July 26, 2023

The region is seeking a Federal State of Emergency due to the ongoing influx of sewage, industrial discharges, and trash from the Tijuana River. Imperial Beach Mayor Paloma Aguirre urged the Biden Administration to take action to mitigate pollution impacting our region.  

A second letter signed by 18 local Mayors highlighted 500 consecutive days of beach closures and 34,000 related illnesses in 2017 according to Scripps Institution of Oceanography. 

At the County, Chairwoman Nora Vargas and Vice Chair Terra Lawson-Remer successfully introduced a board policy to declare a local state of emergency on this issue and call on the Biden Administration to declare a federal emergency. 

This is expected to help fast-track more spending and secure additional funding aside from the $300 million appropriated through the USMCA implementation bill. 

Federal and state legislators have joined our region’s call urging Governor Newsom and President Biden to address this ongoing crisis.