Accelerate Access to Prop 4 Funds for Tijuana River Valley

For years, billions of gallons of raw sewage, industrial waste, and trash have created a public health crisis in South San Diego County and North Baja California.  This cross-border pollution affects our entire region. 

• Tens of thousands of people have gotten sick from contaminated water and air
• Our beaches have been closed for more than four years
• Our economy and environment suffer daily

Why it keeps happening:

• The South Bay International Wastewater Treatment Plant that's supposed to handle this sewage is broken and overwhelmed
• There's no steady funding to fix it and keep it running
• There's no existing treatment infrastructure for contamination in the river
• One-time federal fixes aren't enough

AB 35 allows access to $50 million from Prop 4 (passed by CA voters in November 2024) already earmarked for the Tijuana and New rivers to be accelerated by bypassing the Administrative Procedure Act. 

Why this makes sense: There is an urgent need for state funding to build and maintain wastewater infrastructure to address the ongoing public health crisis in the Tijuana River Watershed.  Voters already approved the $10 billion Safe Drinking Water, Wildfire Prevention, Drought Preparedness, and Clean Air Bond Act of 2024 (Prop 4), which allocates $50 million towards the Tijuana and New rivers.  This bill cuts through the red tape that would likely add another 18 months to the process.  

Learn more about Surfrider's Clean Border Water Now program here.