3 sea lions died in San Diego. Wildlife advocates demand action.

Some community members are calling on city of San Diego officials to take action after three sea lion pups died in the span of six days at La Jolla Cove. 

The community members, which included concerned residents and members of a conservation group, spoke at the City Council’s Environmental Committee meeting earlier this month and blamed a lack of oversight of interactions between tourists and sea life. 

Carol Toye, a Sierra Club Seal Society member, told the committee the deaths can be attributed to overcrowding because of tourism. 

“The crowds petting, throwing sand and food, taking selfies too close, regularly separating moms and pups … people are literally loving these animals to death,” she said.

Robyn Davidoff, chair of the Sierra Club Seal Society, urged the committee to take immediate action to protect the sea lions. She suggested staffing rangers on the beach and placing visual markers for tourists to alert them to areas that are off limits. 

Davidoff quoted the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration opinion that “the problem isn’t wildlife management, it’s managing human behavior around wildlife.”

Councilmember Joe LaCava, who chairs the committee and represents La Jolla, said officials are speaking with staff on how to resolve the issues at La Jolla Cove.

In other meeting news, the committee: 

• Recommended the approval of two contracts for tree maintenance and tree planting services for Atlas Environmental Services for San Diego City Council districts 1, 5, 6 and 7 and West Coast Arborist for districts 2, 3, 4, 8 and 9. You can find your council district here. By the 2025 fiscal year, 35,000 street trees are scheduled for maintenance, and 4,000 new trees are set to be planted and watered weekly. Up to 500 street trees may need removal if they cannot be saved.
• Councilmember Marni von Wilpert voted against two contract amendments for retroactive extensions. There appeared to be some confusion in the committee about whether there was proper authorization for those expenditures. Council President Sean Elo-Rivera urged staff to clarify the situation and develop steps to avoid such issues in the future. 
• Several community members expressed concern over the effects of SeaWorld fireworks on nesting birds in the area. Vi Nguyen, the cofounder of San Diego Pediatricians for Clean Air, expressed support for the San Diego Audubon Society’s call for SeaWorld to end its fireworks show.