Despite a judge’s ruling Monday, which ordered the city of San Diego to start dispersing La Jolla’s harbor seal colony within 72 hours, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger hours later approved a bill that representatives from the mayor and city attorney’s office said would nullify the judge’s order saving the colony. On Thursday, July 23, Judge Yuri Hoffman cited the state bill as a reason for stopping the dispersal order. “The city’s going back to court on Thursday,” said Animal Protection and Rescue League’s SealWatch attorney Brian Pease regarding an emergency ex parte hearing to introduce the signed legislation. “It’s looking good [for the seals] and it was just in the nick of time.” Ongoing court battles over the Children’s Pool — mainly whether Hoffman could enforce a previous ruling ordering the city to return the area to its 1941 condition by dispersing a colony of seals — climaxed July 20 at Hoffman’s hearing to decide which seal dispersal plan was most efficient. A statement released from Mayor Jerry Sanders’ office said the city would comply with Hoffman’s order, “while all research indicates the costly undertaking of seal dispersal is unlikely to achieve the goal of improving water quality at the Children’s Pool.” While Sanders said the city would use humane methods to disperse the seals in accordance with federal regulations, he urged activists to behave peacefully during the process. “A bill permitting the seals to remain at the Children’s Pool is currently awaiting Governor Schwarzenegger’s signature,” Sanders’ office said in a press release Monday; Schwarzenegger approved the bill hours later. “We expect that before long, this costly exercise will be concluded.” For information, visit www.senate.ca.gov/kehoe, www.childrenspool.org or www.friendsoftheseals.com, www.aprl.org www.aprl.org/seals.html.