Facing down this environmentally potential tragedy is a San Diego Official, S/HE Who Cannot Be Named but merely identified as a "city biologist" who is saying no to a mixture of pomegranate juice and chia seeds to clean stomach roiling stink coming "naturally" to the rocks as a result of pooping seagulls and sea lions. While I am not the determinator of the ranking of species I do feel that since the area designated as dirty is called the CHILDRENS POOL, humans should have greater sovereignty than the doe-eyed sluglike creature who neither toils nor spins but rather eats poops pups and leaves a mess for humanity to endure or to clean up. But no, S/HE Who Cannot Be Named, would rather choose to err on the side of caution and against whatever whakadoodle with litigious mayhem on his/her mind might bring to bear over common sense solutions.

Here's how real grown ups would deal with the situation. Unable to stand the noxious stench for days and weeks on end, concerned citzens found an organic method to clean up the poop, certified testing of the poop cleansers efficiency and environmental friendliness, and willing people to do the labor of said poop clean up, and further have the method and the labor paid for so as not to disturb the delicate balance of budget in the city biology office. But no. To quote Dan Danieri the city's park and recreation district manager, the one who cannot name S/HE Who Cannot Be Named, "You really cannot walk down there and spray fresh water in the ocean (because?) it's storm water and San Diego is on the hook for that."

I don't think we are comparing pomegranates, chia seeds, and storm water correctly here. Grow up, everybody. Clean the rock and the beach so that people, HUMAN BEINGS who pay TAXES, can enjoy the PUBLIC SPACE without having to breath in the actual excrement let alone all the BS that's in the air discussing the reasons non-action is so important.

While we do our best to make the sea lions comfortable, let's not make the sharks jealous. I mean all it will take is one great white or one smaller shark with a great appetite to create a much messier scene when one of them finally figures out this is where the buffet is. Of course you could always ask the seals if they mind a gentle bath of pomegranate and chia seeds, politely of course, don't want to offend, must be cautious. It's less invasive than trying to get them to potty train.

Thanks go to Melinda Merryweather for all her long hours, persevering effort, calls, the research, and more to offer her neighbors and fellow beach walkers a fresh companionable solution to an ooky problem. Perhaps the naysayers should have to come down to the beach and sit in the hot sun and watch what happens to the businesses who are impacted by the stench. Maybe a place in the sun, near the pool, watching the endlessly fascinating creatures waddle this way and that way would lull the timid away from their political correctness and toward a working solution for all involved. Personally, my money's on the shark. Ann Van Buskirk