In less than two years since moving back to the San Diego South Bay, my asthma resurfaced. I hadn’t had any symptoms since 2012 (inhaled fumes from re-painting my room).
I was so eager to finally come back home to Imperial Beach, and check out the Sandcastle Festival. As you can imagine, that excitement quickly dissipated into disappointment and then anger. I love IB with a passion, I really do. But it’s infuriating being the most polluted beach in the country, and the biggest national health crisis you’ve never heard of:
So then, instead of complaining on Facebook, here are 10 different actions you can take to do something about it. Let’s put pressure on elected officials, local representatives, and affiliated organizations. Make your voice heard in person, and over email, AND by phone! I also included an email template you can use, as well as all the email addresses to which to send it.
Join The Upcoming Peaceful Protest 8/30
Join the next protest at the IB Pier on August 30th. I know there have been previous protests, so if you missed this one, it certainly won’t be the last.
Find the FB event details.
Sign the Petition to Call on the President & Congress to Act Now
Surfrider is pushing for federal-level help to secure funding to restore and protect this special place. Join Surfrider in calling on the President and Congress to act now to address this national emergency.
Submit Odor Complaints via App
Download the app and submit daily complaints to the San Diego Air Pollution and Control District (SDAPCD):
The more complaints they get, the more attention this issue gets.
Contact Your Representatives
You can get in touch with all of our representatives through their website and send them an angry email (jk be professional and demand answers):
- Senator Alex Padilla – https://www.padilla.senate.gov/contact/contact-form/
- Congressman Juan Vargas – https://vargas.house.gov/contact/legislative-comments
- Ca congressman David Alvarez – https://a80.asmdc.org/contact
- Ca Senator Steve Padilla – https://sd18.senate.ca.gov/contact
- San Diego County Supervisor, District 1, Nora Vargas – https://www.supervisornoravargas.com/
- San Diego County Supervisor, District 3, Terra Lawson-Remer – https://www.supervisorterralawsonremer.com/
- CA Governor Gavin Newsom – https://www.gov.ca.gov/
- The White House. President Biden and VP Harris’ offices- https://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/
Contact the San Diego Regional Water Board
Ask them to impose fines on IBWC for their continued noncompliance and negligence, just like other regional water boards do to other negligent polluters across the state. Fines may be appropriate because they will be evidence of continued negligence and malfeasance that could further justify the need for a state of emergency declaration.
Contact them at [email protected].
Reach Out to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Reach out to the EPA Tijuana River Watershed Team. Ask them questions, get timelines, and details about their strategy to accelerate the execution of solutions, and demand prompt action.
Contact them at [email protected].
Email Template
I can’t make this easier for you. Feel free to copy-paste. I recommend editing a little so it doesn’t trigger anti-spam systems in case a lot of people send the same email:
Hello Elected Officials and Government Agencies,
The residents of Imperial Beach and San Diego South Bay, CA have been suffering from decades worth of the negligence by federal and local state authorities in solving the sewage issue at the Tijuana River.
Our beach doesn’t meet the health standard for recreational waters, and every day the pollutted air goes into our homes and makes us sick. We have hit our breaking point and can longer sit around hoping someone will do something. We are reminded everyday that we live in state where negligence of EPA, CDC, and federal government officials choose to ignore the serious health hazard our community faces. We are plagued by severe pollution that threatens public health, limits coastal access, harms ecosystems and wildlife, and jeopardizes local economies.
When will action take place of words? What is our State government, the EPA, the CDC going to do to resolve this health crisis? Our community deserves answers.
Concerned resident
Send this email to the following people:
[email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected] Call Them Too
Make your voice heard by contacting these officials and organizations:
- Governor of California: Maurice Lyles, Southern California Regional Director, Office of the Governor, (916) 799-9480
- Regional Water Quality Control Board: David Gibson, Executive Officer, San Diego Regional Water Quality Control Board, (619) 521-3005
- U.S. Congressman Juan Vargas: Janine Bryant, District Chief of Staff, U.S. House of Representatives, (619) 422-5963
- U.S. Senator Alex Padilla: Angel Marquez, Field Representative, United States Senate, (619) 239-3884
- County Board of Supervisors: District 1 Supervisor Nora Vargas, (619) 531-5511
- Mayor of San Diego: Dion Akers, Regional Government Affairs Manager, (619) 236-6330
Send the Wastewater Plant a Negative Review
It won’t help, but you’ll get to vent, and it’ll be funny. Just be mindful of Google’s review policies so it doesn’t get taken down. Things like hate speech or profanity could easily get your review automatically removed by Google. Do with that what you will!
Don’t Poop If You Go to Tijuana
Whether you’re visiting Tijuana for cheaper medical care, better food options, cheaper alcohol, or to see family, do not poop. Chances are you may end up breathing the aerosolized pollutants of your own organic waste, or worse, Pink Floyd could.
“El Fuchi” on Facebook takes matters into his own hands, “I don’t take any shits when i visit my Nana in Tijuana. That’s my way of helping out.”
Do It All Over Again, Every Day
This is not going to be fixed overnight. The more we mount pressure, the quicker it could be solved.
Save the list, bookmark this page, and share it with everyone. Every day that goes by we get sicker and sicker. This needs to stop now.
Thank you for putting this together and making it easy for us to send in the complaints!
No problem Amy, I hope this is helpful. Please share with friends/family/neighbors!
Thank you for this… FYI I got a bounce back message from this email, [email protected], all the others seemed to go through.
Thank you Katie! I removed it from my list.
I’m doing my part!
I’m doing my part!
Pablo – not sure if Dana Maxwell contacted you about our Peaceful Protest. This post you made is amazing!! Are you with Surfrider? Just wanted some of your background and wondered if you will be at the Protest.
Hi Tammy, thank you for the kind words. I love that IB has been getting more organized lately and wanted to create a resource where people can find everything in one place. I’m not with any org in particular, simply a concerned resident! I’ll be out of town for the 8/30 protest but will join the next one.