Politics & Government

Seal Beach Pig Ban Passes, Bubba to Get Special Permit

Seal Beach passes an ordinance banning pigs while paving a path to keep Bubba, the city's only resident pig, with his owners.

The Seal Beach City Council on Tuesday passed a controversial ordinance change that bans pigs within city limits but also began the process to issue the city's only resident pig an exotic animal permit.

The ordinance, which received initial approval from the City Council on Oct. 28, bans all types of pigs "regardless of size, kind or sex," including what has now become Seal Beach's most famous pet pig, Bubba.

The unanimous decision made the ban official but also started a process to change the city's exotic animal permit system to accommodate Bubba and his owner, Madonna Grimsely. 

City Councilwoman Ellery Deaton, who proposed the compromise, said that passing the pig ban while finding an avenue to keep Bubba was the only solution agreeable to Grimsley and her neighbor, Nat Ferguson. Ferguson has voiced strong opposition to Bubba's presence in the neighborhood and has been a vocal supporter of the pig ban.

“When I ran for office, I didn’t see this one coming,” said Deaton, who was the only council member to speak to the issue. “This is a really tough job for me because at one level, it is residents against residents and I ran for this job because I wanted to improve everyone's quality of life.”

According to City Attorney Quinn Barrow, the city's exotic animal permit ordinance does not apply to pigs because they are considered domesticated animals. The City Council therefore directed city staff to look into expanding the ordinance to apply to domesticated animals, including Bubba.

“It seems odd to me that we would have a permit to keep a wild boar, but not a domesticated pig,” Deaton said.

During the meeting, an overflow crowd packed the city council chambers with the overwhelming majority taking to the podium to voice their support for Bubba and their opposition to the pig ban, including Grimsley herself.

Grimsley, who is fighting stage 4 cancer and utilizes Bubba for support, asked that the City Council find a way for her to keep her pet pig.

"Bubba holds a very dear part of my heart… It is heart enough fighting for my life and now I feel like I am fighting for my pig's life, Grimsley said. “Please, let me keep my pig.”

Eric Grimsley, Madonna's husband, broke down in tears as he explained to the council the importance of Bubba in Madonna's life.

“The woman I love the most is very sick,” Grimsley said in tears as Madonna rushed to the podium to console him. “Even now she holds me up and so does that little pig. Just do the right thing… that is all I ask."

Out of close to 20 speakers, only two voiced any sort of opposition to Bubba, including Ferguson, who took to the podium amid some heckling from the crowd.

As Ferguson spoke, one man continued to yell "stop lying Nat" before being removed from the council chambers. The heckling went so far as to cause the mayor to call order to the room.

Ferguson claimed that Bubba's odor and noise presented a nuisance for the neighborhood and said fear of retribution has caused Bubba's opponents to stay silent. 

"Long before the media cared about Bubba, a handful of neighbors questioned his screaming," Ferguson said. "The last time I checked, contacting the authorities to check on the welfare of an animal was the right thing to do."

However, other neighbors, including those that share a wall with Grimsley and Bubba's apartment, said that they hardly notice Bubba is around.

“I am astonished that someone would go so far as to lie about something like this," said Pam Carey, who lives in the same building as Bubba. "I live upstairs, upwind, and there is no smell from Bubba. He is a very clean animal and there is no noise."

Others at the meeting wondered why the complaints of only a couple of residents were outweighing the overwhelming support of the town.

"We are arguing over something that is really goofy,” said resident Robert Harson. “We have three or four people that do not like the pig… We have a city that seems to embrace this animal as a pet," he said. "We have a seal… Now we have a pig. How awesome is that?

The City Council will discuss the exotic animal ordinance and accommodating Bubba at its Dec. 9 meeting. Until then, the city attorney said that Bubba will be safe and the ordinance will not go into effect for 30 days.

While the Grimsleys do get to keep Bubba, both Madonna and Eric said they aren't thrilled at the outcome of the meeting. Both said they are sad to see all pigs banned and worried about any future residents who may want to own pigs as therapy animals.

"It is kind of a sneaky way around it if you want to know the truth," Eric Grimsley said after the meeting. "I think people were saving face here... I just wish it didn't go the way it did."

Despite the passionate views on both sides though, Eric said that the positive outcome of the ordeal is that it brought the community together.

"I think it has brought the community closer together," he said. "I think a lot more of us know each other a lot better now and I think that is wonderful."




 


















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