SEAL BEACH : Council OKs Fines for Feeding Pier Pigeons

As part of the city’s ongoing war against pigeons at the pier, officials said Tuesday night that citations will be issued to anyone who feeds the feathered freeloaders.

The fines would range from $50 to $250.

City officials imposed the fines after posting signs that prohibit pierside pigeon feeding, and deciding that prospects for voluntary compliance are low. About 250 pigeons frequent the pier and live off handouts from residents and tourists. City Manager Jerry L. Bankston said the fouling of benches and contamination of drinking fountains costs the city money and has created a potential health hazard.

At this week’s meeting, one resident objected to putting teeth in the pigeon-feeding ban.

“Are you going to go down and harass some grandma and her little kid?” Sue Korbin asked.

The city ordinance calls for a maximum $50 fine on a first offense, with fines of $100 and $250 for subsequent violations within a year. Bankston said relocating the pigeons would be too costly, adding that people who feed the pigeons food containing a sterilizing chemical would still be violating the ordinance.

Seal Beach Mayor George Brown said that if the human food source is removed, the pigeons will probably abandon the area. “The safeguards to the city’s citizens outweigh the enjoyment of feeding them,” Brown said. “We will not starve our pigeons, but just encourage them to go on to greener pastures.”