Imperial Beach Mayor Paloma Aguirre once served as an environmental fellow in Sen. Cory Booker’s Washington office.
She leveraged that contact Thursday, as the New Jersey Democrat and former presidential candidate visited her city to see the Tijuana River sewage pollution crisis up close and demand more federal action to address the issue.
Booker called the situation “an environmental justice crisis” and said he will take “what I saw here back to Washington to help make sure this community’s fight for clean air and water is heard and answered.
“No one should be forced to breathe toxic air and swim in sewage. What I saw and smelled today in South San Diego County is unconscionable – it would never be tolerated in Malibu or Mar-a-Lago and it shouldn’t be tolerated here,” he said, in the latter case referring to President Donald Trump’s lavish Florida resort.
Aguirre invited the senator to visit the border on his already scheduled California trip, which included a speaking engagement Thursday at the San Diego Central Library. Rep. Juan Vargas, D-San Diego, joined them.
“The pollution in the Tijuana River isn’t just harming our environment – it’s threatening our neighbors’ health, shutting down businesses, and closing beaches,” Vargas said. “This isn’t a partisan issue, it’s a matter of basic human rights and community safety. We will continue to fight for real solutions and lasting protections.”
The 120-mile Tijuana River flows from Baja California and over the border into the South Bay, carrying millions of gallons of wastewater, including sewage, industrial waste and runoff that end up in the Pacific Ocean.
Booker’s visit comes the day after a UC San Diego report found dangerous chemical compounds are present not only in the water of the Tijuana River and off the coast of Imperial Beach, but are also aerosolized by ocean spray and make it into the air.
It also follows a pledge by the United States International Boundary and Water Commission and the Environmental Protection Agency to fast track a project to increase the South Bay International Wastewater Treatment Plant’s capacity to handle the sewage from 25 to 35 million gallons per day.
“I fought tooth and nail to get this funding through Congress and fix a broken plant that was making people sick and closing our beaches,” Aguirre said. “… Our relentless fight is showing results, but we need a 100% solution – because South County families shouldn’t have to live with this toxic sewage nightmare any longer.”
Aguirre is a candidate to fill the South Bay’s vacant seat on the San Diego County Board of Supervisors. She will face Chula Vista Mayor John McCann in a July 1 runoff.
City News Service contributed to this report.
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