RIGHT? ALL RIGHT. GOOD AFTERNOON
, EVERYONE. WELCOME TO THE E S¼
Tð M COMMITTEE HEARING. FOR
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 20TH. I'VE
BEEN ASKED THAT, UH, OUR
SECRETARY CALLED THE ROLL. TO
THE. TO ESTABLISH QUORUM. GARCIA
GARCIA HERE. HOOVER HOOVER HERE.
CONNOLLY CONNOLLY HERE,
MCKINNEY. PP IN HERE, REYES TA.
TO HERE WE HAVE A QUORUM. THANK
YOU VERY MUCH. AGAIN. GOOD
AFTERNOON. UH, WE THE SERGEANTS,
PLEASE CALL THE REMAINING
MEMBERS FOR THE COMMITTEE. WE
WILL GO THROUGH OUR
HOUSEKEEPING. UH, BUT FIRST AND
FOREMOST, WE'LL WELCOME SENATOR
GÓMEZ REYES, AND SOME OF THEM
ARE P. HERE WITH US. THANK YOU.
LIKE TO ALSO JUST, UH WELCOME.
OUR CCS Tð SCIENCE AND
TECHNOLOGY POLICY. FELLOW DOCTOR
BRENDA CISNEROS, LARIOS WELCOME.
UM AS PART OF THE ADDITION TO
THIS COMMITTEE AND LOOKING
FORWARD TO HAVING YOU PART OF
OUR GROUP HERE FOR THE SESSION.
UH, WE HAVE PRIMARY WITNESSES
THAT WILL BE ALLOWED TO USE A
TOTAL OF FOUR MINUTES AS WELL AS
THE OPPOSITION. ALL ADDITIONAL
WITNESSES WILL BE LIMITED TO
STATING THEIR NAME ORGANIZATION.
THEY REPRESENT AND THEIR
POSITION ON THE BILL. ALSO WANT
TO KNOW THAT WE ARE ACCEPTING
WRITTEN TESTIMONY THROUGH THE
POSITION LETTER PORTAL ON THE
COMMITTEE WEBSITE. WE HAVE ONE
ITEM TODAY. AND, UH, THE AUTHOR
IS HERE SO IT BE. 12.
THANK YOU, MR CHAIR, AND MEMBERS
OF THE COMMITTEE APPRECIATE THE
OPPORTUNITY FOR TO COME BEFORE
YOU TODAY WITH A G AJ R 12 SOME
JOINT RESOLUTION 12. MYSELF
ALONG WITH THE ENTIRE SAN DIEGO
LEGISLATIVE DELEGATION MEMBERS
CONSISTING OF, UH, BOTH CHAMBERS
, UH, OF BOTH PARTIES WOULD LIKE
TO PRESENT ASSEMBLY JOINT
RESOLUTION 12 AND IN ADDITION TO
THE DECLARING SEVERAL DISASTROUS
FINDINGS CALLS ON THE UNITED
STATES CONGRESS AND PRESIDENT
JOSEPH BIDEN TO PASS
COMPREHENSIVE FUNDING MEASURES
AND DECLARE A NATIONAL EMERGENCY
DUE TO THE IMPACTS OF
CROSS-BORDER POLLUTION IN SAN
DIEGO. WE WERE HERE IN A MINUTE
FROM, UH, OUR COSA COMMISSIONER
BUT ALSO MAYOR OF THE CITY OF
IMPERIAL BEACH MAYOR PALOMA
AGUIRRE, WHICH IS, UH, THE CITY
IS LOCATED AT THE SOUTHERNMOST
POINT OF OUR STATE. FOR DECADES,
THE COMMUNITIES ALONG THE SAN
DIEGO AND TIJUANA BORDER HAVE
BEEN GRAPPLING WITH THE CRISIS
THAT REALLY KNOWS NÓ BORDERS A
RELENTLESS FLOW UNTREATED SEWAGE
, HAZARDOUS CHEMICALS, SOLID
WASTE AND MORE INTO THE TIJUANA
RIVER, WHICH IS A BINATIONAL
WATERSHED. SPILLING INTO OUR
OCEANS, CONTAMINATING OUR
BEACHES, ENDANGERING OUR
ECOSYSTEMS AND THE PUBLIC HEALTH
NOW THIS POLLUTION DOES NOT ONLY
DESTROY THE NATURAL BEAUTY OF
OUR COASTLINE BUT POSSESSES A
SERIOUS HEALTH RISKS TO OUR
CITIZENS AND INFLICTS ECONOMIC
HARM ON LOCAL BUSINESSES THAT
DEPEND ON CLEAN AND ACCESSIBLE
BEACHES. SOME OF THE BEACH HAS
BEEN CLOSED SINCE DECEMBER. 8TH
OF 2021. SINCE OCTOBER. 2018 THE
INTERNATIONAL BOUNDARY AND WATER
COMMISSION HAS DOCUMENTED OVER
150 BILLION GALLONS OF TOXIC
EFFLUENT ENTERING CALIFORNIA AND
IMPACTING THE CITY OF IMPERIAL
BEACH. THE COMMUNITIES OF SAN
CEDRO, OTA, MESA, NESTOR AND
OTHERS. IN JUNE OF 2023, THE
COUNTY OF SAN DIEGO, ISSUED AN
EMERGENCY DECLARATION DUE TO THE
PUBLIC HEALTH, ENVIRONMENT AND
ECONOMIC IMPACTS OF THIS
DISASTER. MORE RECENTLY,
RESEARCH DONE BY THE SCRIPPS
INSTITUTE OF OCEANOGRAPHY AND
SAN DIEGO STATE UNIVERSITY
CONFIRMS WHAT HAS LONG BEEN
SUSPECTED. AND WHAT WE'VE BEEN
AFRAID OF. THE SEWAGE AND SOLID
WASTE CONTAMINATION IS MAKING
ITS WAY INTO THE AIR THAT WE
BREATHE IN SAN DIEGO. 76% OF THE
BACTERIA FOUND IN THE AIR IN
IMPERIAL BEACH CAN BE TRACED
BACK TO CROSS BORDER POLLUTION,
AND LOCAL HEALTH CLINICS HAVE
REPORTED SURGES OF
GASTROINTESTINAL DISEASE DURING
RAIN EVENTS. THIS IS NOT NORMAL
AND NOT SOMETHING THAT RESIDENTS
OF OUR STATE SHOULD BE SUFFERING
FROM. IT IS THE FEDERAL
GOVERNMENT'S RESPONSIBILITY TO
MAINTAIN OUR CROSS-BORDER
WATERWAYS, WHICH INCLUDE
COMPLYING WITH THE CLEAN WATER
ACT. YET FOR MANY YEARS FOR TOO
MANY YEARS, THEY HAVE FAILED.
ONE GLARING EXAMPLE IS OUR
FAILURE TO MAINTAIN THE
INTERNATIONAL TREATMENT PLANT
THAT'S LOCATED ON THE BORDER.
FROM THE YEAR 2011 TO 2021, A 10
YEAR PERIOD, THE FEDERAL
GOVERNMENT ONLY ALLOCATED A
TOTAL OF $4 MILLION FOR THE 10
YEARS. TO MAINTAIN THIS
TREATMENT PLANT A PLANT THAT,
UH, TREATS THE CROSS BORDER
SEWAGE, WHICH REQUIRES $4
MILLION AND AN ANNUAL BASIS, SO
RECEIVE 1/10 OF WHAT IT NEEDED
OVER THE COURSE OF 10 YEARS.
THAT IS WHY IN 2019, OUR FORMER
STATE ATTORNEY GENERAL, JAVIER
BECERRA LAUNCHED A LAWSUIT
AGAINST THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT
FOR THEIR FAILURE TO COMPLY WITH
THE CLEAN WATER ACT. THE LAWSUIT
WAS SUCCESSFULLY SETTLED NEARLY
TWO YEARS AGO AND RESULTED IN
COMMITMENTS TO COMPLY ALONG WITH
THREE $100 MILLION FROM THE
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT TO FIX THE
CROSS BORDER POLLUTION. THE
RESULT OF THAT FUNDING HAS YET
TO BE MATERIALIZED. SIMPLY
BECAUSE IT IS NOT ENOUGH TO GET
THE JOB DONE. WE KNOW WHAT NEEDS
TO BE DONE, AND WE JUST NEED THE
FUNDING. THAT IS WHY I URGE THE
COMMITTEES. UH, CONSIDERATION OF
THIS RESOLUTION. IN ADDITION TO
THAT, UH, WE WANNA CALL YOUR
SPECIAL ATTENTION TO THE ISSUE
IN THE RESOLUTION RELATED
RELATED TO THE NEW RIVER, WHICH
HAS ALSO SUFFERED FROM A CROSS
BORDER POLLUTION. THESE ARE TWO
OF OUR MOST IMPORTANT WATERWAYS
IN THE CALIFORNIA MEXICO BORDER.
AND UH, WE NEED THE FEDERAL
GOVERNMENT TO REALLY OWN UP TO
ITS RESPONSIBILITY AND TAKE
ACTION. SO AGR A JR 12. WE'LL
SEND A UNIFIED MESSAGE DIRECT
MESSAGE TO THE UNITED STATES.
CONGRESS PRESIDENT BIDEN TO PASS
ADDITIONAL FUNDING MEASURES
PROVIDE FINANCIAL FLEXIBILITY TO
THE INTERNATIONAL BOUNDARY WATER
COMMISSION, THE IBW èC SO THEY
CAN MAINTAIN THEIR
INFRASTRUCTURE AND ULTIMATELY
DECLARE A NATIONAL EMERGENCY AS
THIS IS TO COMBAT CROSS BORDER
SEWAGE AND POLLUTION. THIS
DISASTER THAT HAS BEEN WITH US
FOR TOO LONG. I LIKE NOT TO TURN
IT OVER TO MAYOR PALOMA AGUIRRE
FROM THE CITY OF IMPERIAL BEACH.
GOOD AFTERNOON, EVERYONE. THANK
YOU SO MUCH FOR THE OPPORTUNITY
TO SPEAK IN SUPPORT OF THIS, UH,
RESOLUTION. I ALSO WANT TO THANK
UM ASSEMBLY MEMBER GARCIA FOR
HIS LEADERSHIP REGARDING THE NEW
RIVER. I REMEMBER MEETING YOU
DOWN IN IMPERIAL BEACH WHEN YOU
WERE ADVOCATING FOR A DIFFERENT
BILL. UM BUT I JUST WANNA SHARE
WITH YOU THE PERSPECTIVE THAT I
BRING, ESPECIALLY OF THE 27,000
RESIDENTS OF THE CITY OF
IMPERIAL BEACH, AS THE ASSEMBLY
MEMBER NOTED, WE HAVE BEEN
SUFFERING THIS ISSUE FOR DECADES
, BUT IT'S NEVER BEEN WORSE.
IT'S BEEN EXACERBATED BECAUSE OF
LACK. INVESTMENT INTO
INFRASTRUCTURE. UH
INFRASTRUCTURE BREAKS THAT HAVE
HAPPENED, UH, INCREASED STORM
EVENTS, ATMOSPHERIC RIVERS HAVE
BROUGHT AN INTENSE AMOUNT OF
RAIN IN VERY SHORT AMOUNT OF
TIME. JANUARY 22ND WE HAD 14.5
BILLION GALLONS OF SEWAGE. LOW
THROUGH OUR COMMUNITIES
IMPACTING NOT JUST THE CITY OF
IMPERIAL BEACH, BUT ALSO THE
ADJACENT COMMUNITIES SUCH AS
NESTOR, SUNNY OR SOUTH SAN
DIEGO. SAN DIEGO COUNTY IN SOUTH
SOUTH COUNTY IS HOME TO 750,000
RESIDENTS. AND AS THE ASSEMBLY
MEMBER NOTED, THERE ARE
POLLUTANTS THAT ARE NOT BEING
AEROSOLIZED AND THAT CAN BE
CARRIED WELL INLAND FROM THE
SHORELINE. IT IS EXTREMELY
CONCERNING, UH, LAST YEAR AFTER
TROPICAL STORM HILARY, UM, HIT
OUR AREA FOR THE FIRST TIME WE
HAD AN OUTBREAK OF SHIGELLA AND
E. COLI UM PEOPLE BECOMING SICK
AT LEAST 12 PEOPLE, UM, WHO
LIVED ADJACENT TO THE ESTUARY,
SOME OF WHOM WERE EVEN HOSPITAL.
SO THE SITUATION IS DIRE. I AM
PROUD THAT I HAVE THE BIPARTISAN
SUPPORT OF ALL 18 MAYORS IN SAN
DIEGO COUNTY, CALLING, UH FOR A
STATE OF EMERGENCY AND FOR MORE
SUPPORT FROM, UH, OUR FEDERAL
GOVERNMENT. I WOULD ALSO, UM,
VERY PROUD TO HAVE LED A
BIPARTISAN DELEGATION TO Dð èC
AND COMPANY WITH MAYOR MCCANN
FROM CHULA VISTA AND COUNCIL
MEMBER JOHN DUNCAN FROM THE CITY
OF CORONADO. WHERE WE, UM REACH
OUT TO MEMBERS ON BOTH SIDES OF
THE AISLE IN BOTH CHAMBERS AND
WE HAD A VERY BROAD SUPPORT.
HOWEVER THE FUNDING STILL NEEDS
TO BE APPROVED THE $310 MILLION
THAT PRESIDENT BIDEN REQUESTED
STILL NEEDS TO BE APPROVED. IN
THE MEANTIME, WE'RE SEEING THE
EFFECTS OF THIS POLLUTION OUR
LOCAL DOCTORS AT SOUTH BAY
URGENT CARE CLINIC, UH, ARE
REPORTING A 560% INCREASE IN
GASTROINTESTINAL DISEASES, SO
THE SITUATION IS UNSUSTAINABLE
AND IT HAS TREMENDOUS IMPACTS ON
OUR PUBLIC HEALTH, BUT ALSO OUR
ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH AND ECONOMY
AS WELL. THE CITY OF CHULA VISTA
IS JUST, UH, IN THE PROCESS OF
COMPLETING A $4.5 BILLION
INVESTMENT AT GAYLORD AND
IMPERIAL BEACHES AND CORONADO
BEACHES ARE GOING TO OF THOSE
TERMS THAT COME AND VISIT OUR
AREA, BUT ON THEY'RE ONLY GOING
TO FIND THAT OUR BEACHES HAVE
BEEN CLOSED NOW FOR 804
CONSECUTIVE DAYS, SO OBVIOUSLY
IT'S ALSO A COASTAL ACCESS ISSUE
. UH, I AM WEARING ALSO MY
COASTAL COMMISSIONER HAT AND I'M
EXTREMELY CONCERNED ABOUT THAT,
AND THE COASTAL COMMISSION IS
ALSO PRIORITIZE THIS ISSUE.
HAVING ALREADY SENT LETTERS OF,
UM SUPPORT FOR THE REQUEST FROM
PRESIDENT BIDEN AND TO GOVERNOR
NEWSOM IN A FORTHCOMING LETTER
TO SUPPORT THE ASSEMBLY MEMBERS,
UH RESOLUTION. SO AGAIN, THANK
YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK
. AND I'M AVAILABLE FOR
QUESTIONS. THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
UM, I'LL ASK TO SEE IF THERE ARE
ANY OTHER WITNESSES THAT WILL BE
SPEAKING. UH, IN OPPOSITION. UM.
AND THEN I'LL OPEN IT UP FOR
COMMENT. SEE NÓ ONE. FOR UM,
THIS RESOLUTION OPPOSITION. I
ASK FOR THOSE WHO WANNA COMMENT.
UM IN FAVOR OR OPPOSITION,
PLEASE STATE YOUR NAME
ORGANIZATION. BE WITH YOUR
POSITION. GOOD AFTERNOON, MR
CHAIR AND MEMBERS CIARA ROSS
WILL BE UP THE CITY OF CORONADO.
UH, LIKE IMPERIAL BEACH. WE
HEAVILY IMPACTED BY THIS AND
WOULD REALLY URGE YOUR SUPPORT.
THANK YOU. MELISSA SPARKS CRANS
WITH THE LEAGUE OF CALIFORNIA
CITIES IN SUPPORT OF AJ R 12.
SHARON GONZALEZ ON BEHALF OF THE
CITY OF CARLSBAD IN SUPPORT
THANK YOU. I'M GOING TO BRING UP
THE MATTER BACK TO THE DIOCESE.
IF THERE ARE ANY QUESTIONS, ANY
COMMENTS MY LEFT. RIGHT?
ENTERTAIN A MOTION ON THIS ITEM.
SESSION WE HAVE A MOTION AND A
SECOND. OKAY I'LL JUST SAY THANK
YOU, UH, SOME MEMBER ALVAREZ AND
THANK YOU, MAYOR FOR BEING HERE
BRINGING THIS, UH, ISSUE FORWARD
. IT'S EXTREMELY IMPORTANT FOR
US, UM, WHO REPRESENT THE BORDER
REGION, BUT IT SHOULD BE
IMPORTANT TO THE ENTIRE STATE.
UH, IN TERMS OF WHAT'S HAPPENING
IN THIS AREA? UH, I WANNA JUST
HIGHLIGHT THAT IN 2015. THE SAME
COMMITTEE CHAIRED BY SOME MEMBER
THEN, UH, SOME MEMBER RS. ALEJO
TOOK, UH, THIS COMMITTEE ON THE
ROAD AND HAD A HEARING IN SAN
DIEGO HEARING IN CALEXICO. AND
AS A RESULT, UH, CAME A NUMBER
OF DIFFERENT STRATEGIC ACTIONS
AND FUNDS PUT FORWARD TO TRY TO
MINIMIZE AND MITIGATE THE
PROBLEM THAT, UM, IS TAKING
PLACE, BUT THIS REQUIRES FAR
MORE MITIGATION. DOLLARS IT
REQUIRES INTERVENTION BY THE
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT WHO HAS FULL
RESPONSIBILITY. UH FOR CROSS
BORDER POLLUTION ISSUES. SO
THANK YOU FOR BRINGING THIS TO
OUR ATTENTION. THANK YOU FOR
INCLUDING THE ISSUE OF THE NEW
RIVER AS WELL. UH, THAT IS
IMPORTANT TO US IN OUR DISTRICT.
SO WITH THAT, I'LL ASK SECRETARY
PLEASE CALL THE ROLL. THIS IS
ITEM ONE AJ R, 12 ALVAREZ. THE
MOTION IS BE ADOPTED TO THIRD
READING GARCIA GARCIA. I HOOVER
HOOVER. I CONNOLLY CONNOLLY, I
MINNER. P. PAP AND I REYES TA
TA. I YOU HAVE FIVE SO. WE'LL
WE'LL KEEP THE ROLE OPEN FOR
OTHER MEMBERS TO ADD ON. WE'LL
STAY HERE FOR ABOUT 10 MINUTES.
THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU,
MAYOR. THANK YOU SO MUCH. GOOD
TO SEE YOU. THANK. I APPRECIATE
THAT. I YEAH. OK?
OK, WE'RE GONNA OPEN UP THE, UH,
ROLL CALL OR OTHER MEMBERS AT
ON. YES, THIS IS AJ R 12 ALVAREZ
. THE VOTE STANDS AT 50 MINNER.
MINNER I REYES REYES I SO THAT'S
UNANIMOUS 70. THANK YOU. ALL
RIGHT, UH, WITH THAT, THANK YOU.
UH, MOTION IN THE SECOND CARRY.
HE GOES TO THIRD READING. AND
THIS TIME WE ADJOURN THE
COMMITTEE.