SAN DIEGO (Border Report) — The third time was not the charm.
For the third time in recent years, including once last month, a San Diego delegation has paid a visit to the White House to urge President Joe Biden to declare a state of emergency for the Tijuana River Valley.
For decades, the valley has been tainted with untreated sewage along with tons of trash, tires and other debris that comes in from Mexico via the Tijuana River.
The proclamation or executive order sought by the delegation would clear the way for immediate funding to pay for mitigation projects in the area.
It would also eliminate many environmental hurdles, so the work could begin quickly.
Biden’s refusal to issue a state of emergency disappointed Imperial Beach Mayor Paloma Aguirre and the others who were part of the delegation.
Aguirre said the president is leaving it up to the state to make the first move, something California Gov. Gavin Newsom has decided not to do.
“Usually, the federal government defers to the state government for these type of declarations. We have been told very clearly by our governor that he does not believe this rises to the level of an emergency,” she said. “It’s extremely concerning that we have the largest health crisis, the biggest environmental injustice in the nation and we haven’t seen that leadership from both our state and federal governments.”
Aguirre is now hopeful the incoming Trump administration will want to make cleaning up the Tijuana River Valley a priority.
“I want to give the new administration the benefit of the doubt, we’re going to make this a priority to work with the Trump administration as soon as they come in to power — with their team I actually see more of an opportunity because they’ll have the judicial, the executive and the legislative branches all aligned.”
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