Tyler Muehl, an 18-year-old La Jolla resident, pleaded guilty on Thursday, Aug. 13, in federal court to a misdemeanor violation of the Marine Mammal Protection Act after a viral video showed him repeatedly kicking a sea lion near Ellen Browning Scripps Park at La Jolla Cove.

The guilty plea landed one day before the California Coastal Commission met to discuss restricting public access to the Cove, and it has sharpened a growing divide: close the beach to protect wildlife, or find enforcement tools that keep it open.

Muehl admitted in his plea agreement that he kicked at the sea lion four times as it sat on a sea wall on the night of Wednesday, July 22, aiming the first two kicks at its face, then chasing the animal before it escaped over the wall, according to federal prosecutors. He faces up to one year in prison and a $100,000 fine when he is sentenced Tuesday, Oct. 20, in San Diego federal court.

U.S. Attorney Adam Gordon called it a federal crime with federal consequences in a statement on Aug. 13.

Coastal Commission pushes back

At the commission's Friday, Aug. 14, meeting, Commissioner Matt O'Malley, San Diego's representative on the panel, called for a partial closure of La Jolla Cove, as reported by Times of San Diego. O'Malley said he has concluded the city lacks the will to protect wildlife in the area and that a partial closure is the only option until the city figures out its enforcement program.

NOAA and the Coastal Commission are now discussing additional protective measures with San Diego city officials, with full beach closure described as a last resort.

More than 23,000 people have signed a Change.org petition calling on the city to close Children's Pool to the public.

LaCava opposes closure, seeks middle ground

City Council President Joe LaCava, a longtime La Jolla resident who represents District 1, opposes shutting down the Cove. He argues the city should not broadly eliminate public access because of individual unlawful actions.

Instead, LaCava is exploring whether park rangers can be given authority to issue civil citations to people who harass sea lions, filling the gap between verbal warnings and federal prosecution.

"Yelling at people apparently is not enough, even with the megaphone," LaCava told Times of San Diego on Sunday, Aug. 23. "How can we give our park rangers some kind of civil citation?"

Emily Piatanesi, a senior policy adviser for Mayor Todd Gloria, told the Coastal Commission on Aug. 14 that the city attorney is working to identify local or state laws that could allow lifeguards and park rangers to issue tickets to visitors who violate wildlife protections, according to NBC San Diego.

Pup mortality underscores urgency

The Sierra Club Seal Society estimates that 43% of sea lion pups at La Jolla Cove have died so far in 2026. Pup mortality at the closed Point La Jolla site is estimated at 6%.

Since June, 56 sea lion births have been recorded in the Cove area, with six verified pup deaths there and two at Point La Jolla, according to NBC San Diego. Sea lion pupping season runs May through October.

Robyn Davidoff, who has chaired the Sierra Club Seal Society for seven years, said the group has long advocated placing cones and tape on the beach near pups as a visible boundary.

La Jolla's seven-mile coastline already has two restricted sections: Point La Jolla is closed year-round to protect sea lions, and Children's Pool closes during harbor seal pupping season from December through May. The city also recently added a park ranger at La Jolla Cove.

Muehl's sentencing on Oct. 20 is the next confirmed date in the case. No formal Coastal Commission vote on a Cove closure has been scheduled.