Seals, squirrels, dogs and ferrets -- it’s election time in San Diego

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Animals -- large, small, and metaphoric -- are playing a role in the contentous election campaign between San Diego City Atty. Michael Aguirre and his challenger, Superior Court Judge Jan Goldsmith.

Aguirre on Friday repeated his wish that the state Legislature rescue the seals that have taken up residence on the Children’s Pool beach at La Jolla. Aguirre is fighting an apparently losing battle to keep the courts from ordering the city to chase away the seals so the beach can be used by humans.

Meanwhile, Goldsmith has a television commercial ridiculing Aguirre for questioning the methods the city uses to trim the squirrel population in Balboa Park -- while allegedly refusing to negotiate with the San Diego Chargers over their desire for a new stadium.

‘Seems like he’ll talk about squirrels,’ says the commercial’s narrator, ‘but he won’t talk to the Chargers. It’s crazy.’

A website that rides herd on city politics, www.voiceofsandiego.com, summed up the campaign recently with the headline: ‘Goldsmith, Aguirre Bark At Each Other.’

P.S. While Aguirre might have an edge with the animal-lovers voting bloc, Goldsmith has his own animal following. While in the Legislature, he favored lifting the state ban on ferret ownership.

-- Tony Perry, San Diego