San Diego County voters could decide to raise the sales tax by a half cent in the November election for a series of issues supporters say have historically plagued residents, such as the decades-long Tijuana River sewage crisis.
On Monday, outside the San Diego County Registrar of Voters, labor unions and advocacy groups unloaded a truckload of boxes containing what they said were more than 167,000 signatures in support of the Protect San Diego County’s Health and Safety Act.
“Today’s submission of over (160,000) signatures is more than a milestone,” said Waylon Matson, cofounder of the nonprofit 4 Walls International.
He has been advocating for an end to the pollution crisis for years through his nonprofit. Now, he’s pushing for solutions through the proposed measure.
“It's a signal, a signal that communities across San Diego County are no longer willing to accept chronic pollution, beach closures, and the ongoing exposure to contaminated air and water,” he said.
The Tijuana River routinely carries a mix of untreated wastewater and industrial waste year-round. Scientists have found that pollution in the river water, which eventually reaches the Pacific Ocean, affects air quality. Pollution has worsened in recent years because of heavy rainstorms, sediment and underinvestment in wastewater infrastructure on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border.
Local elected officials from all levels of government repeatedly lobby Congress and state lawmakers to set aside funding for projects designed to stop sewage from spilling over the border. They have successfully secured $600 million in federal funding to upgrade the South Bay International Wastewater Treatment plant, which is located north of the border and serves as a backstop for Tijuana sewage, as well as additional funds for smaller cleanup projects related to the pollution.
But supporters of the Health and Safety Act said that the crisis has gone on long enough without a steady stream of funds that could bring relief to people who live and work near the polluted river.
“This would be a huge step forward in addressing the gap in an ongoing funding source,” said Sarah Davidson, who manages the Surfrider Foundation’s Clean Border Water Now program. “Every year, Surfrider and so many other advocates have to approach Congress for funding and every other possible source of funding, the state, the county, anyone who is willing to listen and prioritize this desperate issue.”
If passed, the measure is estimated to generate about $360 million annually, of which the county Board of Supervisors would ultimately vote on how, specifically, to allocate the funds.
According to the proposal, 22.5% would be set aside for the cross-border problem. Most of that total, or no less than 20%, would need to be spent on infrastructure and engineering projects “to stop sewage flows from Tijuana” and the rest could go toward “addressing the emergency health impacts caused by the sewage crisis, and protecting local beaches, bays, and coastal waters from toxic pollution.”
Funds from the measure would also go to the following:
- 60% to make healthcare and childcare more affordable and accessible, including by funding vouchers for families to choose care and to offer health coverage for uninsured or underinsured, low-income county residents;
- 17.5% on wildfire prevention, such as upgrading firefighting equipment and investing in more brush clearing, and to bolster crisis response services, including hiring more deputy sheriffs and improving the regional emergency 911 communications system;
- 1.5% on administrative services, such as salaries and benefits.
The measure proposes creating an 11-member citizen oversight committee to ensure the tax revenue is spent accordingly.
To qualify for the ballot, the county requires petitioners to submit more than 102,900 signatures, which it would then verify.
The proposed measure is endorsed by several labor unions and advocacy groups, such as CalFire Local 2881, the county’s workers’ union, Children First Collective San Diego and First 5 San Diego.
