{"id":277717,"date":"2011-06-09T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2011-06-09T07:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sdnews.com\/opponents-unite-at-lj-planning-meeting\/"},"modified":"2011-06-09T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2011-06-09T07:00:00","slug":"opponents-unite-at-lj-planning-meeting","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/opponents-unite-at-lj-planning-meeting\/","title":{"rendered":"Opponents unite at LJ planning meeting"},"content":{"rendered":"

Don Daneri, a representative from the city\u2019s Park and Recreation Department, presented a city proposal to the La Jolla Community Planning Association (LJCPA) on Thursday to close the Children\u2019s Pool beach during pupping season for seals. If adopted, a barricade would be placed in front of the pedestrian walkway that provides access to the beach area located at 850 Coast Blvd. at the end of Jenner Street, and the beach would be closed to the public from mid-December to mid-May. Following Daneri\u2019s announcement at the meeting, 14 community members were given two minutes each to comment on the proposal. All 14 were against it. Although arguments made by the concerned divers, parents and beachgoers were varied, they were united in one idea \u2014 keeping the Children\u2019s Pool open to the public. Divers argued there is no other safe place to dive in the area. Brian Smyth, a young La Jolla diver, said three of four diving areas in La Jolla are unsafe because they harbor dangerous reefs and do not have lifeguard towers. “This is one of the few beaches that are safe to dive in,” he said, showing a computer image of the rarity of safe beaches for La Jolla divers. “It\u2019s probably the most dangerous thing to close that beach,” added La Jolla diver Justin Slapley. Parents also expressed concern that their children will no longer have the same opportunity to play at a safe beach as they once did as children. “I want to be able to take my daughter to a safe beach nearby,” said Christopher Davis, arguing that safe coastal parkland for beachgoers is becoming more limited due to the creation of “wasted areas” like the Torrey Pines parking lot. “My 9-year-old son wants to follow me into the water, and the Children\u2019s Pool is the safe area to do that,” said diver and parent Tim Choy. He said he does not know how to explain to his children why people harass him for simply being on the beach. “We don\u2019t want this crammed down our throats,” said Melinda Merryweather. “Maybe it\u2019s time to have a lawsuit against the City Council,” she said , garnering applause by several of her fellow advocates. The policy now in effect allows for beachgoers and seals to share the beach. An advisory rope barrier separates the pedestrian walkway and the beach from mid-December to mid-May, but the beach remains open to the public. On Friday, San Diego Superior Court Judge Lisa Foster ruled that the rope must come down now that pupping season is over. The ruling was issued in response to a lawsuit by the Animal Protection and Rescue League (APRL) insisting that a year-round rope barrier was necessary to protect harassment of the seals by humans. LJCPA Secretary Nancy Manno said she was at the Children\u2019s Pool on Wednesday and saw people on both sides of the rope. “There\u2019s no problem at all with seals and people interacting with each other,” she said. The LJCPA voted on Thursday to oppose “in the strongest possible way” annually closing public access to the La Jolla Children\u2019s Pool and recommended the Park and Recreation Department and other planning commissions not pursue initiation of the proposed Community Plan Amendment that would close the beach. “Complete public access to the Children\u2019s Pool should remain open year-round in perpetuity,” said LJCPA trustee Devin Burstein in the motion he proposed. “The Children\u2019s Pool is a unique, priceless asset to the children and citizens of California and a critical part of the La Jolla community,” he added. In a note of caution, LJCPA trustee Joe LaCava warned against intentionally propagating the current debate at the site, which already draws protesters from each side. “If you are a beach person, you need to watch what you do or else you will only antagonize the seal supporters,” he said. “If we don\u2019t find an equitable compromise, we will lose it all,” he said.