Surfrider Hand-Delivers Petition and Student Art to White House Staff

Photo: Adriana Gallegos, Transboundary Pollution Coalition

Surfrider Joins San Diego Delegation on Trip to DC for Final Transboundary Pollution Request to Biden Administration

In mid-December, I traveled with a delegation of 8 San Diego advocates led by Imperial Beach Mayor Paloma Aguirre to Washington D.C. to request a federal emergency declaration and other solutions to the transboundary pollution crisis in the Tijuana Watershed.  I brought with me a petition signed by over 7,450 people and letters and art from hundreds of local students in the South Bay Union School District - one of the most impacted school districts in Southern California.  I was honored to represent Surfrider and the voices of many impacted community members on the delegation.  

Reel: Adriana Gallegos, Transboundary Pollution Coalition 

The trip, organized by the Transboundary Pollution Coalition for Advocacy and Healing and funded by the Prebys Foundation, was a last ditch effort to appeal to the Biden Administration, who has done more than any other federal administration in securing funds to address the environmental catastrophe in the San Diego/Tijuana binational region.  Short but effective, we were in DC from December 16th-19th during a week of heightened frenzy on Capitol Hill that culminated in a budget continuing resolution finally signed into law to narrowly avoid a government shutdown, after a number of last minute shenanigans.  In a major victory for all who have long advocated for more funding for infrastructure improvements to address the worsening transboundary pollution crisis, the continuing resolution included $250 million for the long-awaited International Treatment Plant expansion that is part of the EPA’s Comprehensive Infrastructure Plan!  

Photos: Sarah Davidson 

The main event was a meeting with White House staff attended by Mayor Aguirre and myself, and six other members of the Tijuana River Pollution Task Force - Chris Helmer (City of Imperial Beach Environmental and Natural Resources Director), Dr. Paula Stigler Granados (Division Head of Environmental Health - the School of Public Health at San Diego State University and lead researcher in the Tijuana River Valley), Dr. Kimberly Dickson (Owner and Physician at South Bay Urgent Care Clinic in Imperial Beach), Dr. Marvel Harrison (Psychologist and Imperial Beach resident), Dr. Tom Csanadi (retired pediatrician and Imperial Beach resident), and Adriana Gallegos (representing the YMCA and documenting our trip).  

Photo: Adriana Gallegos, Transboundary Pollution Coalition

We met with several members of the White House staff in the Eisenhower Building, across the street from the White House, to plead our case for more federal support, including an emergency declaration.

Each member of the delegation spoke passionately about the growing public health risks to frontline communities and especially the dangers to children.  We talked about the environmental catastrophe unfolding and how a river diversion project could help address both environmental and public health threats.  We shared the latest research showing long lists of dangerous contaminants found in the air and water by leading researchers at SDSU and UCSD, and how these contaminants are impacting local clinic patients including the uptick in serious illnesses seen after major rain events and high transboundary river flows.  We spoke about the mental health impacts, both short-term and long-term, to frontline communities.  We highlighted the many heart wrenching ways toxic gasses are harming the health of children.  

Photos: Adriana Gallegos, Transboundary Pollution Coalition

I was able to speak on behalf of the many residents and advocates who were not able to make the trip to DC by hand-delivering the petition we had collected with 7,450 signatures, along with two huge envelopes full of extraordinary art and letters from South Bay Union School District students and postcards from high school students in Chula Vista.   

The White House staff listened attentively as we made our pleas for support and a declaration of emergency that could improve the health and lives of hundreds of thousands of US residents living at our southwest corner who suffer daily from water and air that’s so toxic it is often not safe to breath when they go outside or even when they are inside their own homes.  They were visibly moved by our accounts, data, and the community voices we uplifted.  While they did not have the authority to follow through on our request in that meeting, they did commit to updating those that do and doing everything they could to get the necessary resources and prioritization in our desperate region in the remaining weeks before the administration transition.  

Photos: Adriana Gallegos, Transboundary Pollution Coalition

Meetings were also held with the offices of Representative Peters, Senator A. Padilla, Representative Issa, Senator Schiff, EPA, and two congressional committees - Senate Environment and Public Works and House Water, Wildlife, and Fisheries Subcommittee.

All in all, the trip was a success.  We were able to elevate local voices and experiences to federal decision-makers, forge and nurture important relationships with federal offices, and continue to advocate for desperately needed funding, prioritization, and solutions to the public health and environmental emergency plaguing communities and ecosystems in the San Diego-Tijuana cross-border region. 

The $250 million allocated by Congress is the direct result of the hard work and persistence of  our San Diego congressional champions, local leaders like Mayor Aguirre and the members of this delegation, and the community residents and advocates who have been raising their voices relentlessly for years to heal our river, our coast, and our communities.  

 Photo: Sarah Davidson

Interested in joining this effort?  Here’s how:

1. Sign-up for updates on our website.  
2. Support our Clean Border Water Now program by donating to ensure we can continue to address transboundary pollution in the Tijuana Watershed. 
3. If you’re in the San Diego area, join us!