourth Street and Adelaide Drive. People have used this area for walking and jogging for years, but apparently, now, some fitnessphiles are gathering pretty early in the a.m. for organized exercise classes. They're blowing whistles and counting loudly and doing stuff you don't really need to do to get a good work out. The people who live nearby complained, understandably, so in the last six months, the Santa Monica Police Department has park rangers patrolling the area enforcing a 'no-hanging out in the median' ordinance. They've posted these signs that say you can walk or jog, but no other exercise is allowed. The story says they warn about 600 people a month to move along and they've issued eight citations (for $158) For non-compliant exercisers. A couple observations: Isn't the noise, and not the exercising, the issue here? I'm assuming these loud exercisers are the same people who are so frightfully important that they need to talk on cell phones loudly and for extended periods of time in enclosed spaces like trains and planes. I understand that Santa Monica just found an existing ordinance to enforce to get rid of these noisemakers, but it seems like the loud exercisers just need an etiquette lesson. You know, a reminder to observe some basic tenets of the social contract. Don't disturb the peace and no one will care that you're practicing yoga instead of sprinting on the median. Loud exercising, or exercising of any kind for that matter, does not seem to be widespread in the security industry, but just in case you were planning to channel Richard Simmons on the median during breaks at the March Security Growth Conference, you've been forwarned. No Ashtanga on the median until further notice. Stick to walking and jogging.