Sea lions charge through La Jolla Cove crowds, again. Locals want a fix

LA JOLLA, Calif. (FOX 5/KUSI) — In light of another video capturing sea lions running through a crowd at La Jolla Cove, long-time residents and students clashed over what should be done about the beach’s wildlife on Monday.

The La Jolla Parks and Beaches Association, a nonprofit that advises the city of San Diego on park issues, held a public meeting at the La Jolla library to discuss what could be done about tangles between the cove’s famous wildlife and beachgoers.

It comes after a recent video surfaced showing two sea lions racing through beach goers, sparking panic among people in the cove.

The La Jolla Beach and Parks Association argues something needs to be done to prevent sea lions from taking over the historical beach, which has been used for diving, surfing, swimming and lounging for over a century.

However, many students and activists showed up to the meeting demanding people simply leave the marine mammals alone and leave the cove if that’s what it takes to keep people safe.

A large portion of La Jolla’s shoreline already has been transformed by closures, starting with Children’s Beach, which is now closed for six months out of the year to protect the pinnipeds that live there.

Then, Point La Jolla and Boomer’s Beach were indefinitely closed for the same reasons. The La Jolla Park and Beaches Association says they are not going to let the cove get taken over by the sea lions as well.

After a long discussion, the board members voted to send a letter to the San Diego city council in support of continuing to let human being have access to the cove. In the letter, the Parks and Beach Association instead asked for solutions to keep the sea lions out of the area to prevent more unwanted interactions.

FOX 5/KUSI’s Danielle Dawson contributed to this report.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 5 San Diego & KUSI News.