It will be up to the full City Council to decide if the partial closure of Point La Jolla, pupping grounds for sea lions, should be extended year-round.

On July 20, the City Council’s Environment Committee voted unanimously to recommend the year-round closure of Point La Jolla to a full council hearing. The California Coastal Commission voted unanimously more than a year ago in April 2022, to grant the City’s request to close Point La Jolla’s sea lion pupping grounds from May 1 to Oct. 31 to protect the marine mammals from human contact.

The battle pitting humans versus pinnipeds in La Jolla has been ongoing for more than 20 years. It began in the mid-1990s when harbor seals began turning up in larger numbers at Children’s Pool.

The popular pool was created and dedicated by philanthropist Ellen Browning Scripps in 1931 as a safe wading area for children to learn to swim. However, growing conflicts between seal advocates seeking protection of marine mammals, and beach-access proponents arguing the state Constitution guarantees public access to coastal waters, ultimately led to Children’s Pool being closed to the public with a guideline rope since 2014 during the pinniped’s Dec. 15 to May 15 pupping season.

The issue of shared use of La Jolla’s coastal waters between humans and pinnipeds has since spread to La Jolla Cove and its environs, where a similar situation has emerged with the growth of the local sea lion population. Sea lions now use Point La Jolla as a pupping grounds, typically beginning in early May and concluding in October.

District 1 Councilmember Joe LaCava representing La Jolla said closing off Point La Jolla year-round would require more than just a full City Council vote in favor. “To move from seasonal closure to year-round, parallel steps have to be done,” he said. “One is we have to get a Coastal Development Permit from the California Coastal Commission. That will be done by amending the permit we have in hand.

“The City also has to amend its municipal code, so that it can regulate enforcement of the closure,” continued LaCava adding experience has shown pinnipeds and humans often don’t mix well together. “It’s the responsibility of the City to protect the public, and last year what we learned was that it was very difficult for the park rangers to try and protect the public, asking them to stay away from these wild animals,” LaCava said adding, “A park ranger can’t be out there seven days a week, 24 hours a day. The conclusion was that tourists just don’t know how dangerous it is to get in-between sea lion pups and mothers, and that seasonal closure and part-time park rangers just wasn’t enough to ensure the public’s safety.”

A marine mammal advocate, as well as the president of a La Jolla community advisory group, both reacted to the real possibility that Point La Jolla could soon be closed off year-round.

“The Sierra Club Seal Society is pleased the Environment Committee unanimously approved the year-round closure of Point La Jolla for the California sea lions,” said Robyn Davidoff, Sierra Club Seal Society chair. “This provides a safe viewing area for the public where they can watch the sea lions in their natural habitat giving birth and raising their young. It also keeps an ocean-access corridor open for experienced ocean users at the south end of Boomer Beach year-round.”

Davidoff noted surveys show “most visitors support the year-round closure of this rocky outcropping. We encourage all visitors to safely view the sea lions from at least 25 feet, to use their zoom lens, and refrain from touching or feeding them.”

But beach-access proponents view the year-round closure of Point La Jolla differently. “We are strongly opposed to year-round closure because the long-term impacts of this decision on Scripps Park have not been adequately identified and analyzed by the City,” said Bob Evans, president of nonprofit La Jolla Parks & Beaches, Inc. “We again ask that a comprehensive environmental and socio-economic analysis be conducted to then develop a best-practice long-term strategy for Scripps Park, which was envisioned and designed to always ensure open ocean and beach access for recreational use for all public enjoyment and benefit.”

Added Evans: “However, with the increasing pinnipeds’ presence, the once-thriving tidepools in the area have been decimated; the Cove and surrounding beaches and waters continually test bacteria levels that exceed County health standards; there is the ongoing threat to the local fisheries bordering a sensitive State Marine Reserve; the continued pattern of more beach and bluff closures; the crumbling park infrastructure in the Point La Jolla area; and there is a constant irritating stench and unpleasant odor onto the neighboring residents and business community.

“Before taking any new action at Point La Jolla, let’s take a step back, diagnose and determine what the park ailments really are, and what is the best treatment for the park, and then mend it for all to benefit.”

PHOTO BY THOMAS MELVILLE