Local leaders are continuing to mull over the future of La Jolla Cove access.<\/p>\n
Although no concrete action has been taken to this point, discussions have made their way to city and state agencies.<\/p>\n
While San Diego City Council President Joe LaCava said the intent is to \u201cpreserve the public\u2019s access to the iconic La Jolla Cove\u201d that effort is becoming \u201cincreasingly challenging\u201d in light of recent events and heated public discussions. Thus, city of San Diego representatives said have they entered into discussion with the California Coastal Commission as to how to proceed.<\/p>\n
Local discussions surrounding keeping sea lions and humans apart have been underway for years, but on July 22, a video surfaced online appearing to show a person chasing and kicking at a sea lion near La Jolla Cove, bringing new intensity to the conversation.<\/p>\n
In the widely circulated video, the sea lion appears to have been sitting atop a low wall that separates the colony at La Jolla Cove and Point La Jolla from a public walkway. The video shows a young man taunt and then kick at the sea lion before chasing the animal as it tries to escape along the wall.<\/p>\n
Tyler Muehl, an 18-year-old La Jolla resident, admitted to attacking the animal, according to a plea agreement he signed in August. He pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor violation of the Marine Mammal Protection Act, which makes it illegal to harass, harm, pursue, feed, capture, injure, restrain or kill the animals.<\/p>\n
Soon after the incident, San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria and LaCava spoke out in a joint statement, describing it as \u201cdisturbing\u201d and \u201cunacceptable.\u201d<\/p>\n
In the same statement, they wrote: \u201cThe actions of a few individuals should not undermine the work to balance wildlife protection with responsible public access to one of San Diego\u2019s most treasured natural places. Responsible public access means respecting wildlife, following the rules, and recognizing that we are visitors in their habitat. We can, and must, continue to do both.\u201d<\/p>\n
Then, during the Aug. 14 California Coastal Commission meeting, board members wondered if a temporary closure of La Jolla Cove would be beneficial as the city formalizes its plans to keep people and sea lions apart.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m at the point where I believe a partial closure is the only way to deal with this issue until the city gets their program implementation figured out and investigates what is going on here,\u201d said Commissioner Matt O\u2019Malley. \u201cI\u2019m sorry to have to be an advocate for that at this point.\u201d<\/p>\n
Commissioner Jose Preciado added that he, too, questioned whether the city \u201cneeds some sort of reboot in the sense that maybe preserving the environment completely \u2026 while everyone gets policies and practices squared away.\u201d<\/p>\n