Seal Beach residents have been reporting a growing number of encounters and attacks on their pets in all sections of the beach town -- including the greenbelt in Old Town and in College Park East and in Leisure World.

Patty Campbell, a former councilwoman, said a citizen "coyote committee" drafted the plan last Friday (Sept. 19), adding the five voting members split 3-2 in favor of the strategic trapping.

At the Sept. 22 Seal Beach Council meeting, Mayor Ellery Deaton said the trapping won't be indiscriminate but will take place where habituated coyotes are with locations based on where pet attacks have taken place. Mayor Deaton said Seal Beach will obtain that information from Long Beach Animal Care Services, which provides animal control services under contract to Seal Beach.

The Seal Beach trapping won't be done by Long Beach Animal Care Services; Seal Beach will hire a private trapping firm to handle that. At the Council meeting, a representative of "Critter Busters" came to the speakers podium and told the Seal Beach Council that its trapping period runs for two business weeks and costs about $2,500 for four traps in four different areas...and the animal is destroyed on site and the carcass is removed.

Mayor Deaton acknowledged that trapping alone won't be sufficient, and said that's why the plan includes ensuring that food attractants aren't present and addressing infrastructure issues that may be allowing coyotes access to areas where they're not welcome.

In the longer term, Mayor Deaton said a regional plan is needed so coyotes aren't simply redirected from one city to another. The option of sterilizing habituating coyotes will also be explored, she said.

Coyotes have been spotted in a number of Long Beach neighborhoods this year...and have left dead pets in their wake -- but the issue hasn't escalated to City Council action. [An LBREPORT.com August 2014 report lists a number of incidents, click here.]

To view Power Point slides summarizing the Seal Beach "Coyote Management Plan" as displayed at the Council meeting, click here.

During public testimony, a number of residents testified -- passionately and in some cases tearfully -- regarding dead pets and human encounters with increasingly brazen coyotes. One woman testified that some of her neighbors are starting to arm themselves (including with pellet guns) "because nothing's being done."

Other speakers, including a Huntington Beach resident, said hazing coyotes works, a proposal in Huntington Beach to trap coyotes was defeated, coyotes are "misunderstood" and trapping "should be the last thing you do."

Assemblyman Allan Monsoor (R, Huntington Beach) came to the speakers podium, said his office has receive many calls on the issue, said some trapping needs to be part of a total comprehensive plan and ultimately recommended a "regional approach that he said puts "our seniors first, people with small children and our pets before the coyotes" and offered assistance.

That drew a bluntly worded question from Seal Beach Councilman Michael Levitt who said a problem with trapping coyotes is that they can't be relocated under state law (a statement not denied by anyone present.) The Councilman asked about the chances of changing state law so a coyote trapped here can be relocated a hundred miles away. "We can always look at that," Assemblyman Mansoor replied, said the legislative session is over for the year, any legislative action would have to be done after the new year but said "I'm happy to work with anyone on that and added: "We all love animals, and there's a certain balance in our ecosystem, nobody's calling for them to be completely removed from our community, but when pets are being attacked, we need to have an approach that's regional that's going to produce results. This can't go on forever like this."

Mayor Deaton responded: "I think the state has actually been in our way a lot on this." .

To view the full Seal Beach City Council session, click here and scroll the video to 16:30, which is the start of the coyote Council item.

The Council vote to start the trapping right away ("tomorrow," said Mayor Deaton repeatedly) was 4-0.

In Seal Beach almost a year ago, after reports of coyote attacks on animals, safety officials sponsored a forum on safety measures on Nov. 4, 2013.

The Seal Beach Police Department, Long Beach Animal Care Services and the Department of Fish and Wildlife met with the public at in the City Council Chambers, but no action was taken.

In May, coyotes -- some described as overly aggressive -- were reported as invading Leisure World through two large flood channels.

The problem prompted city officials to seek a way to close the gaping access to the retirement community compound while still allowing for the passage of flood water.

City officials said coyotes enter the nearby Seal Beach Naval Weapons Station, and use the flood control channels under Seal Beach and Westminster boulevards.

The city planners have been working with Orange County Flood Control and Navy officials.

The flood control channel is near the eastern section of the base, but along Valley View Street, near Bolsa Avenue. In Leisure World, the channels are on its southern border and in the center.

Earlier this year, Councilman Michael Levitt and his wife, Gail, who live in Leisure World, reported encountering coyotes while separately walking their pet dog. During one encounter, Gail Levitt’s attempt to retreat to her home was cut off by a coyote.

"It was almost as though they knew she was headed back to her place," the councilman said. "She had to yell and scream."

On other occasions, Levitt said he’s been shadowed while walking his pet. During one night stroll, Levitt said he was confronted by two coyotes. Despite efforts to run them off, the two coyotes stood firm until Levitt shined a flashlight beam into their eyes. Levitt said other confrontations included a woman’s pet being killed while still on a leash.

He said the encounters usually occur in the early morning or early evening, which is when coyotes primarily feed. Many Leisure World residents have small pets, making them prime targets of the coyotes.

However, more recently, there have been mounting coyote sightings in the mid days. Campbell, for instance, said coyotes have been encountered near Heather Park.