The Coronado News for its investigation of the Tijuana sewage crisis was named a finalist in the 2024 Toner Prizes Competition.
Presented by the Newhouse School, the Toner Prizes are among the most coveted awards in journalism. They recognize quality, fact-based political reporting—work that illuminates the electoral process, reveals the politics of policy and engages the public in democracy. Prizes are awarded for local political reporting and national political reporting.
A finalist among prominent media outlets
For its investigation into the nearly century-long crisis, The Coronado News is a finalist in the local division along with several prominent media outlets: Mississippi Today, THE CITY, The Texas Tribune, Miami Herald, Philadelphia Inquirer and WBEZ Chicago and Chicago Sun-Times.
In the national division for the awards, finalists include ProPublica, The Washington Post, The New York Times, Center for Public Integrity and NPR.
The Coronado News, a startup that launched in February 2023, is part of North Island LLC and owned by businessman Paul Huntsman, whose family has a home in Coronado.
In 2023, the paper began investigating the legacy of broken promises by U.S. and Mexican officials that have resulted in millions of gallons of raw sewage flowing into the Pacific Ocean.
Recognized for five-part series
Dennis Wagner, Craig Harris, Julieta Soto and Madeline Yang produced a five-part investigative series examining this binational health crisis. They documented how millions of gallons of untreated waste from Tijuana flow into the Pacific and are carried north by currents to San Diego County beaches.
In articles, pictures and a documentary, the detailed reporting exposed the health and safety impacts on community members in Coronado as well as residents of Tijuana.
Scott Goldman and Ben Cunningham designed the series in TheCoronadoNews.com and the weekly print edition.
Significant impact
In the aftermath of the project, there have been significant efforts to stop the flow of millions of gallons of untreated human waste into the ocean.
Most notably, President Joe Biden in October asking Congress for an additional $310 million to fix the beleaguered South Bay International Wastewater Treatment Plant, which is supposed to treat Tijuana sewage before it’s released into the sea.
In addition, Mexico has promised to rehabilitate a non-working plant that treats Tijuana sewage at Punta Bandera, south of the city. Mexico and the United States also are working together to repair major pipelines and collectors that funnel untreated sewage to those plants.
On Jan. 11, 2024, U.S. Rep. Scott Peters, whose district includes Coronado, went to the House floor to say Navy SEALs were being forced to train in human feces, and he urged other members of Congress to pass Biden’s funding request.
U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla traveled on June 5 to the South Bay plant to address the trans-border water pollution issue.
On June 27, San Diego County Supervisors declared a state of emergency and forty San Diego County nonprofit organizations sent letters on July 14 to Gov. Gavin Newsom and Biden urging swift action on the pollution problem.
Further, hundreds of Imperial Beach grade school students wrote letters to Biden asking for help in June, and a bipartisan group of local women formed StoptheSewage.org, which included beach rallies with Coronado and Imperial Beach’s mayors.
Mayors of every city in San Diego County sent a letter to Newsom calling for him to declare a state of emergency.
The winners of the Toner Prizes competition honoring excellence in political reporting will be announced March 25 at an awards ceremony in Washington, D.C.
