Local residents and La Jolla Community Planning Association (LJCPA) board members at a Sept. 2 meeting overwhelmingly opposed the installation of a year-round rope barrier separating people from seals at the Children’s Pool at Casa Beach. The barrier is typically in place from Dec. 15 to May 15 during seal-pupping season. The question of whether to make it permanent is yet another chapter in a debate that has divided the community for more than a decade, with animal rights activists in favor of preserving the area for seals and local residents who want unrestricted beach access. Dan Daneri, city shoreline park director, addressed the audience and said the rope was intended to help place a safe distance between humans and seals without limiting beach access. “It is simply a buffer zone between humans and seals,” he said. About 20 audience members then spoke during the public comment portion of the meeting, almost all denouncing the barrier. Mark Brown, a La Jollan who worked as a lifeguard at the Children’s Pool in the 1970s, said he has been “harassed and videotaped and threatened” by seal activists while accessing the beach area and added that the idea of a rope barrier “offended” him. Brown added that Randal Hawley, the park ranger supervising the area, was an effective antidote to a rope barrier. Hawley was recently hired using private funding secured by District 1 Councilwoman Sherri Lightner. “Randy is a good guy and he knows what he’s doing,” Brown said. “He’s mitigated a lot of conflict.” Melinda Merryweather, a longtime La Jolla resident, echoed Brown’s sentiments. “It is my constitutional right to enter the ocean,” she said. “The idea that the city of San Diego is cramming this down our throat is absolutely absurd. No rope should go up.” Many LJCPA board members also voiced disapproval of the rope barrier and supported the ranger program, finally voting to oppose the barrier with a 10-1-2 vote and again with an 11-0-2 vote. Board member Jim Fitzgerald spoke in favor of the rope. “As long as the seals are there and you have people who aren’t familiar with the area and aren’t familiar with wildlife coming there, and the ranger can’t be there at all times, a visual guideline is a good idea,” he said. A hearing officer will decide whether to approve or deny a year-round permanent barrier on Sept. 16 at 8:30 a.m. at City Council Chambers on the 12th floor of the City Administration Building, 202 C St. The decision will be final unless appealed to the city’s Planning Commission.