Editorial: Sea lion statue a symbol of community for Sausalito

A Marin icon has been returned to its bayside perch.

Sausalito’s sea lion statue, which had been toppled during a Jan. 8, 2023 storm, is back where it belongs. It is at the foot of what was once called “Hearst Point,” marking the curve where William Randolph Hearst started work on his hillside mansion.

The bronze statue has been a fixture of Sausalito’s world-renown waterfront since 1957, when Sausalito artist Al Sybrian created a concrete statue and placed it about 100 yards from his studio.

It quickly became a popular sight – for locals and tourists – and in 1966, thanks to a community fund-raising drive, it was recast in brass to better withstand its wet and salty environs. The artwork has gone through repairs since, but after the 2023 storm, the Sausalito Foundation, the community foundation that has adopted the statue, decided it needed a more permanent footing, one that could withstand the waves, tides and, sometimes, blustery storms.

The 2023 storm was the third time the statue had been toppled.

This time, the foundation spent more than a year raising money, repairing the one-ton statue and creating a more resilient base, reinforced with fiberglass rebar and treated to help prevent corrosion.

The statue is back, a little higher and even shinier.

Tiburon has its statue of Blackie. Ross has its Bufano bear. San Anselmo has a cast-iron deer, Sugarfoot.

Sybrian’s sea lion statue is a fixture – for sure, now – of Sausalito.

It’s even drawn comparisons to the famed Little Mermaid statue that resides along Copenhagen’s Langelinie promenade.

Sausalito’s sea lion is back, better than ever; the result of community support – fundraising and volunteer effort – to return the popular bronze pinniped to its proper post.

Among the leaders of the most recent preservation effort, local businessman Reason Bradley, who manufactures weather-resistant sonar mounts and added his wisdom about protecting metals from corrosion to the task.

For the effort was not only about saving the sea lion, but the coming together of the community in support of the project.

Mayor Ian Sobieski likened it to a “barn raising.”

Councilwoman Melissa Blaustein made a fundraising swim from Angel Island to Sausalito to raise cash for its repair and return. The Trident, itself a Sausalito bayside fixture, donated a portion of every tab for one of its Tequila Sunrise drinks – part of its bar’s storied history – to bring back the sea lion.

The community rallied behind the task.

“Having been born and raised in Sausalito, it’s been wild to see how many people are excited and involved in the project,” said Bradley. “There’s a lot of people who feel connected to it.”

Congratulations to those who donated money, time and talent to bring the sea lion back, better than ever, to where it has been part of the town’s bayfront for nearly 70 years and will delight locals and visitors for generations to come.