On July 3, a sea lion slipped quietly into the Sausalito waterfront. This wasn’t just any sea lion, it was the iconic Sausalito sea lion: a bronze statue that had been swept off of its perch by a storm in January 2023. And it was helped back to its pedestal by another unexpected and iconic friend: the Trident restaurant’s legendary Tequila Sunrise, invented there in the early 1970s by bartenders Bobby Lozoff and Billy Rice.
In March 2023, the Sausalito Foundation , which is responsible for the upkeep of the statue, was about one-third of the way toward its goal of $35,000 for needed refurbishments. That’s when the Trident restaurant stepped in. “We raised $8,300 from July 2023 through January 2024, just on sales of the Tequila Sunrise,” says Trident manager Rick Enos.
“We originally pledged up to $15,000 to fund the reinstallation of the sea lion,” he adds. In the end, just over half of that original pledge was needed for the repair and return. The Trident then stepped in again, pledging to host a celebratory party for everyone involved as well.
“We were anxious to participate in the fundraising efforts mainly because the sea lion statue is clearly visible through our south-facing windows,” he says. “Additionally, we were introduced to two women on the board of the Sausalito Foundation, and we liked their grassroots approach.” The history of the Sausalito sea lion and its return was documented in an IJ story earlier this month .
It’s rare that a public.