Letters about Dinosaur Are Mostly Against

So far, City Hall has received 10 letters weighing in on whether the Zoomars Petting Zoo dinosaur should stay or should go, and right now, they’re saying, “Go.”

City Clerk Maria Morris includes correspondence the city receives on any City Council agenda item as part of the agenda packet.

This Tuesday, the council is set to deliver the final verdict on whether the Apatosaurus dinosaur statue – first erected without permits – should remain in the state’s oldest residential neighborhood.

San Juan Capistrano “did w/o the inane dinosaur and troublesome/odorous Zoomars for many years and hopefully will do so again,” wrote PJ Douglas this week.

However, of the seven emails sent to the city against the statue, four have “Nieblas” in the name of the sender and another, from the Capistrano Historical Alliance, has four Nieblases in the signature.

Jerry Nieblas, president of the alliance whose family has been in town since the early days, has been on a tear ever since the dinosaur – dubbed Juan although his or her name has not yet officially been chosen – made an impromptu appearance last June.

“Once again, Zoomars mocks the rich history by saddling up their dinosaur (a direct violation) and if that wasn’t bad enough, a photograph is published to capture the moment,” wrote Nieblas about a photograph that appeared in the Orange County Register. 

Writing twice to the City Council, Judith Nieblas Solis wrote: "Please do not allow the dinosaur at Zoomars to remain; this area is too historical, in a totally different way. Los Rios Street does not need this type of attraction.”

Meanwhile, state-level politicians have weighed in in support of the dino. Assemblywoman Diane Harkey, R-Dana Point, and state Sen. Mark Wyland, R-Escondido, both penned letters.

Harkey argued that the dinosaur brings much-needed dollars into town. She also said it’s not as big a deal as some make … literally.

“When the controversy began last year, I paid a visit to the area expecting to see a towering blight in the middle fothe beautiful historic district. I actually had difficulty locating the dinosaur, until I walked down the path between the properties,” she wrote.

Any additional correspondence the city receives between now and Tuesday will also be made available for public review in the back of council chambers.

The City Council meets 6 p.m. Tuesday at City Hall, 32400 Paseo Adelanto in San Juan Capistrano.