San Diego County Board of Supervisor Vice Chair Terra Lawson-Remer visited Coronado on Feb. 27 for a meet-and-greet event with District 3 residents, discussing her work in office for the past three years while also recognizing local groups.
Since redistricting in 2022, District 3 generally includes the cities of Coronado, Del Mar, Solana Beach, Encinitas and Carlsbad, parts of San Diego and adjacent unincorporated communities, according to the County News Center.
Co-hosted by the Coronado Chamber of Commerce and Emerald Keepers environmental group, the event on Feb. 27 welcomed more than 50 people.
To kick off the hour-long event inside Coronado High School’s Black Box Theatre on Feb. 27, CHS senior and Emerald Keepers intern Hannah Cohen introduced Lawson-Remer.
Lawson-Remer, a Democrat, is in the midst of a re-election campaign against Republican challenger Kevin Faulconer, the former mayor of San Diego. At the Feb. 27 event, she focused on environmental justice and sustainability, including the coastal sewage pollution issue at local beaches.
“One of the things that unites our district, and it’s certainly one of the things that’s most important to me, is the work that I’ve been doing to tackle issues of environmental sustainability and protecting our beaches and coastlines and open space,” said Lawson-Remer. “We can’t go in the ocean because of the sewage and because of the pollution, so tackling this issue has been top of my mind and top priority for me since I was elected.”
According to a report by Lawson Remer’s office, $200 million has been invested in county storm-water infrastructure improvements, water quality testing, incentives and education in the last three years.
“I remember being a kid and [the Tijuana sewage situation] being an issue. It is not just still a problem but it is getting worse,” Lawson-Remer added.
From 2021-2023, the County tested 18,746 beach water samples for pollution, reads the same report which the supervisor’s team made available to attendees.
“I am very excited to report that we have succeeded in getting money for repairs for Punta Bandera in the Mexican federal budget,” Lawson-Remer said.
Lawson-Remer credited the U.S. congressional delegation and said she has been working very closely with the delegation, trying to get Mexico to use their military to do the build in a timely way.
According to the International Boundary and Water Commission, redesign and rehabilitation of a nonfunctioning treatment plant at Punta Bandera, just south of Tijuana, is scheduled for completion by this September.
After San Diego and Imperial Beach also declared local emergencies, the Board of Supervisors declared a state of emergency regarding the ongoing Tijuana sewage crisis on June 27, 2023.
“That was a huge step in the right direction. We sent that to the state. Unfortunately, they did not endorse our state of emergency,” Lawson-Remer said. “Our congressional delegation has continued to try to do that work to get that $300 million in the next round of appropriations.”
Lawson-Remer said she will continue working on securing additional funds to fix the South Bay International Wastewater Treatment Plant because the issue is personal for the third-generation San Diegan.
“If I could have one legacy,” Lawson-Remer said, “… it would be to have those — the sewage treatment plants — fixed because our kids deserve clean oceans and healthy beaches and the ability to swim in the water without getting sick. And that’s really what makes San Diego such a special place.”
Lawson-Remer also discussed homelessness, rising rents and housing costs, mental health and addiction treatment, protecting public safety.
During a question-and-answer session, she expressed her support for local single-use plastic bans.
“Plastics are a huge issue that we need to tackle,” Lawson-Remer said. “When I’m surfing, I see them floating. We think about what happens to the dolphins, what’s happening to the sea turtles…so I think there’s a lot that we have to do on that.”
February Proclamation
Earlier in the evening, Lawson-Remer recognized the work of The League of Wives Memorial Project.
“I commend the League of Wives Memorial Project for the outstanding years of service and dedication to our region,” said Lawson-Remer about the proclamation, declaring Feb. 27, 2024 as the “League of Wives Memorial Project Day” throughout San Diego County.
According to the league’s website, Sybil Stockdale and The League of Wives stepped out of their era’s traditionally passive role of military spouses in the 1960s to demand the humane treatment of their husbands, who were prisoners of war in Vietnam.
“We are more part of the active duty members life,” added Palacios-Peters, the foundation chairperson. “They changed how spouses are viewed.”
