The city of Coronado staff has sent letters of support on a handful of bills to state lawmakers, and two include matters of water quality and the California-Mexico cross-border contamination.
Tijuana’s sewage crisis has been extensively covered by The Coronado News, and these bills may be the next step to help solve the quandary.
The newspaper’s five-part series found a nearly century-long legacy of broken promises by both countries has resulted in a public health crisis that has exposed beachgoers, U.S. Border Patrol agents and U.S. Navy SEALS to a myriad of diseases from the fecal-exposed Pacific Ocean.
In Sacramento, Assembly Bill (AB) 1596 would “require the Water Resources Board to identify different projects that would help improve beach access and address ocean water quality on those public beaches,” said Assistant City Manager Tony Winney at the City Council meeting on Tuesday, May 2.
Meanwhile, AB 1597 would provide $50 million to fund projects that would address cross-border pollution.
These funds are provided by the North American Development Bank and would help the Tijuana River Valley in addition to a river in Sacramento considered to be very polluted, according to Winney.
Affordable housing
Housing in Coronado has been an on-going issue since late last year when its mandated affordable housing allocations jumped from 52 units to 912 units.
Coronado has struggled with the lack of space needed to build these units, and it has come under fire recently in The Los Angeles Times, which had a story in which the city was accused of defying laws requiring cities to plan for growth and affordability.
Council member John Duncan pointed out comments Coronado had been getting of being a “fragrant violator and flouter of the laws,” for not being in compliance with the housing element.
He said that’s not the whole story.
“Coronado has actually been working closely with HCD (California Department of Housing and Community Development) and trying to find a way to become compliant and deal with the allocation we received,” Duncan said.
Free summer shuttle program
The free summer shuttle program is back this year, but there is a bit of a delay on its arrival.
It is now set to start running on June 11, through September 4, according to city officials.
The delay was due to MTS needing more time to hire and train its drivers, according to City Manager Tina Friend.
The program includes the Cays Fourth of July shuttle, 100 PRONTO passes for the Cays residents and the paratransit service component.
In regards to a mini shuttle program, one is already being implemented in Pacific Beach, and it is called “The Beach Bug.” There is also “FRED” in downtown San Diego.
Duncan assured the public at Tuesday’s meeting the mini shuttle program is something Coronado staff will be working on for next year.
