Senator Padilla Issues Statement After Assembly Denies Hearing to His Legislation Protecting Tijuana River Watershed
SACRAMENTO – Senator Steve Padilla released the statement below following the California State Assembly’s decision to deny a hearing to Senate Bill 10, his legislation addressing the cross-border pollution crisis at the Tijuana River:
“For generations, families in the South Bay of San Diego have suffered from millions of gallons of sewage and pollution flowing through the Tijuana River which has been driven by growing commercial manufacturing in Tijuana. Since being elected to the Senate, addressing these issues have been my highest priority. I am deeply disappointed my colleagues in the Assembly chose to deny San Diego families a chance to finally have some solutions to this decades-long crisis. Clearly, additional education is required on the impacts our community copes with every day. I will never stop fighting for the environmental justice San Diegans deserve.”
In 2024, the Tijuana River was named in the 10 most endangered rivers in America, a list managed by environmental organization, American Rivers. The designation comes from an analysis of the hazardous industrial waste and raw sewage present in the river. This year, the Tijuana River was named the second most polluted in America.
SB 10 would have expressly authorize funds from the new toll road to be used to assist in the maintenance of the South Bay International Boundary and Water Commission sewage treatment facility and the development of additional sanitation infrastructure projects related to the Tijuana River pursuant to an agreement with the federal government. By providing a portion of the proceeds made from this border crossing to help rectify the worsening crisis in the Tijuana River Valley, the bill would have ensured that there was an ongoing revenue stream available to fund overdue environmental mitigation of cross-border trade and manufacturing.
Last year, Senator Padilla also introduced another Tijuana River legislative package that was similarly held in the state Assembly. The Legislature previously passed Senator Padilla’s Senate Joint Resolution 18, which urged the CDC to investigate the sewage crisis.
To read more about Senator Padilla’s Tijuana River Pollution Legislative Package and the environmental challenges facing communities in Southern San Diego, click here.
In June, SB 10 passed the State Senate by a vote of 29 to 10.
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Steve Padilla represents the 18th Senate District, which includes the communities of Chula Vista, the Coachella Valley, Imperial Beach, the Imperial Valley, National City, and San Diego. Prior to his election to the Senate in 2022, Senator Padilla was the first person of color ever elected to city office in Chula Vista, the first Latino Mayor, and the first openly LGBT person to serve or be elected to city office. Website of Senator Steve Padilla: https://sd18.senate.ca.gov/