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Pacific Grove council directs staff to draft drone ordinance to curb wildlife disturbances
Summary
After presentations from staff and wildlife volunteers, the council directed staff to return with legal analysis and a draft ordinance banning recreational drones and permitting limited research/commercial flights with safeguards to avoid wildlife disturbance.
Pacific Grove — The City Council voted unanimously Oct. 1, 2025 to direct staff to prepare legal analysis and a draft ordinance regulating unmanned aircraft systems (drones), with an emphasis on prohibiting recreational flights that disturb wildlife and permitting limited, supervised research or commercial operations.
Councilmember McDonald, who introduced the item, told council the proposal responds to repeated incidents of drones disturbing coastal wildlife — including nesting shorebirds and hauled‑out harbor seals — and to complaints from residents and volunteers who monitor those species. “We have ongoing disturbances to our birds, our harbor seals,” McDonald said, describing monitoring reports and public complaints collected by volunteers.
Public commenters with direct field experience urged strong…
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