More than 200 people whose homes flooded in January filed a lawsuit against the city of San Diego on Monday. They said the city knew about the long-standing issues with the stormwater drainage system and failed to address them.
“The clogging of Chollas Creek has been a known problem for years,” said Evan Walker, an attorney representing the residents. “The city’s own documentation and reports show that they knew something had to be done about it, and we know for a fact the city did nothing about it.”
Greg Montoya is one of the flood victims involved in the lawsuit. Dirt paths and a berm separate his Southcrest backyard from a concrete channel.
“There was so much debris,” he said, pointing to the channel. “Trash, mattresses, shopping carts; you name it, you would have found it in there.”
Repair work is still underway at his home. The garage where he restores antique furniture also flooded. Nearly four months later, he’s still living in a hotel. He's one of more than 1,900 people who are still using San Diego County’s hotel voucher program, which was just extended to June 21.
Montoya and the other flood victims named in the suit are asking for $100 million in damages from the city.
He and other residents sued the city in 2019 over the same problem. He said the city settled for $209,000.
A 2018 report from the City Auditor’s Office noted $459 million in unfunded needs for stormwater infrastructure.
Earlier this year, San Diego City Council President Sean Elo-Rivera said he would propose a tax measure for local stormwater infrastructure and disaster recovery efforts.
A spokesperson from the city attorney’s office said they had no comment on the pending litigation.
