San Diego Is Installing Barriers to Repel Its Stinky Sea Lions

With its gorgeous bluffs and shimmering waters, the tony San Diego neighborhood of La Jolla has been called the “jewel of Southern California.” People who’ve visited, however, might know it as Davy Jones' Bathroom, thanks to a revolting and persistent odor of bird and sea-lion poop.

Some have described the stench as having notes of “a farm,” “foul anchovies,” “rotting seal butts,” and “wet dog trapped in a sweaty humid room.” Others say it’s more like “morning breath,” “ocean miso,” and “like all of San Diego took a dump at once.” But the general agreement is it’s bad—so bad that local businesses sued in 2013 to force the city to clean up the animal waste. Here’s all you need to know about that failed suit from the Los Angeles Times: