I’ve only had Peruvian food on very few occasions so when Jaqueline Arellano, Director of USA Programs for Border Kindness, mentioned that someone she knew started selling Peruvian food, I immediately placed an order. I picked up the food earlier today when I met Geraldo.
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What You Can Do About the Imperial Beach Poop Stench 💩🏖️
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.
La Casita de Union Trans Responds to $4k Pride Donation
Prepare to have tears run down your face, I’m warning you.
In collaboration with Border Kindness, we raised funds during San Diego’s Pride 5k to raise awareness and donations for La Casita de Union Trans.
SEO Coffee Mugs that are Actually Funny
Have you ever wondered why most SEOs or digital marketers make such boring merch? I do. All the time. I know the SEO industry has some fascinating characters & personalities but I’ve always been disappointed with the lack of merch/swag that is available. It’s always the same regurgitated content (pun intended). In fact, this is why I got inspired into starting my own mug brand. Enter: “Pretty Muggly“.
New & Unique Video Game Coffee Mugs
Welcome to my collection of gamer coffee mugs! Whether you’re a seasoned gamer or just love to show off your love for gaming culture, I’ve got the perfect coffee (or tea) mugs for you. Say hello to Pretty Muggly!
What is Organic Search Traffic?
Web surfers find their way to a website in various ways, each one playing a role in your digital marketing strategy to drive traffic from various sources. Below are the 5 most common types of traffic. It helps paint a picture so we can then delve into the world of organic search traffic.
10 Reasons Why Your Business Needs SEO as a Marketing Strategy
Search engines like Google are designed to rummage through billions of online content and then provide you with the top results they consider the answer(s) to any search query. This is mainly what Search Engine Optimization entails; when your business appears on the first page of search results, it will significantly help increase your total visibility and drive additional traffic to your website, for free! SEO is the most suitable and affordable marketing campaign to ramp up brand awareness, ROI, and expand your customer base.
The Most Effective eCommerce SEO Tips
Ecommerce businesses of all sizes need to focus on Search Engine Optimization (SEO), but it’s especially important if you have a limited marketing budget since it can multiply your time investment. Optimize your store with these effective eCommerce SEO tips to maximize your visibility in search engines & improve the rate at which your visitors turn into customers.
How to Support Small Businesses for Free
One of the coolest changes in the last few years is seeing friends and family dedicate a lot of their time to freelancing or creating their own business. I could visualize their imagination & creativity running wild by the conversations we were having. Yes, things have been rough since the COVID pandemic started, but it has been awesome to see others spend their mental energy doing things they genuinely enjoy and make extra cash.
I Got in a Sensory Deprivation Tank to Start 2022
To be honest I can’t really remember when I first heard about sensory deprivation tanks but in the last year, I have had a very strong desire to try it out. It was quite an interesting experience, to say the least. Not only is it super helpful for myself to mentally process by writing things down, but I also want to share my experience with those that are curious. I honestly think everyone should try it, especially since the world we live in overloads our senses and demands our attention in real-time.