Supporters of Bubba the pig appear to be organizing to battle the recent Seal Beach City Council decision to introduce an ordinance banning pigs of all sizes and kinds from the city.
So far as anyone knows, the pig (or hog) living on Dolphin Avenue is the only pig in Seal Beach.
Councilwoman Ellery Deaton said the city code already prohibits pigs. Previously, the code prohibit hogs, which Deaton said described a male pig weighing 120 pounds or 139 pounds, depending on which resource you use.
As of noon, Tuesday, Nov. 5, there were 113 members of the Save Bubba the Seal Beach Pig page on Facebook.
One opponent of the pig ordinance is planning an event that is scheduled to begin at 2 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 9, at the Seal Beach Pier. Karen Hadley will sing as her alter ego Ruby Red-Eye.
While others have referred to the event as a rally, Hadley said she has not used that term in her promotional materials. “I’m not calling it a rally,” she said. “Just a get together, very casual.”
She said she is going to sing near the pier just like other musicians have. She has written a song, “Don’t Send Bubba to Hog Heaven” that she intends to sing.
Hadley sang in front of the Endless Summer store on Sunday, Nov. 3, to raise awareness of the issue.
Bubba, a Vietnamese pot bellied pig who lives on Dolphin Avenue, has become the center of controversy—and a national media circus—since the City Council on Monday, Oct. 28, introduced an ordinance that expands the city code’s definition of prohibited livestock to include pigs of all sizes, kinds, and both genders.
The proposed code amendment was a Consent Calendar item and approved without discussion by council members.
“Section 7.05.120 of the Municipal Code prohibits the keeping of certain animals within the city,” said City Attorney Quinn Barrow in his staff report to the council. “It currently states: ‘No person shall keep any of the following animals: cattle; hogs; fowl; goats; horses; or mules.’”
“It has recently been determined that use of the term ‘hog’ inadvertently limited this Section to pigs that weigh over 120 pounds, which is too narrow for effective Code enforcement,” Barrow said.
Deaton said the city attorney wanted to clarify the ordinance.
Councilwoman Deaton said the owners of this particular hog had received numerous citations from Long Beach Animal Care Services and had not paid them.
“Nobody is after this pig,” Deaton said. “Nobody is after this owner.”
Hadley said she doesn’t think the proposed code amendment is fair. She said Bubba’s owner has Stage 4 cancer and the city is trying to take away her beloved pet.
Yet Deaton cited fairness as a basis for enforcing the prohibition of pigs.
“There are people in this town who break other codes,” Deaton said, citing the requirement that all dogs be on leashes as an example.
“As a person who is fair-minded, I need to enforce both codes equally,” she said. Deaton said it was a matter of treating all pets and all laws equally.
Speaking at the Oct 28 City Council meeting, local activist Seth Eaker said that keeping pigs was not appropriate for the community.
Others have argued that Bubba would be better off in a larger space somewhere else. (See the guest column on page 6.)
Hadley doesn’t believe it. She said the pig has lived on Dolphin Avenue for years and hasn’t bothered anyone.
“I have received calls from both sides,” Deaton said.
There might be more than one side. “As the uproar over the status of where Bubba the Seal Beach pig should live continues, here’s something to ensure we keep perspective: there’s a homeless guy living on the San Gabriel River rocks between PCH and Rivers End,” said Jim Lengell. “Anybody concerned about his living status?”
