On Sept. 1, a rally was held at Coronado’s Central Beach to call attention to the ocean water contamination due to continued sewage spills from Tijuana.
Imperial Beach has been dramatically impacted by this sewage crisis for decades and Coronado has suffered ocean water contamination at an increased rate these past several years.
Where were the Democrat Gov. Gavin Newsom and Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis? Where was Democrat state Sen.Toni Atkins representing Coronado in the 39th District?. Where was Democrat Assemblyman Chris Ward, representing Imperial Beach District 39? Where was Democrat Tasha Boerner, 77th District including Coronado? Where was California Environmental Protection Agency Secretary Amelia Yana Garcia Gonzalez?
Where have the many Democrats representing Imperial Beach and Coronado been for over 25 years?
Where’s the funding to address crisis?
Can anyone let us know how many bills seeking funds to address this Tijuana River Valley pollution crisis these Democrats passed in the California state Legislature? Plenty of bills taking away your rights to local control have been passed by Democrats. Appropriation of funds to protect the health of you and your children just aren’t available.
In 2017, the Coronado City Council voted to adopt a diplomatic approach to deal with the Tijuana River Valley Contaminated Sewage Water overflows.
A bi-partisan Coronado delegation led by Mayor Richard Bailey and then Councilman Whitney Benzian traveled to Washington, D.C. several times in 2019 to lobby Congress and call attention to the decades long Tijuana River sewage pollution crisis.
Because Coronado did not join any of the several lawsuits filed in 2018 by San Diego, Imperial Beach and the Surfrider Foundation, Mayor Bailey and Councilman Benzian were able to speak directly to federal EPA, U.S Border Patrol, USIBWC and a number of Trump Administration officials.
Once lawyers are involved, you’ve created a legal adversary rather than a partner with shared goals.
Before the April 2020 scheduled lawsuits could be heard in federal court in Washington D.C., Congress appropriated $300 million that’s now waiting to be spent on clean up. Diplomacy worked.
Why hasn’t Newsom done more?
Gov. Newsom has never visited the polluted Tijuana River site at the border. He has denied requested funding to help with cleanup of the area. Newsom came close to the border area when he popped down to San Diego for a photo op just before Hurricane Hilary was to strike southern San Diego.
The tax paying citizens of Imperial Beach and Coronado who wrote thousands of letters over the years begging for help dealing with Tijuana River Valley pollution just don’t seem to be that important to Gov. Newsom, his administration and the various Democrats who have represented these cities. Remember that when the next election comes around.
Carolyn Rogerson is a Coronado resident.
