San Diego's city attorney has recommended the mayor seek the state's permission to erect a permanent barrier between seals and the public at Children's Pool in La Jolla.
Mayor Jerry Sanders had asked the city attorney if he could legally declare a coastal emergency and put up a rope after the City Council voted for the plan last month.
City attorney Jan Goldsmith's response on Wednesday lists the pros and cons of declaring an emergency but he left the final decision to Sanders.
Goldsmith recommends asking the Coastal Commission for a permanent barrier, a process that could take months. The rope now goes up only during pupping season.
Visitors say some people have been taunting the seals since it was taken down May 15.
A message left with Sanders was not immediately returned Thursday.
