S1: Welcome in San Diego , it's Jade Hindman. On today's show , a proposed sales tax could generate funding for the cross-border sewage contamination crisis. We'll talk about it. This is KPBS Midday Edition. Connecting our communities through conversation. So this fall , San Diego voters could decide to raise the sales tax by half a century. It's a measure widely supported by labor unions and advocacy groups. They submitted thousands of signatures to the county yesterday. Well , tax revenue could go toward funding for the cross-border sewage crisis , among other efforts. KPBS environment reporter Tami Murga spoke to supporters , and she joins me now to talk about it. Tami. Welcome back.
S2: Hi , Jade. Thank you for having us.
S1: Always great to have you here in studio. Before we get into the specifics here , give us a refresher. Where does the cross-border pollution problem stand right now ? Sure.
S2: I think it's really important to always start off with , you know , understanding the crux of the problem here , which is really the lack of solid wastewater treatment infrastructure that has existed , existed for many years. But I think right now is a really interesting time. We're sort of in a critical waiting period. Mexico and the US are upgrading , um , uh , their treatment plans and pipelines that are really supposed to keep the sewage away from the Tijuana River. And as we know , the river is the main source of pollution for communities in both sides of the border. Um , these upgrades are in agreement between both nations , and they're supposed to help stop the sewage flows completely. We're supposed to see gradual improvements in water quality with some of the these projects that are underway. However , in recent months , we've seen just how bad the air quality has gotten. And , you know , levels of hydrogen sulfide , which is a byproduct of wastewater. They've shot up the data , shows us that they've really surpassed federal and state thresholds. And that's happened after a lot of pipeline breaks in Mexico. And that's concerning. I think this has really shown us the level of of underinvestment that Mexico's wastewater system has been had , has had for so long. And I think the the public really is understanding that a lot needs to happen. And I think these are , um , people are really frustrated. They're really frustrated with saying , okay , we have construction projects that are underway , but when will we have some relief ? I think we're sort of waiting to see the , the benefits of , of these projects. Yeah.
S1: Yeah. Well , so it sounds like the situation is getting worse. And at the heart of this are people , residents who live and work in the region. Talk to me about them.
S2: Just do basic things , right. Should I close my window ? Should I open my window ? When to do it ? Um , people are reporting , um , symptoms like headaches , not just still that are continuing. And these past a couple of months have really worsened. And I think , you know , the data is there from scientists from UCSD and Sdsu , as well as the San Diego Air Pollution Control District. Their data shows just how much these levels are surpassing , and they really just validate the concerns that people have been raising for a long time. There's been a lot of advocacy to from local elected officials really calling again on the governor of California to , you know , declare a state of emergency. And I think that's that's where this stands. It's sort of like renewed effort again. But really , the the the problem persists. People are literally sick. They're frustrated.
S1:
S2: Of course , there's that's , uh , arguable , uh , locals here and local elected officials that really say , well , you know , this is a problem that's happening in California's backyard. There's a lot that the state can do. But the the administration , the state administration says this really just lands in federal. It has to do with federal property and in federal land , and they should be the ones to fully take care of it.
S1: And yet , it seems like here locally , people are working to find solutions. So let's talk about this proposed sales tax increase , because you were outside the San Diego County Registrar of Voters yesterday , where you spoke with labor unions and advocacy groups. What did you hear from them ? Sure.
S2: Yeah , there were several residents there who are affected by this pollution and also a lot of environmental advocates that are pushing for solutions. One of them was Waylon Mattson. He co-founded the nonprofit Four Walls International. They do really cool work. They turn trash into literal building blocks for schools , rec centers and homes. And through that work , he's advocated for fixes for the sewage crisis. Yesterday , he found kind of a new angle to this , a new support locally here , and that's for this measure , he said. Collecting , collecting that many signatures , about 160,000 or so is more than a milestone.
S3: 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.
S1: So the signatures were submitted yesterday , but before it's put on the ballot , what needs to happen ? Right.
S2: There's a whole process to this. It doesn't just mean , you know , we submitted it and it's on the ballot. The Register of Voters has 30 days , about a month to verify the signatures and then to qualify for the November ballot , says they need about 103,000 to to actually be placed in the the November ballot. And that's what supporters really hope. They say that , you know , they have they've collected more than enough. I'm hearing about 151,000 to 160,000. But of course there's as I mentioned , a whole process. Those need to be verified first.
S1: So let's say this measure does pass.
S2: Supporters estimate that this measure would bring in about $360 million , and about 22.5% of that total would be set aside for the sewage crisis. How exactly would that money be spent if voters approved the measure ? I think that's there's nothing really set in stone just yet. But ultimately county leaders would decide how to spend it. But it could go toward more infrastructure projects , more air purifiers for residents , or even health studies. That's something that advocates say they would really like to to see. I think there's interest in having local governments have a say in how to spend this money , and that because they're the ones that can see firsthand what their constituents need.
S1: So it would help with some of the to to treat some of the symptoms of this big problem. Have there been any estimates on how much it would cost to actually fix the problem ? Sure.
S2: I mean , when it comes to like health studies , right ? That's something that the county is already looking into. But it's I think I can't remember the exact amount , but we're talking millions of dollars here to , to put something like that together. And this takes time. So there definitely I mean something like this could bring in , as I mentioned , that steady funding for something like this. The county is already looking at removing a hotspot on Center Boulevard in the Tijuana River valley. And there's also , I mean , really , when it comes to the actual infrastructure in the US , we already know that $600 million have been secured to fix this. And that's a project that's going to , you know , it's not going to happen overnight. It takes years for that. Right. So there's definitely a need for for consistent funding here. Right.
S1: Right. Well for funds from from this particular measure would also go towards a number of other social services. Tell me a bit about that. Yeah.
S2: Yeah. It's not just for the Tijuana River sewage crisis. Um , funds would also go to a host of social and public services. And that's why yesterday we saw parents , health care workers , um , child service workers as well , and firefighters yesterday at the registrar of voters. So about 60% would go toward health care and child care , um , to make that more affordable , more accessible. And that could look like vouchers for families so that they can have the the saying what what kind of care to to choose. And it could also go toward , um , health coverage for uninsured or , um , underinsured low income county residents. About 17.5% would go for wildfire prevention , and that could look like upgrading , upgrading firefighting equipment and investing in more brush clearing and also to bolster crisis response services. You know , making the regional emergency 901 communications better. And the last remaining amount , which is 1.5% , would go towards salaries , benefits , all those administrative services to execute this well. Okay.
S1: Okay. So if the sales tax passes , how will we ensure the money goes where it's supposed to go ? That's always a question there. Yeah.
S2: Yeah. Yeah definitely. So in the proposal there's a specific section that says , you know , if this passes how do you ensure that there the funds are spent adequately and it suggests creating an 11 member citizen oversight committee. Um , this this group would not be elected. The Board of Supervisors would need to appoint them , and they would have to be people in with experience in public finance , emergency services , child care services and environmental science. So as you know , these are all related to what the measure would fund if it passes.
S1: All right.
S2: And that's something that doesn't really exist or hasn't really existed. Local elected leaders and the binational agency that manages the wastewater treatment plant here in the US , they have the big con Congress or state lawmakers for funding every year they're lobbying. They're going to Washington all the time and asking for funding every year. And if that that funding doesn't come , then , you know , where would we where would we we be right now. So this is really just something that I think a lot of people would be excited about because it's , it's , uh , again , something that's , that's , um , consistent in our county budget sounds optimistic.
S1: And of course , though , we know that every penny counts in San Diego.
S2: Right ? There's a challenge to actually pass it. I mean , two years ago there was another countywide sales tax that failed to pass and that was for transportation projects. So I mean , really , I think it's still too early to say who will oppose it and what their arguments will be. I will say , you know , this morning I reached out to the San Diego Taxpayers Association and about their stance. They said they'll they'll be taking a position in the coming weeks.
S1: All right. I've been speaking with Tami Murga. She's environment reporter for KPBS , and you can check out her full story at KPBS. Tami , as always , thank you so much.
S2: Thank you. Jade.
S1: That's our show for today. I'm your host , Jade Hindman.
S4: Thanks for tuning in to Midday Edition. Be sure to have a great day on purpose , everyone.
