Question

read the excerpt from \leave la jollas sea lions alone.\ over 95,000 people have signed a petition, written by a uc san diego student, urging san diego mayor kevin falcouner to deny the task forces request, protect the sea lions habitat, and urge visitors to visit the nearby la jolla shores beach instead. why does the author most likely include the detail about the petition? to support the idea that the public doesnt care about the appearance of the beaches to support the idea that the sea lions play a critical role in the ecosystem to illustrate that the sea lions have caused a great deal of public discord to illustrate that there is strong public support for protecting the sea lions

Explanation:

The large number of petition - signers (over 95,000) shows public support for protecting sea lions by denying the Task Force's request and safeguarding their habitat.

Answer:

to illustrate that there is strong public support for protecting the sea lions