LA JOLLA — San Diego Superior Court judge tentatively denied the Animal Protection & Rescue League and La Jolla Friends of the Seals’ request for a preliminary injunction in a July 21 hearing. The injunction would require Mayor Sanders to immediately replace the rope barrier at the Children’s Pool. Seal activist and Animal Protection & Rescue League attorney Bryan Pease said that Judge Barton “clearly thought there was something there that warranted further looking at.” If the tentative denial is upheld, Pease said the activists might pursue a motion to reconsider. “There’s no question in anybody’s mind that [the rope barrier] will be approved eventually,” he said. “The mayor is refusing to replace the rope barrier on an emergency basis in the meantime.” Pease said he believed that the park ranger, who began supervising the area in early July, helps mediate contact between human and seals but is not present enough to solve the problem. “He has been helpful when seals are on the beach with asking people to keep a safe distance, but he’s just not there all the time,” Pease said. “When he’s not there, people go right back up to the seals and the harassment continues.”