La Jolla Cove access group nearing solution proposal

Last Updated on May 12, 2025

The working group, formed three months ago, has been meeting regularly to hash out solutions that address a variety of stakeholder concerns.

Focusing now on details after settling on a concept, the La Jolla Cove Access group met for the fourth time May 7 in preparation of formulating and communicating a plan to the city of San Diego and the public.

The group, chartered by La Jolla Parks & Beaches to innovate a collaborative proposal to the city to address the ongoing tension between those who want more protection from sea lions and those who want unfettered access to the beach at La Jolla Cove, has been meeting since February.

The first meetings were designed to lay out the process to finding a solution and bring together La Jolla leaders, wildlife advocates, and avid beach users.

By the end of the April 2 meeting, the group had narrowed down solutions to a comprehensive approach involving education of beach visitors and deterring pinnipeds and poorly-behaved humans.

Though the May 7 group was whittled to five from the larger group that began the work, the remaining participants pored through notes on the impact analysis of a mutli-layered approach.

The approach may include using acoustic wave technology to legally and safely deter, though costs are unknown, said group member Chas Dye.

The group is however primarily concerned with deterring “the chaos and the bad behavior” of the humans – usually tourists angling for proximity – at The Cove, Dye said.

The group might address that through improved signage, clearer than the existing Cove signs; requiring tour buses to follow a script upon dropping tourists at Scripps Park and the Cove briefing people about how to interact with the sea lions, in various languages; designation of a dedicated platform to view sea lions; and advocating for an adjustment to Park Ranger coverage area, which is currently limited to Point La Jolla. The shift would mean rangers could be placed at The Cove to educate and cite those in violation.

The Cove Access Group will now work to define detailed recommendations for each component.

“There were people who didn’t think before we got started, that you’d see two divergent sides start to actually collaborate,” group facilitator Brenda Fake said, as discussion turned from the plan to how to communicate the plan.

“The real work is in how you align others to support you,” she said.

Fake suggested getting city leaders and staff to support the plan before going to the public with the particulars.

The group briefly discussed publicizing the formalized proposal at a larger, town hall-like meeting versus smaller, repeated presentations at the many monthly La Jolla civic meetings; no conclusion is yet reached.