District 1 City Councilwoman Sherri Lightner held a press conference May 14 in Scripps Park at La Jolla Cove to announce that an anonymous donor has agreed to fund the first year’s salary for a park ranger who would enforce the current joint-use policy that allows humans and seals access to the Children’s Pool, as well as train and supervise city-sanctioned volunteer docents. Lightner, who was joined by several other community leaders, said the proposal was the only one out of several presented to the City Council that addresses the “people problem” at the pool, “which includes the long history of conflict between the seal activists who want to protect the seals and citizens who want to access this public beach.” In reference to the other proposals, one of which includes keeping the rope barrier in place year-round and not just during seal-pupping season, Lightner said that conflict resolution “is something a rope barrier or beach closure cannot achieve.” Lightner also said the ranger would help conserve other city resources. “It would relieve the lifeguards and police of the need to respond to calls for service at this location, which takes valuable time and tax dollars, and jeopardizes public safety,” she said. Joe La Cava, president of the La Jolla Community Planning Association — which voted unanimously to support the program on May 6 — expressed approval. “This is the only proposal that people with opposing views on this issue can agree upon, and it has been met with great enthusiasm and widespread community consensus,” he said. The estimated cost to pay the park ranger’s salary for the fiscal year of 2011 is $79,209. Lightner said the donor has agreed to help raise money for an endowment to secure future funding for the service. The proposal was approved by the City Council on May 17. Lightner estimated that a provisional ranger could be hired “within a couple of weeks,” then the screening process to find a permanent ranger would last from four to six months.