And we wonder why they are broke

La Jolla California has a children's beach pool created by the building of a seawall in 1931, it was donated to the city on the condition it become a public swimming area and park.

Sometime in the 1990's the pool was taken over by harbor seals... and of course, since nothing in California is simple or easy... having plodded through the state legal system for years, a judge ordered the city Monday to chase the seals away.

The plan created with the assistance of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), is to hire someone to walk up and down the beach playing a tape recording of barking dogs. Of course, the individual so tasked will need to have a police escort of two officers to protect him from "the pro-seal activists".

"THE PLAN" will cost taxpayers 688,000 DOLLARS! One presumes that does not include the cost of years of litigation.

$688,000 dollars for a plan that undoubtedly involved scores of high paid scientists, state officials, and various sundry unknowns to come up with the idea of playing recordings of a land-based predatory carnivore to scare off beached marine mammals. Hmmm!

According to Sandiego6, the city has already spent over $1 million in legal fees, the state legislature is involved, and as I read and researched this... the Governator has signed the bill granting a reprieve to the seals.

Well perhaps we can drag this out for a few more years and a few more hundred thousand or so.

Not that I have a position one way or another, seals, no seals... but do you really think it worth over $1,000,000 in legal gameplay and another $700K to scare the seals away?

For God's sake people, get a freakin grip.

And we wonder why the state is going down fast...

What's more curious is why we seem so intent to follow them.

http://www.msnbc.com/id/32014041/ns/us_news-environment/
http://www.fox5sandiego.com/news/kswb-seals,0,2234486.story
http://www.lajollafriendsoftheseals.org/